"Color-Blindness" and Stereotypes

I know that it’s been a while since my last post. My life has recently taken a turn for the busier! It’s week nine in the term. This means next week is what is called “Dead Week” then the following week is Finals. I recently just got a job at a garden nursery between Corvallis and Albany (exciting I know!) and I have multiple papers to write. I have one for my English Grammar class and one to finish up for my TCE (Teacher and Councilor Education). One top of this I have to read a really hard meta-fiction novel and study for an extremely challenging Spanish chapter test that will be on Thursday. I’m not sure how many of you have learned another language, but it’s almost harder than any other class… EVER! How in the heck am I supposed to conjugate verbs in the present-subjunctive, present-indicative, past –subjunctive… blah, blah, blah. How these rules came about is way beyond my knowledge. But I’m continuing to learn right? Isn't that what I talked about previously in an older post? I just never knew that I would have to take so many tests and write so many papers just so I can do the same for my students. I also have to take a Civil Rights tests in order to earn my degree… And yet again I find myself wondering why I have so many different tests and exams that I am required to pass in order to get a license to do the same to others. Just a thought.

My weekend home was good, haven’t mentioned that trip yet. Seeing my family was always great and my mom had a good birthday I suppose. Last weekend went well too, my best friend came down from Port Angeles (I know I just saw him the week before, haha) and we went to a concert and hung out with my friends here. It was eventful. The only sad part? These weekends haven’t helped in getting me ahead in my workload, now it’s almost too late!

Oh and I caught whatever sickness or allergy thing that is going around. The cherry that tops off the sundae.

Anyways, trying to stay on topic. Today I want to talk about racism in the classroom. I have some serious feelings about this, as most people feel strongly as well. In teaching there is a term coined “color-blindness.” The reason I am bringing this topic up is because it is such a controversial one and can ignite so many problems with society, the school district, parents, teachers, students…. Okay, let’s just say it affects everyone.

This term “color-blindness” means that essentially teachers do and teach their students to ignore the fact of race and color in the classroom. There is to be nothing said on the subject, it is to be completely ignored. The problem with this is that it simply cannot disappear. Children especially know the difference and they don’t know the appropriateness of comments in public. I saw a child in a store one time say, “Mommy, look. That boy has dark skin.” Immediately the mother quieted her daughter and said that what the child said was not okay and should never be said out loud again. Some might consider this an acceptable and appropriate response. However it’s not. Everyone can see the difference in skin color, so why do we insist on color-blindness? Isn't it just as bad as racism altogether? Ignoring the fact that someone has different colored skin? It’s not just about skin color or who is considered African-American or Caucasian. It also has to do with culture, customs, values, beliefs, appearance. Just because there is a girl that is four inches taller than any other girl in her classroom does not make her any less of a human or need to be pointed out. It’s the same with skin-color. I think that ignoring the fact that a child is Mexican-American or African-American or Native-American or any other type of race or sub-race is just as bad as being racist altogether.

Teaching our students the differences is important. So that when they enter the public there is no disconnect. I know of friends (who grew up in the same town) who are uncomfortable with others of different skin color. It’s not that they are racist or believe in one race being dominant over the other; they just simply were not comfortable because they were never taught how to be comfortable. Everything was IGNORED! And by IGNORING there is a disconnect. As teachers we need to gap that disconnect with knowledge so that when our students enter the real world nothing can stop them or hinder them.

Not to mention that these students of different culture already feel stereotyped (that needs to change too). If there is an Asian-American he is most likely considered to be very intelligent or good with technology. As teachers we not only have to disregard the concept of color-blindness but we need to admonish the ideas of stereotypes. We need to gear these students towards being successful in the workplace. Each. And. Every. One. Of. Them. Regardless of race, skin color, nationality, likes/dislikes, hobbies, the way they wear their hair, the clothes they wear, how they identify themselves…. The list is never ending. Teachers these days ignore racism and that is just as bad as being racist!

If you’re an aspiring teacher, I highly suggest for the future success of your students in society you ignore both stereotypes and the concept of color-blindness. This is for the bettering of the whole.

I LOVE the author Malcolm Gladwell. If you haven’t read any of his novels, I highly suggest you do so. He is a wonderful writer and his facts and theses just continue to amaze me. I have all of his books. Alright back on topic. In one of his more recent novels, Outliers, he writes a chapter on test taking. He stated that in this chapter students who are asked their race in the beginning (whether the test was anonymous or not) the students are likely to get lower test scores than if they are not asked. He had numbers and figures that I will not mention because I do not want to misquote, however the whole point was that if a student was African-American and they were asked their ethnicity, they will do worse than if not asked. Even these students subconsciously answer to stereotypes.  As teachers, we need to eradicate this altogether. Students, every single one, needs to know that they have the skills and confidence to succeed regardless of others or even the restraints that they hold on themselves. We need to support them in any way shape or form. They need to know that they have the potential for anything!

Sorry for the rant.

Until next time!