Marginalized Students in Public Schools
When discussing the topic of marginalized students, we mean students who are defined by their race, gender, geographical location, etc. (Module 2 Introduction) These students are placed in the margins or the outside of the “normal” social and educational hierarchy. Often, we find students of the same gender, race, geographical location, etc. being friends with one another instead of intertwining with the other students that may be different than them. Whether it be a fear of judgment or just different values or hobbies, these students may not cross paths even though they attend the same public school and receive the same education. Students who are pushed into the margins, are not looking to be treated differently than the students who are the social norm, they just want to be treated equally. As humans and future educators, when we see someone or a group of people being left out, we tend to want to put the attention on them and clear a path to make them feel better, when those students just want to be treated equally and with the same respect. This concept is important to me as a future educator because I am not completely sure how to handle a situation where a group of students are in the out throughout the year and neither those students or the ones who are higher on the social hierarchy are willing to compromise and treat each other with respect. If we put too much pressure on the marginalization, we may make the issue worse. I look forward to exploring this topic and how to deal with different situations involving this matter.
Hi Jacy, as I read your blog, I found myself appreciating your honesty as you shared that you wouldn't exactly know how to handle a situation where marginalized students are being mistreated or treated as outsiders. I think the first step in wanting to help and support marginalized students is recognizing that we might not have all the answers or resources and educating ourselves for the betterment of our students. Something that I found interesting that you mentioned is how marginalized students/students of the same race often tend to stick together and become friends, and it made me think about my own personal friendships throughout my school life. As a Latina and Mexican American woman, for the most part, my core group of friends always consisted of Latino friends and people of color. There’s just a sense of familiarity and comfort that you get when you have friends who not only understand you, but can also relate to your upbringing, experiences and hardships that other groups of people might not fully understand. Culture is a powerful thing that unites people, but it can also be what causes people not to cross paths, if there’s little to no common ground to relate to. Thank you for sharing, and for bringing up a topic that is so important and relevant to the conversation of marginalized students, and their experiences within the education system.
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