How can educators support students’ positive identify development, especially those students who might not be part of the dominant social groups at school?
Bessette: I think the teachers who really acknowledge a student, not just whether he got the right answer or not, but acknowledge him for who he is make a big difference. Such teachers don’t’ just bring students to my office and say, “Mary has the top average in my class.” They might also say something like, “Mary has a new job after school.” Or, “Sandra is on the dance team. Have you ever seen her dance?” Or, “Who is your favorite writer, Jeremy?” Then Jeremy will answer, “Vonnegut,” and the next thing you know we are having a discussion about Vonnegut. We want every student to feel that someone knows him or her well on a personal level. I think that helps develop a sense of self.” – Sadowski, 2008 (p. 164)

This passage depicts stereotype naming on kids based on their academics. I have similar personal experience. In high school, one of my best friends who was always top student in the class in every subject. Thus, whenever people introduced her by saying “She is the number one student in that class.” And when it’s me, “she is Pei-Chi”, that’s it! It seemed that there is nothing worthy to talk about me more. If kids were not outstanding in academic performance, it seemed there is nothing valuable perspectives on them. How shame would educators be like that. However, seeing students with tattoos, dramatic hairstyles or piercing may bring some assumptions on them, such as bad behavior, bad academics, or any other negative connections. However, we should halt this up right away. For instance, one of my last year high school students in Taiwan, she has more than 10 tattoos and around 7 piercing on different part of body, dramatic hair color, and a part-time job as a pole dancer, which are lots of negative symptoms of a kid with behavior problems. Surprisingly, after I get to know her more about how she interacts and gets along with friends and family, she actually is a very well-behaved, thoughtful, and obedient kid. The way she dressed is merely the fashion she prefers to present herself. Most of time, we have set up our frameworks of what a good student looks like. Nonetheless, this is the invisible prison on us preventing to unearth what kind of a kid who really is. Every kid is a unique treasure and works hard on some aspects which they are interested in that you haven’t noticed yet, which are worthy for us to pay more attention on their specialty with our teacher’s goggles on.

Sadowski, M. (2008). Adolescents at school: Perspectives on youth, identity, and education. Harvard Education Press. 8 Story Street First Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138.