Racial Bias in the Classroom
Throughout my life, I have experienced inequity because of my heritage and the color of my skin. For example, my 10th grade English teacher demonstrated inequity by having prejudice against some of her students, as she was biased towards any nationality other than her own, which was black. The treatment that I and other people in the same situation received was unfair, as teachers are not supposed to give special treatment towards their own race. They should know to accept students’ differences in nationality. Situations like the one I was in happen in classrooms across the country every day. Although there is no simple solution, there are techniques that we can use to go about beginning to solve this major problem in the education system. Some of the ways we can fix this issue is to have teachers be held more accountable for their actions, be observed in a way that they can’t prepare for, and be given seminars on how to be objective towards their students.
My experience with that English teacher taught me a lesson that I will never forget. In the beginning of the year, she made sure that the Hispanic and Caucasian nationalities felt and saw a low form of what the African American race went through during the years of slavery. In a twisted form of revenge, she made the work easy for her own race, such as writing simple journals, no homework, and being allowed to tidy the classroom in exchange for leaving early, while the rest of us had to do essays, homework every day, and take quizzes on every chapter. This inequity was felt strongly by the kids in the class, we could all see the obviously different treatment. Then, in the middle of the semester, one of my classmates told his mother the circumstances. The mother took the story to the higher-ups in the school, who took the situation very seriously and told her that her way of teaching was essentialist and prejudiced. The way that my teacher treated me, when I was no more than a kid, has had a huge impact on the way I view nationalities and racism, and has prompted me to come up with ways to stop situations like this from happening in the future. One of the techniques to fix the education system is to have teachers be held accountable for their actions. For example, if a teacher said something offensive or not appropriate to a class then the principal or the head of the school district should be able to give the teacher consequences in a way that matched the harm that was caused. The seriousness of the action would determine the seriousness of the consequence. Everyone makes mistakes, but adults must take the responsibility of the mistakes they make. Teachers should have consequences for their actions, especially since the students are possibly mentally and emotionally affected by the harsh words and treatment by a person that they are supposed to view as a role model. Teachers are supposed to set the example for their students, and be a source of equity, love, and support, and they should be this constantly, whether or not anyone is watching. Teachers are often looked in on and observed by the school district to make sure that they ae doing their jobs efficiently and to the best of their abilities. However, if you ask any student, they will tell you that teachers are extremely different on the “observation days”; they are nicer, calmer, and more focused. William Allen Young points out that “It doesn’t matter what race, culture, gender, disability, non-disability, it doesn’t matter who the …show more content…
My teacher didn’t believe in me or the other students in the class, all she did was pass out assignments and force her opinion on us. Young states, “teachers are game changers”, pointing out that teachers’ words have impact, and they should have a positive influence on their students in school and outside of school. They also need to think before they speak, as words can offend, even if that was not the original intent. Unbiased teachers teach their students tolerance, equity, and respect for all of their classmates, which in turn helps the world to be a more tolerant and unbiased
Throughout my life, I have experienced inequity because of my heritage and the color of my skin. For example, my 10th grade English teacher demonstrated inequity by having prejudice against some of her students, as she was biased towards any nationality other than her own, which was black. The treatment that I and other people in the same situation received was unfair, as teachers are not supposed to give special treatment towards their own race. They should know to accept students’ differences in nationality. Situations like the one I was in happen in classrooms across the country every day. Although there is no simple solution, there are techniques that we can use to go about beginning to solve this major problem in the education system. Some of the ways we can fix this issue is to have teachers be held more accountable for their actions, be observed in a way that they can’t prepare for, and be given seminars on how to be objective towards their students.
My experience with that English teacher taught me a lesson that I will never forget. In the beginning of the year, she made sure that the Hispanic and Caucasian nationalities felt and saw a low form of what the African American race went through during the years of slavery. In a twisted form of revenge, she made the work easy for her own race, such as writing simple journals, no homework, and being allowed to tidy the classroom in exchange for leaving early, while the rest of us had to do essays, homework every day, and take quizzes on every chapter. This inequity was felt strongly by the kids in the class, we could all see the obviously different treatment. Then, in the middle of the semester, one of my classmates told his mother the circumstances. The mother took the story to the higher-ups in the school, who took the situation very seriously and told her that her way of teaching was essentialist and prejudiced. The way that my teacher treated me, when I was no more than a kid, has had a huge impact on the way I view nationalities and racism, and has prompted me to come up with ways to stop situations like this from happening in the future. One of the techniques to fix the education system is to have teachers be held accountable for their actions. For example, if a teacher said something offensive or not appropriate to a class then the principal or the head of the school district should be able to give the teacher consequences in a way that matched the harm that was caused. The seriousness of the action would determine the seriousness of the consequence. Everyone makes mistakes, but adults must take the responsibility of the mistakes they make. Teachers should have consequences for their actions, especially since the students are possibly mentally and emotionally affected by the harsh words and treatment by a person that they are supposed to view as a role model. Teachers are supposed to set the example for their students, and be a source of equity, love, and support, and they should be this constantly, whether or not anyone is watching. Teachers are often looked in on and observed by the school district to make sure that they ae doing their jobs efficiently and to the best of their abilities. However, if you ask any student, they will tell you that teachers are extremely different on the “observation days”; they are nicer, calmer, and more focused. William Allen Young points out that “It doesn’t matter what race, culture, gender, disability, non-disability, it doesn’t matter who the …show more content…
My teacher didn’t believe in me or the other students in the class, all she did was pass out assignments and force her opinion on us. Young states, “teachers are game changers”, pointing out that teachers’ words have impact, and they should have a positive influence on their students in school and outside of school. They also need to think before they speak, as words can offend, even if that was not the original intent. Unbiased teachers teach their students tolerance, equity, and respect for all of their classmates, which in turn helps the world to be a more tolerant and unbiased