“Finally, an effective teacher who is able to inspire students by getting to know them can actually do a great deal to overcome anti-academic tendencies. They can do this by getting students to believe in themselves, by getting them to learn how to work hard and persist, and by getting them to dream, plan for the future, and set goals.” Noguera “Joaquin’s Dilemma”

Personally, I may have been an immigrant but I did have it easier in school because on the outside I was white. In 3rd grade I had entered my first public school after being at a predominantly white-Italian Catholic school. It vastly different – not everyone was expected to do well. I was called the teacher’s pet because I was one of the few that actually did the work and was a “goody two shoes”. To this day, I distinctly remember the moment when coming up from lunch one day, the class was being noisy and our teacher told everyone to write their 25 spelling words 3 times each. As an after-thought, she told me I didn’t have to do it. A Hispanic boy named K.C. who sat next to me heard and got pretty upset at this unfair treatment and from then on refused to complete his punishment. The white teacher favored me because I was white. I’m sure there were other reasons (like I actually did do my homework) but that’s how the kids saw it and this discouraged them even more because she didn’t give them the same motivation to succeed and the same trust as she gave me.

In contrast, I had started dating my black boyfriend in 8th grade when he was an ok student, not in the honors class I was in. We went on through high school together and again I would find myself taking the honors courses while he kind of just skated by. But somewhere during junior year, we got a new principal who really placed him in high esteem and met with him and his grandmother and they formed strong bonds. She pushed him to work harder and by the time he graduated high school, he was the first ever recipient of the Mayor’s Award for being an outstanding student in Yonkers and headed to NYU. Moreover, he seemed proud of his accomplishments, displaying the photo of him, the mayor, and the award for everyone on FB to see.

These 2 situations just show a contrast between the difference one educator could make in a student’s desire to learn and succeed academically. If they just see that somebody believes in them and thinks they will do well, they will more likely try to live up to those expectations. In my boyfriend’s case, his principal’s attention actually superseded any peer group expectations he may have had before which may not always be the case, but certainly gives them a leg up.