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Jaybeth Popwell
Mrs. Touchstone
English Composition 101
10 November 2016
Stereotyping in Schools
Think about a time when you felt worthless and unwanted. Feelings of unworthiness
come from stereotypes society has created, and educators are using these stereotypes on their
students. This is causing a negative effect on how students are taught, opportunities given to
them, and how they feel about themselves. Stereotyping causes a negative cycle by turning
feelings of unworthiness into harmful behavior (Gorski, The Myth of the "Culture of Poverty").
This provokes more negative thoughts to form, and that makes the stereotype continue. When
discussing effects of classism, Gorski says "Deficit theorists use two strategies for propagating
this worldview: (1) drawing on well-established stereotypes, and (2) ignoring systemic
conditions, such as inequitable access to high-quality schooling, that support the cycle of
poverty" (Gorski, "The Myth of the 'Culture of Poverty'"). Stereotyping students has a negative
effect on behavior and performance, therefore, teachers should be educated on how to avoid
the vicious cycle of stereotyping.
If you believe you do not have a future ahead of you, why continue trying? This question
goes through the minds of adolescents and students dealing with poverty, discrimination, and
neglect. These situations lead adolescents and children to abandon hope. Hope is a major key
to success, because no one would have an incentive to try harder and persevere if there was no
hope. Abandonment of hope can lead to harmful behaviors such as substance abuse and
violence (Bolland, Hopelessness and risk behavior among adolescents living in high-poverty
inner-city neighborhoods). In a study observed by John Bolland, 2468 inner-city adolescents
were questioned about hopelessness and how it affects them. About 50% of males and 25% of
females admitted to feelings of hopelessness, leading to behaviors such as the ones mentioned

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previously (Bolland, "Hopelessness and risk behavior among adolescents living in high-poverty
inner-city neighborhoods").
Instead of thinking about a time when you felt worthless, think about a time when
someone made you feel worthy. The feeling of worthiness encourages people to be the best
that they can be by creating confidence. The sense of confidence persuades the mind to
persevere. In the article "Stereotyping makes people act badly" a study mentioned shows
"people are more likely to lie, cheat, steal, or endorse doing so when they feel that they are
being devalued simply because they belong to particular groups". If someone treats an
individual as if they are not smart, then that individual will believe they are not. The same goes
for if someone were to treat a person as if they are stupid. That person will believe that they
cannot succeed in life. In a study by the Office for Civil Rights U.S. in the Department of
Education, there was a 13% difference in the number of black boys receiving out-of-school
suspension than white boys. The chart does not show results of teachers being racist. Instead, it
is proof that stereotypes can influence student behavior ("Gender Equity" 4).
Classism, as defined by Webster's Dictionary, is "prejudice or discrimination based on
class". Classism happens often among school settings with students living in poverty (Gorski,
The Myth of the "Culture of Poverty"). Without realizing it people automatically associate
certain groups of people with certain stereotypes, most stereotypes being negative portrayals of
a group of people (Berreby 82). When a teacher assumes a child of a different race does not
care about school, then the teacher is going to be more prone to giving up on that student.
Naturally the teacher will be less willing to put forth as much effort on that student and instead
focus on the other students he or she believes has a better chance at succeeding.
Stereotypes are not restricted to how people view different races; it can also pertain to
gender differences. Several studies show that females tend to exceed in English and reading
courses while males typically exceed in math and sciences (Inklings News, "Boys vs. Girls
Enrollment; Studies Show Gender Gap in Advanced Math, English Courses"). Per Inklings

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News, at Staples High School "In AP Statistics, the class is composed of 61 percent boys and
39 percent girls. Likewise, in AP Calculus BC boys make up 66 percent of the class while girls
only make up 33 percent" which is the same for most schools. The idea that females do better in
one subject and males do better in another is a common stereotype among many students,
teachers, and employers. Sometimes the other gender is not considered for advanced classes
of a specific subject because teachers automatically assume a one gender would be better at it
than the other, causing teachers to not pay attention to potential skills of the opposite gender an
unfair advantage.
English Coordinator for grades sixth through twelfth Lisabeth Comm mentioned in an
article that she believes social pressures have an effect in what subjects and career choices
students choose to succeed in.
Students can surprise you if you just give them a chance. One of the problems is
teachers tend to push their one method of learning on all their students instead of taking into
consideration different methods students improve with. Most assume it is because some study
harder than others, and yes this is true, but not always. I have observed where an intelligent
person does not do as well as someone not as smart as them, just because of the way they are
taught material. You cannot meet the needs of every individual student, but teachers must keep
an open mind when planning lessons.
Stereotypes are myths that need to be reevaluated, and who students are should not
influence how they are treated or looked at by educators. Stereotypes are taking attention away
from other problems that need to be addressed (Gorski, The Myth of the "Culture of Poverty).
Problems such as students not being able to pay for lunch or new school supplies needs to be
considered, but teachers will not notice these problems if all they see is another lazy kid in their
class. The way students are being taught needs to be based on how the student learns, not on
what the teacher thinks the student's capabilities are. All students should be given the same
opportunities no matter their gender, age, race, or how much money they have.

