In comparison to past periods in history, there have been changes in the amount of discrimination against cultural groups. There is no longer segregation in public spaces, bathrooms or schools. A head tax is no longer applied to immigrants coming into the country. Society has come a long way since the times of women not being considered people. In this so-called “accepting” and “multicultural” country of Canada why is there still a stigma around SES, why is there a stereotype threat, and why is there still places where discrimination of people and groups?

Mental Health and SES

This week we talked about socioeconomic status (SES) and its links to mental health. One of the videos we viewed in class gave many insights to the impact SES has on children’s mental health and their academic achievement. In the video, it was said that 1 in 9 children live in poverty, that is 11% of children. This seems like a small amount but looking at a classroom of 30 students, 11% is 3 students. These students cannot be forgotten about when their education is at risk. There has been a link seen between mental health and low SES. A statistic from the video said that children from low-income families are 3x more likely to develop mental health disorders than children who aren’t from low-income families. Teachers should take these statistics into account when working with students. Teachers are in positions to make a change in students lives.

Stereotype Threat

The stereotype threat is a concept that explains why people who fit the physical characteristics of stereotypes can become worried that their academic performance will confirm the stereotype they fit into. This fear could happen to anyone. There are many stereotypes about people of different cultures as well as simply people with specific characteristics, such as hair colour. This type of fear or anxiety can cause students to perform poorly due to the worrying thoughts getting in the way.

5 Steps for Teachers

In the text, the authors gave readers five steps to helping students who are coming to terms with their sexuality or gender. The steps include:

1. Listen
2. Affirm
3. Refer
4. Address
5. Follow up

These steps give teachers a solid base to start from when speaking to a student if they are struggling with feelings about their sexuality or gender. While these steps have a logical progression and are positive some of these steps could be done as precursors to a student’s feeling confusion. If teachers were to affirm and address these types of topics in the classroom and create an atmosphere where different genders and sexualities are not made into a “problem” or a dividing line that one dares not cross. The first step should be to create an open environment for students to explore and experience new things and to find who they are are individuals. There should be a precedence set that discrimination is not tolerated in any way. In looking at the level of acceptance society is at today, there is a long way to go before there are classrooms and school that are as opened and accepting as I have described, so the steps that the text have laid out are a good place to start given the circumstances.

Then to Now

Another topic that was touched on in class this week was the impact of gender roles in children’s books that was highlighted in another video. One of these gender roles that was highlighted was that women are to stay home and perform “domestic” activities. In comparing some of the jobs my mother was to do with the ones I was expected of there is a large difference. For example, my mom was to make meals for her dad and brothers who worked on the family farm, and she didn’t do much work on the farm due to her gender. Another example of the changes between the time when my mom grew up and when I did is the emphasis to play with “girly” toys like Barbies. For my mom, Barbie was a love of her childhood. For me, I wasn’t into the idea of being “girly” like the other girls in my grade. She didn’t push barbies on me by any means, she just very much wanted to share the love she had for them with me, sadly for her I didn’t agree. She was willing to get me toys that I wanted that were not the classic dolls with dresses. If I had grown up in the same time as she did, I may have been only given the toys that were approved by my parents for the gender that I was. Now, there are so many opportunities for children and youth to develop interests of their own in things that may not coincide with the gender that they identify with.

On a Personal Note

I went to two different high schools that were in the same area. The only difference between these two schools was the size. other than that they were pretty much the same. Both of these schools had low populations of students from other cultures. As A student learning about teaching, I hope to be exposed to experiences that will broaden my scope of what schools look like and the variety of cultures that exist in schools. I am excited for my horizons to be expanded in the teaching experiences that are waiting for me.

Taking all this information into account, what is the influence of how a teacher grew up on the way they teach cultural differences in the classroom?