Final answer:
Assata's view of traditional schooling is critical, finding it often incompatible with personal and cultural identities and geared towards perpetuating societal inequalities through practices like cultural imperialism and segregation. These experiences are shared by others from different backgrounds who faced gaps in knowledge and a curriculum that reinforced white supremacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Assata's view of traditional schooling based on her experiences in elementary school reveals a critical perspective on the educational system. She and others like Tara Westover found that traditional schooling often left large gaps in knowledge and did not prepare students for real-world challenges, including studying and taking tests. The received education was often at odds with their personal life experiences and cultural backgrounds.
Furthermore, many instructors, although kind, were part of a system that practiced cultural imperialism, implicitly teaching students to look down on their own traditions, religions, and languages. The schools also maintained a pattern of segregation and exclusion, reinforcing notions of white supremacy and undermining the educational achievements and aspirations of non-white communities. For Native children in boarding schools, for example, the objective was often to strip away their cultural identity and assimilate them into the dominant culture, which involved harsh discipline and a curriculum focused on manual labor.
These issues highlight the broader context of institutional racism and the historical neglect of minority perspectives within the educational system. Assata and many others experienced an educational environment that was less about personal growth and more about perpetuating societal inequalities.