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Not all students learn the same way; just because one method works on a student does
not mean it will work on all. People can be either visual learners, auditory learners, or
kinesthetic learners. While some students work best in large classroom settings, others do
better in small classroom settings. One of the most important things a teacher can do is pay
attention. Educators need to be educated on the effects of stereotyping students, whether they
realize they are doing it or not. It is easy to associate a certain group of people with stereotypes,
and educating students as well as bringing awareness to the problem allows people to realize
and analyze their thoughts (Gorski, The Myth of the "Culture of Poverty) .
There are many ways to prevent stereotyping and the problems that occur because of it.
The problem of stereotyping needs to be made aware, because if our teachers are educated on
the subject then they will be more aware of the significant impact they have on students.
Teachers are important. They are the ones who educate the leaders of our world. Children
between the ages of five and eighteen spend most of their time at school. This means that the
staff at schools are significant role models in students lives. How teachers treat each other and
their students will be reflected in the student's behavior.
Organizations and Programs need to made to address relationship issues among
students and faculty. Big Brother, Big Sister is an organization that pairs up highs school
students with younger students to create mentors for the younger ones. Organizations like these
help encourage children who might not have that older sibling mentor. It also helps break
stereotypes because it does not matter who you are, you are still getting poured into and looked
after. Other organizations and clubs, such as the minority club, exist. Some schools have
international days to help spread awareness of different cultures. This educates students on
different instead of leaving them to believe what society tells them about groups of people.
Lunch payment options should be adjusted for certain families depending on their
income. Schools cannot assume that every child has the money to pay for lunch all year.
Payment options for school supplies should also be put into play. Asking families to give up

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money they do not have can further stereotypes. More funding for schools to be able to buy
extra schools supplies could help ease the stress, therefore affecting the behaviors of students
in tough situations.
In the case of equal opportunities for genders, programs that include getting people in
careers, such as women in engineering, to come and talk to teachers and students about
opportunities available can help break the stereotype barrier holding students back from wanting
to do what they could be good at.
Some might say stereotypes are not what cause bad behavior, and that they are not
negative views. I believe that per the statistics given, and the situations I have witnessed,
stereotypes are proven to have a significant impact on relationships, behaviors, and
performances in school. There are several actions teachers and students can take to avoid
discrimination, and there are countless programs and organizations already in existence that
have been shown to make differences. The problems cannot be solved completely, but steps
can be taken to help the problem. If the effects of stereotyping can be brought to attention, lives
could be changed.

Works Cited
"Stereotyping makes people act badly." USA Today, Nov. 2015, p. 8. Student Edition,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=STOM&sw=w&u=avlr&v=2.1&id=GALE
%7CA442781346&it=r&asid=09199706fd3f43bf46a46a9d5bd152d7. Accessed 6 Nov.
2016.

Berreby, David. "The bias detective: how does prejudice affect people? Psychologist Jennifer
Richeson is on the case." Smithsonian, Fall 2007, p. 82+. Student Edition,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=STOM&sw=w&u=avlr&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA170470200&it

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=r&asid=700a79f6eecdecfe712893720a4323b6. Accessed 18 Nov. 2016.

Bolland, John M. "Hopelessness and Risk Behaviour among Adolescents Living in High-poverty
Inner-city Neighbourhoods." The Association for Professionals in Services for
Adolescents, Apr. 2003. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.

Gorski, Paul. "The Myth and the Culture of Poverty" 65.7 (2008): 32-36. Educational
Leadership. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Apr. 2008. Web.
21 Oct. 2016.

"Gender and Equity in Education." Gender and Education 14.1 (2002): 95-98. Office for Civil
Rights, June 2012. Web.

Moss, Shannon, and Dana Rapapport. "Boys vs. Girls Enrollment; Studies Show Gender Gap in
Advanced Math, English Courses." Inklings / The News Site of Staples High School.
Inklings News, 13 Jan. 2010. Web.