Stereotypes After School

Stereotypes in school can affect students and their education. We did some research about stereotypes at our school, Point Loma High, but first we read “How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance,” by Shankar Vedantam. He argues that how being a stereotype can bring down someones work performance. He supports his claim by first explaining that on a standardized vocabulary test, black people on average scored a 5.49 out of 10 questions correctly and white people answered 6.33 correctly out of 10. He then explains how eventually when a black person is being tested with a black instructor, they score a 6.33, just like the whites. Vedantam’s purpose is to bring attention to this research so that it can be used when creating policy and law. After reading survey results from my peers, I think his finding are also relevant for students at my school.

As a young child I learned what the good group of kids looked like and what the bad group of kids looked like. In movies, the bad group of people are portrayed in high school as boys who wear really big clothing and girls that wear too dark of makeup. However after my junior year, I now know that you never really can tell between who the good and the bad people really are. Starting from when I was very young, my brother began changing my entire life for the better because I grew up with him in and out of jails and prisons for theft, drug use, and underage consumption. During his time in jails and prisons, it killed my mother and father. However for me, I never really knew the person labeled as my brother. He was a shadow with a name for me.

The media portrays high schools being full of identity stereotypes, whether it is in movies, TV shows, or sometimes music. Each school has the group of star athletes, the kids bound for broadway, and the kids who could become the next Einstein. Every show or movie has the same supporting character who each belonged to different cliques.

The one place that everyone thinks is their own personal hell, theirs plenty of reasons though. It could be that you don't want to spend your day learning, you hate your teacher- especially Mr. Harris-, you have no friends, or the most famous one is that you have bullies. Bullies from the popular group like Lydia, who would bully you mentally by criticizing your outfit. Or Jackson; who would, other than pushing you against the locker, mentally bully you by saying your weak, you can't play lacrosse, or by making you think your poor by boasting about his new silver Porsche that he got from his rich adoptive parents. Then, last but not least we have

Kids in middle school, are enduring a time period in their life where they're becoming teens, who are becoming adults. Kids going into middle school are at a point where boys being friends with girls was somewhat acceptable, to adults thinking if two 11 year olds of the opposite genders are gonna have sex with each other if they're left alone together for 5 minutes.

Though we may say words don’t hurt us, they do in one form or another. By the middle of fourth grade instead of being known as the nice girl as I was in my old school, I became the outcast. It all began when one of the girls in my group had a comment about why I was in school when I could be doing her yard work. It was the furthermost embarrassing moment in my entire life, and while all the students laughed uncontrollably all I could do is hide my face in shame. This moment had sparked the never ending bullying that was my fourth and fifth-grade year. While walking the hallway’s boys would call me “illegal” and, of course, a “wetback”. Though I find it humorous now, this was undoubtedly the ultimate dilemma I faced living in Georgia. Two

As a child, I was very outspoken. I didn’t care whether the audience listened or not, I just loved saying what I thought. However, as I grew older, sharing my thoughts on matters lost its appeal. I would sit through classes, still eager to learn different worldviews and approaches to problems, but never sharing my own.

Although one may argue that male students are distracted by female clothing in the classroom, this stereotype is inaccurate. The assumption that is being made when the rules are in place is that if girls are not covered, the learning of male students is at risk since they are not mature enough to control themselves in a learning environment. Ask guys around school and chances are, they do not think that the shoulders of the girl sitting in front of him distract from his learning. If the answer is yes, then they should be taught to not sexualize girls in that manor. Girls are not sexual objects and are not there for the pleasure of a guy. Eliana Dockterman in her article "Schools Are Still Slut-Shaming Girls While Enforcing Dress Code" insinuates

Select texts and readings, classroom displays, and bulletin boards that are free of stereotypes and prejudice.

When I moved to Wichita this August to being my freshman year of college, I stereotyped one of my teammates named Abby. In highschool our volleyball teams played each other like twice so I really didn’t know her or even remember how she played, I just recognized her from pictures and remembered that there was so reason why I didn’t like her when we did play. Now, I know this is because both played the exact same position in highschool, hitting and setting, and we both are the same age. My whole stereotype that I gave to Abby was a kind of weak, clueless, and rude girl. Coming into a college setting for sports is intimidating and I was determined to make my mark and burry Abby because she was a bitch and also she was going to take my spot.

“Hurry up everybody.” “Climb into your seats.” “I hear her pounding footsteps.” “She’s almost here!”

I am Taylor Goody, an eighteen year old, Caucasian female, and I was born in Fort Hood, Texas. Including me, there are four people in my family, my mom, dad, and brother, and we are a middle class family. My mom is an administrative assistant, and my dad is a paramedic. My high school experience was good and bad, but it shaped me into being the person I am today. I have gained many friendships and memories because of high school, and they all made me a better person. Georgia Southern University was one of my top choices for college. It is close to home, and I loved the atmosphere of the campus when I visited. I had friends who go here tell me how enjoyable their time spent here had been, and it influenced my decision greatly.

I see Purple! Western Illinois University(WIU), is a public college in Macomb, Illinois, and is about one hour away from Virginia, Illinois. Western also has Quad cities in Moline, Illinois for a smaller schooling experience. Macomb holds the main campus and has a population of 18,352. The city is an average size college town, with great transportation. Western has a bus transportation system that can take you anywhere in Macomb. The busses are also free to all WIU students, Macomb has bus stops all around the city making transportation easier for first year students who don't have cars(Western Illinois University,2017).

As a general rule, young adults have an infinite and deep knowledge of everything there is to know. This is a common misconception between the group as a whole both subconsciously and otherwise. Young graduates, having survived the first level of schooling, embark into secondary education feeling as if the world is in their hands. This notion is, of course, quickly decimated. My high school English courses, as a former homeschooler, consisted of studying under one stay at home mom, a couple former English teachers and professors, and one former air force major through a homeschool cooperative. Such tutelage led to excellent creative advancement as well as fair understanding of writing mechanics. Unfortunately, when I decided to take a gap-year

I must say I have done my fair share of stereotyping in my lifetime. One person in my life I can say I had stereotyped the most before actually getting to know them would be my good friend Teddy. My teddy bear is a typical young man with not the best hygiene skills nor the best manners or home training. However, he has a heart of gold and is one of the best most kindhearted people I’ve ever come across in my life.