Race & learning: How aware are we of our ethnicity and its stereotypes?

Race & learning: How aware are we of our ethnicity and its stereotypes?

Due to the special context of Brownsville (predominantly Hispanics here) as well as the differences in each individual’s life, family background, and experiences, students’ awareness towards their own ethnicity and the stereotypes attached to it varies from not aware of it at all to feel it strongly.

Not aware of the ethnicity at all

I honestly don’t know how being Hispanic affects my learning? I don’t think I have ever thought about it. I never took into consideration my ethnicity when it came to my education. I guess that is because I went to a school where we were almost all Hispanic and very few Caucasian and that was it. Unfortunately my high school was not culturally diverse so I guess that is a major reason why I never saw my ethnicity play into my learning. Another reason is because at my house, we are just us. We are not Hispanic, we are just us.—Ry*, Feb 14, 2008, EDCI 4322-60

Being that in the valley the minority is the majority, in other words, it consists of mostly Hispanics, I have never felt uncomfortable. Of all my life living here in Brownsville, I have never felt beneath someone or that someone else was superior then me. I have always felt that we are all equal... –Kassi, Feb 19, 2008, EDCI 4322-60

Aware of the ethnicity but not the stereotypes

… I don’t see any problem with every human in the valley. I don’t really think our society has different expectations for certain race or ethnicity of students, because I don’t see anything that affects the community. In the Valley, there are a large majority of Hispanics that attend this college in our community; however, I noticed there are more minority races such as African, Asian, and Caucasian that also attend this college, and that does not affect their learning or change their expectations at all... I don’t see the student’s race/ethnicity affect their learning or change their expectations from that college. I believe us all, as the students, are equal.—Luz Martinez, February 18, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

I am Hispanic and the majority of my classmates were Hispanic…I believe we were all treated equally. The students treated each other fairly and we were friends. Not only did we hangout together on campus, but a lot of us were friends off campus. We also played sports together and got along great. Of course there are many sides to every story. I'm not sure that my ex-classmates would agree with my memories. The teachers that I had had always seemed very fair and did not seem to pay attention to the color of our skin. These are my experiences. I have lived in the Rio Grande Valley my whole life. I'm sure in other areas of the world circumstances are way different.—Irina, February 15, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Aware of the stereotypes although never experienced

I do believe these things do occur because I have seen them on T.V. I can not say that I have seen them first hand in an educational setting. It is sad to say, but in this day and age people are still being judged and treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. --Irina, February 15, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Well from my experiences ethnicity never had any impact on learning here in Brownsville but I cannot say the same for the rest of the country. Our society at least here in the valley Caucasians and African Americans are the minority and seeing how Hispanics are treated everywhere else I think that we know better and do not treat other races differently.--Sailor Moon February 16, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Aware of the stereotypes and also experienced

As personal testimony, I have experienced what it feels and how much it affects you to be discriminated by who you are. When I was in high school, it was my first time here in the United States without being able to speak English. Those were very difficult moments where nobody believed in you and very few people approached to you to help you. It is sad that anybody had no hopes in you and thought that you know anything or you can do anything...—Nanynka, Feb 13, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Greetings from the editor
Race & learning: Introduction
Race & learning: How aware are we of our ethnicity...
Race & Learning: What are the stereotypes about be...
Race & learning: How do the Hispanic stereotypes a...
Race & Learning: What can we as individuals do?
Race & Learning: What can parents do?
Race & learning: What can teachers do?