Social Class CREQ Essay

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Recommended: Racial disparities in the US educational system

The essential question that I am focusing on for this CREQ is “Why do we have an “achievement gap” between students from different communities, racial and ethnic groups, and social class groups?” I feel that chapters 3 and 4 of the Johnson text allow me some insight on this particular essential question, considering the focus is on the relationship between capitalism and racism. This chapter reminded me of a question asked in our taping project, “How often do you think of your skin color?” and the response from the Johnson text is: when you’re white, you don’t have to. When you are a white, heterosexual, middle class student, you are able to attend school with learning as your only priority. The only obstacle in the way of that student’s success is …show more content…

Students outside of the bubble of “white, cis-het, middle class” have to ask themselves “Is my teacher racist, homophobic, transphobic? Are my classmates?” The micro-aggressions add up; a teacher constantly mispronouncing or not remembering POC students’ names, POC students not being called on, POC students only being called on when the classroom discussion involves their race/ethnicity/culture. It is not fostering an environment where these individuals feel free to simply learn, like their white, more privileged classmates. These groups are constantly plagued stereotype threat, the fear of confirming an existing stereotype of their group. When they participate in class, they are risking being viewed as a representative of their entire race/ethnic group. A quote that stood out for me from chapter 4 of the Johnson text was “Racism means living in a society that predisposes whites to see the worst in people of color and ignore the best, a society in which acceptance must be won anew every day.” How can we expect students of color close the achievement gap without providing them an environment in which they are safe

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