“These stereotypical images we hold of certain groups are powerful in influencing what people see and expect of students. Unless educators consciously try to undermine and work against these kinds of stereotypes, they often act on them unconsciously. Our assumptions related to race are so deeply entrenched that it is virtually impossible for us not to hold them unless we take conscious and deliberate action” (Noguera 30).
I found this passage from “Joaquín’s Dilemma” particularly thought provoking because it made me stop and think about underlying stereotypical images that I held because of my own school experience. I went to middle and high school in a very white-dominated, more affluent suburb of St. Louis, and in all of my honors or AP classes throughout high school, I could count on one hand the number of minority students in my classes. Therefore, I think I subconsciously began making assumptions about different groups of students that took particular levels of classes.
Moving forward as an educator, I want to try and take ‘conscious and deliberation action’ against these stereotypes, as Noguera recommends. My personal experience is not indicative of the entire population as a whole, and the assumptions that I may have made subconsciously do not have credibility. I want to strive to treat all my future students fairly and with as little of influence from stereotypes as possible, and although I know that this is a difficult task to carry out, I do personally believe that it will be one of the most important aspects of being an educator of adolescents.
Hi Leslie, thank you for your honest sharing~
I might have the same problem with you. I received my former education including high education in China, where most students are from the same ethnic group and speak the same language, so I might have little awareness of dealing with different minority classmates in my past experience. As a potential teacher, if I plan to teach in New York City, I should pay much attention to include all my students with diverse background to my culturally responsive classroom, and I definitely have a long way to go to reach that goal. I believe for many other classmates from China, this is a common problem we have, for our simple academic settings, so I’ m happy that I could hear different voice, thoughts and experience of how to teach students having divergent cultures in this class!
Leslie and Shu, thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable and openness to learning. This is such an important part of the process of preparing to teach. When we are aware of ourselves, we are better prepared to meet our students where they are.