In the preface and first two chapters of Literacy with an Attitude, Patrick J. Finn introduces the idea that not all literacy is created equal. He argues that the kind of education students receive depends heavily on their social class, and this inequality is not just about funding or resources, it’s about power. Finn distinguishes between "domesticating" education, which teaches compliance, and "empowering" education, which teaches students to think critically. The book is eye-opening and, honestly, a bit uncomfortable, especially going into teaching. It made me ask: am I only able to reinforce the system, or can my classroom be a place where we change that?
One quote that really stood out is:
“We don’t worry about a literate working class because the kind of literacy they get doesn’t make them dangerous.”
This is such a powerful and disturbingly true statement. Finn is saying that even when working-class students learn to read and write, the type of literacy they are given is meant to keep them in their place. They’re taught to follow rules, not question them. This quote points to how schools can actually be used to maintain inequality rather than challenge it. It also explains why some students might “fail” in school, not because they’re not smart, but because the system isn’t built for them to succeed in a meaningful, transformative way.
Another quote I found important was:
“When rich children get empowering education, nothing changes. But when working-class children get empowering education, you get literacy with an attitude.”
Here, Finn shows that critical, empowering education has the power to shake things up, but only if it reaches the people who have traditionally been denied that kind of learning. Wealthy kids learning to think critically doesn’t change the status quo, because they’re already benefiting from it. But when working-class kids are taught to analyze, critique, and speak out, it threatens the existing structure. That’s when education becomes a dangerous and powerful tool.
Throughout these chapters, Finn uses real-life classroom observations to show how different schools teach different kinds of literacy. It’s not just about teaching reading and writing—it’s about teaching students how to see themselves in the world. Are they being prepared to lead and question? Or to obey and conform? As a future educator, this reading really challenged me. It made me reflect on what kind of classroom I want to create. I don’t want to teach kids how to follow the status quo, I want to teach them how to use their voices, to ask hard questions, and to believe that their opinions matter. That’s what Finn called literacy with an attitude and we need more of it.
Do you think schools today still follow the same patterns Finn described?
Can we as educators change what "type" of literacy we give our students or is it curriculum based?
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