The personal side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Imagine studying to be an effective educator for four to six years because of your love for children. You take a variety of courses on strategies to ensure student success regardless of the race, ethnicity, or cultural background, etc. of the students. You have a different cultural background than a majority of the students who will enter your classroom, however you honored to be their educator. On the first day of school, the students begin to enter the classroom and they are extremely excited to meet you. The last student enters your classroom with a huge smile, and the child is immediately stopped from entering the classroom by one of their parents. As a concerned educator, you immediately walk towards the student and their parents. The parent says that the student will not be allowed in your class and the family immediately walks away from your classroom. You are a seasoned teacher and unsure why this incident has occurred. Later, the administrator explains that the parent is extremely uncomfortable with you teaching their child because of your cultural background. This incident leaves you devastated because you have prepared to teach and love all students regardless of their cultural background.

This devastating incident occurred with a former co-worker who was also a close friend. As an educator, I was disappointed in how the parent judged my co-worker based on her cultural background. My co-worker was more than capable of teaching their child effectively, however she was discriminated against unfairly. The parents impacted her self-esteem because she began to feel as if she wasn’t as qualified as the other teachers within the school. The administration immediately held a meeting with parent based on the incident. The parent made a poor judgement and the student was excited to enter the classroom. As an administrator, I would ensure that all parents are aware of the strength of all the teachers and my confidence in their ability to teach all students effectively. Racial discrimination will not be tolerated based on the cultural identity of the educators. Our goal as educators is to effectively teach all students and celebrate the diversity within the classroom.