Chapter 4

What?
This chapter prompted reflection and discussion on the differences in students we will see as teachers from cultural backgrounds, to socioeconomic status, through something as "simple"
as gender differences. It pointed out that as teachers we need to be aware that students from varying cultures will respond differently to the Western classroom setting. It also gave signs to watch for so students are not misjudged. A students odd behavior in class should not automatically be seen as an academic issue but should be taken in as the child is, on a wholistic approach. A student who is struggling at home, know as "at risk" will be quiet in class for much different reasons than a student from a culture in which children are being polite if they are quiet.


So what?
Our classroom discussions over the past two weeks have hopefully been a little eye opening for all of us future teachers. While we addressed the fact that making premature judgements on our students would be unjust and boiled down to the point that students are still individuals, we also need to give some credence to the generalities of this chapter. The students we meet will not always fit into the mold that our book seems to lay out for them, it is important to be aware of some of the characteristics of the culture in general. I think a study of my friends, and sometimes myself, who do not fit the mold their color, religion, or gender would outline for them gives even more weight to the chapter and the ideas it presents. If a person does not fit their stereotype, they are usually all too painfully aware of the fact and are tied to that stereotype, if not by following, even more so by not following. When an identity is challenged it becomes an even bigger deal. As an example, there was a student in my classes in high school who had an issue with her stereotype. She was African-American. But hers was a different case. She was just a second generation African-American with no history in United States slavery but with heritage in the royalty of a tribe in Nigeria (I may be wrong on the country). One of my favorite things about her was that she actually had royal jewels! Wow! She was wealthier than any of the other (white or Asian) country clubbers in our honors class and always did some of the best work. She was also active in the school and was a basketball player. That is where her stereotype made the biggest difference. All of the other girls on the basketball team, most of the African-Americans from generations on end, were not in the honors classes and did not have the same background she did. I watched as her vocab changed depending on which crowd she was needing to fit in to at the time. She used a different lingo with her team than with her friends in the honors class, a lingo often associated with ignorance (based on the grammatical errors). Hers was a hard spot to be in.


Now what?
As not only a teacher, but a fellow citizen/growing person/charitable human being, I think it is important to always be aware of your own shortcomings and try to keep an open mind. I read the book Blink by Malcolm Caldwell and some of the studies he discussed were fascinating. Some of the studies he did on people's perceptions of race and what qualities are associated with different races were pretty scary. People tested on tests requiring speed in decision, and which were designed to test a person's subconscious, showed in people, most of whom seemed to be open minded and professed racial understanding, an ingrained reaction to associate bad with black. The test and study seemed to conclude that consciously placed there or not, we all have prejudices that are there due to history, media, family, etc. The book went on to talk about training oneself into making better snap decisions and did not leave me feeling hopeless. It appears that these things we automatically think are natural and it will be our job, especially as those in charge to a large degree of what children take into their learning purposely and into their subconscious for 7 hours a day, to be careful with our own pre-judgements and the examples we set because of them. We must also be sensitive to the needs of students due to their different backgrounds and be able to work with them, while not offending by assuming we know what is going on based on our pre-concieved ideas.