Personal Narrative: My Stereotypes In The Classroom

A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and over simplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. There have been many stereotypes that have been placed upon me and I have become accustomed to. I am always underestimated and singled out because of my small size. For example, when I go to a restaurant, I am immediately handed the “children’s menu”. When I walk onto a football or lacrosse field, I am misjudged because of my height, or lack thereof, and weight. Coaches, referees, other players and even my own teammates do not expect that I have the stamina, drive or athletic ability to add to a team’s success. Stereotypes have become a daily routine for me and I must admit, that although I am judged by others at all times,

John’s Parish on Temple Street, Worcester. The program was created with the mission to provide academic support for the children who live in its impoverished neighborhood and attend one of Worcester’s lowest performing schools, Union Hill. Most of the tutors, including me, are white, attend private schools and live in the suburbs of Worcester and in general, have much safer living conditions than the kids we teach. The kids are mostly Hispanic and African and most often, are not native English learners. On my first day of teaching, my perception was that they were a high-strung, undisciplined, rambunctious lot and the last thing they wanted to focus on was homework. When I first set foot in Ascension, I was so worried about what I could do to control poor behavior and prevent chaos, never mind teaching math and reading. Upon reflection, I had placed stereotypes on little kids who were no different than I except, they were poor and lived in a very rough area. When I looked the kids in the eye, paid them the little bit of attention that every child wants, they respected that I was there to help them and we both had a job to do. I was able to connect with the children and realized how positive and nice they were. I recognize that the stereotypes that I had placed upon these children are no different than those placed upon my Irish immigrant ancestors who looked to Vernon Hill for a