Discrimination is so ingrained in our society that we tend to ignore it or even worse, we tend to neglect it. Though school is a place where discrimination shouldn’t be allowed to enter; where teachers and administrators should guarantee a safe environment in order to achieve their aim, that is to say, to promote learning, very often we can see teachers discriminating against students or students discriminating against their own classmates.
As a teacher, I had the opportunity -or misfortune- to witness discrimination at school. “It is difficult for them to learn because they come from the lower class” or “They can’t even speak in Spanish and you expect them to speak in English”. This is what many pedagogists call “labelling”. A label is like a tattoo on your skin, a mark which is difficult to get rid of. Hence, it is one of the worst crimes that a teacher can commit. Teachers who really believe that their students can’t learn, who expect nothing from them, won’t encourage their students to do their best in order to succeed and achieve high-quality work. Therefore, they will condemn their students to failure. Besides, students are not dumb. They can detect the teacher’s attitude easily. The message that students receive is that the teacher “doesn’t care about them”, which destroys their self-esteem and their self-concept.
What happens when students discriminate against their own classmates? Who is to blame? Most of my students come from Bolivia and, as you may know, the Bolivians are the perfect target for racists. In my class, I’ve heard comments such as “callate boliviano sucio”. I strongly believe that a child can’t reproduce such a comment without having heard it before from his or her family. Children do not discriminate by nature, they learn to do so, either at school or at home. So we adults, are always to blame. In such situations, the role of the teacher is extremely relevant. If the teacher turns a blind eye, she or he will probably contribute to increasing discrimination in the classroom. However, if she or he takes part in the problem, the result can be completely different. Taking part doesn’t mean telling off your students, it implies talking about this issue with them and explaining to them why they did is wrong.
As a teacher, I had the opportunity -or misfortune- to witness discrimination at school. “It is difficult for them to learn because they come from the lower class” or “They can’t even speak in Spanish and you expect them to speak in English”. This is what many pedagogists call “labelling”. A label is like a tattoo on your skin, a mark which is difficult to get rid of. Hence, it is one of the worst crimes that a teacher can commit. Teachers who really believe that their students can’t learn, who expect nothing from them, won’t encourage their students to do their best in order to succeed and achieve high-quality work. Therefore, they will condemn their students to failure. Besides, students are not dumb. They can detect the teacher’s attitude easily. The message that students receive is that the teacher “doesn’t care about them”, which destroys their self-esteem and their self-concept.
What happens when students discriminate against their own classmates? Who is to blame? Most of my students come from Bolivia and, as you may know, the Bolivians are the perfect target for racists. In my class, I’ve heard comments such as “callate boliviano sucio”. I strongly believe that a child can’t reproduce such a comment without having heard it before from his or her family. Children do not discriminate by nature, they learn to do so, either at school or at home. So we adults, are always to blame. In such situations, the role of the teacher is extremely relevant. If the teacher turns a blind eye, she or he will probably contribute to increasing discrimination in the classroom. However, if she or he takes part in the problem, the result can be completely different. Taking part doesn’t mean telling off your students, it implies talking about this issue with them and explaining to them why they did is wrong.
All in all, my advice is: Next time you hear someone discriminating against somebody else, do intercede. No matter if he or she is a teacher or a student and ask your students to tell you if they ever feel discriminated against. To be a good teacher, first we must be a good person.
Anahí
ReplyDeleteV interesting to hear your voice as a teacher!
As to your AWRs, work hard to improve the accuracy of your written work by becoming a better editor of your own work (massage your "third eye"!)
BW
Analía
The same happens to my mother, she works at a rural school where most students come from Bolivia. The argentinian ones discriminate against them.
ReplyDeleteHey Anahí,
ReplyDeleteHow saddening it is to witness discrimination in your own class / school. I guess it's bound to happen since prejudices are everywhere (take our major, for instance!). I'm glad to hear you try and do sthg about it!
Silvina