Shelton 1 Gabrielle Shelton Dr.

Christopher Flavin Composition I 30 September 2013 Misconceptions In eighth grade, I can remember wearing what would be considered preppy clothing because I wanted to present myself well. I like to wear nice clothing, and look generally wellkept. My so-called preppy clothing, paired with my light brown hair, light tan complexion, almost-baby face, and reserved personality made people label me as a goody-goody. For whatever reason I resented this label. I had never believed myself to be self-righteous, prudish or incredibly straight-laced. I resented this label until I understood how I could use it. Adults love the goody-goody type. Theyre the ones they believe will work the hardest, make the best grades, and are worth investing time into. This stereotype tends to be a breathing resume glittering with success. I played golf and violin, both very well, and made almost perfect grades. I had good people skills, and as an introvert, tended to reserve myself and be polite in the company of adults. From the outside, I fit this label completely. Stereotyping in the classroom tends to report negative results more often than not, but most people have never considered positive effects of stereotyping, such as in my scenario. Because of my goody-goody stereotype, adults respected me and were willing to spend more time on me. If I needed extra help after class, most adults were willing to help me. If I messed up on my homework, they would offer me second chances. If I turned something in late, I would receive leniencies that students with negative stereotypes would not receive.

Shelton 2 When I discovered that I could use my stereotype to my advantage, I no longer resented it. I used it any time I could. People always believed in me because of my stereotype, so it made me believe in myself. Later, I realized that people given negative stereotypes were treated according to their stereotype as well. Teachers, parents, coaches, and even their bosses were reluctant to help them, they disciplined them for things that I had been able to get away with, and they even spoke to them differently. I would have followed that same trend of mistreating them, if I had not realized my stereotype was given to me, and not chosen, early on. These students had become doubtful in their academic success because, just like me, they believed that they actually were the stereotype that was placed on them. The difference was that my label was positive and geared me toward success and theirs was negative. The stereotype placed on them by their teachers, peers, coaches, and all adults surrounding them had predetermined their future success. The more I thought about it, I noticed even that people with moderate stereotypes or almost no stereotypes had been given small labels that affected their confidence in academics, sports, music, and almost every subject introduced to them up to that point. In Stillwater Public Schools system, all students took a test in the second grade determining the potential of their intelligence and whether or not they were gifted. According to how well these students did on the test, four years later they would be placed in the gifted education class or enroll in the regular classes. This label, which was placed upon them in second grade, may have already determined the outcome of a large amount of students success at the age of seven. In later cases, students who had success in a class, or students who were favored by teachers were encouraged to take higher level advanced placement classes in that subject. Because they were encouraged by their teacher, they had enough confidence to enroll in the

Shelton 3 advanced class, and continue to be encouraged in that course. The students who werent given that recommendation may have made the decision that they werent good at that subject, when in reality, they were merely stereotyped and discouraged from success. These stereotypes and labels arent limited to what the student wears. They extend to race, sex, socio-economic status, and disabilities. One researcher states, African American students are given less attention and are ignored more often than their Caucasian counterparts, regardless of the formers academic performance or success (Reyna 12: 86). The same researcher also stated that, In the classroom, women also receive less total communication, praise, and feedback than do men, especially in classes that are traditionally masculine, such as math and science courses (Reyna 12: 86). When considering stereotypes and socio-economic status in the classroom Bakker, Denessen, and Brus-Laeven stated, Pupils with higher socioeconomic backgrounds generally show higher levels of academic achievement than pupils with lower socio-economic backgrounds. The finding also applies equally into their reading, spelling, and mathematics skills (33: 177). Together, these stereotypes and labels have created very few opportunities for our education system to produce confident, productive and satisfied students. Students facing adversity from the beginning have to face challenges placed on them by the people that are supposed to be helping them through the adversity. Reyna stated, These stereotypes, in turn, can have real consequences for the way students are treated by educators, and for the students own sense of self-worth and achievement striving due to the attributions implied by stereotypes in educational settings (23: 440). The stereotype that was placed on me in junior high has greatly affected my entire life. I was given to the chance to succeed because I dressed like a respectable, upper-middle class,

Shelton 4 white girl. I happened to have an interest in two very respectable activities, golf and violin. I was reserved because of my introverted demeanor, and gave the impression that I was respectable, attentive, and always interested in what was being said. I was given a stereotype, and that stereotype happened to give me the confidence to perform well in everything that I was involved in. I used the stereotype as a tool to academic success. I am very fortunate to have received a good label, and it will most likely affect me for the rest of my life. Those who received unfortunate stereotypes based on race, socio-economic background, sex, or something as simple and dumb as the clothes they wore will most likely be living with the consequences of that label for the rest of their lives as well. Reyna stated, Stereotypes represent a host of prepackaged expectations that have very real consequences for the beliefs and behaviors of both the user of the stereotypes and for those being stereotyped (23: 440) Snap-judging, placing stereotypes, and labelling can affect someone permanently, whether it be positive or negative. As Margaret Mead said, Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful.

Shelton 5 Works Cited Bakker, Joep. Denessen, Eddie. Brus-Laeven, Mariel. Socio-economic background, parental involvement and teacher perceptions of these in relation to pupil achievement. Educational Studies 33.2 (2007): 177. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. Reyna, Christine. Ian is intelligent but Leshaun is lazy; Antecedents and consequences of attributional stereotypes in the classroom. European Journal of Psychology of Education 23.4 (2008): 440. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. Reyna, Christine. Lazy, Dumb, or Industrious: When Stereotypes Convey Attribution Information in the Classroom. Education Psychology Review 12.1 (2000): 86. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.