Bryanna Mallo Stereotyping: -A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.

-A simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group. -Stereotyping is when you judge a group of people who are different from you based on your own and/or others opinions and/or encounters. Stereotyping of students can be a controversial topic among teachers, administrators, and parents. From my research, I have noticed there is no clear and universal definition of stereotyping. In this academic play, I try to clarify whether or not teachers stereotype their students and what kind of effects this has on the students. I chose this form because it is the best way to get the information out and it is easier to read and understand.

Setting: Four people just start talking in a coffee shop on a Thursday afternoon. Characters: B (college student) Debra (author of A Look at Lookism) Mariela (author of But They Just Cant Do It) Josie (author of "Escaping the Circle by Confronting Classroom Stereotyping: A Step Toward Equality in the Daily Educational Experience of Children of Color*") David ("Lookism", Common Schools, Respect and Democracy) Mr. Noble (4th Grade Elementary Teacher) Hayden (4th Grade student)

B: So, I have to write a paper about teachers stereotyping their students. Do you guys have any thoughts or opinions about this? Mr. Noble: Well, as a current educator of young minds, I have found that many teachers believe it is easy to stereotype their students. They can base it on anything- appearance, background, even the students gender. Andrew: I have seen that people in general stereotype others based on physical appearance the most. For example, the dumb blonde, society has come up with the idea that blondes are dumb (814). Sometimes this may be accurate, but for the most part it is not. Josie: I found something similar in some research of mine. Some teachers tend to stereotype students into certain categories because of their background. For example, a teacher might discriminate because of remnants of past beliefs in our society; such as African Americans (221). Debra: I agree, with the help from my team at work, we conducted a study to see what current educators thought when faced with certain students from different backgrounds. We found that 70% of them stereotyped Asians to be academically successful just knowing that most Asians are extremely smart (52). They used their own predetermined stereotypes to classify students they didnt even know personally. Mr. Noble: Stereotyping can never be beneficial to the student. By saying you will be just like this you can potentially drag that student down because they know they can never become more than first perceived. I have a student right now in my class, lets call him Chris, which you could put into a certain stereotype because he is African American and he acts out. Being the person that I am, I wont take his acting out lightly. So, I have to talk to him privately and make sure he knows that I am on his side and that I have his best interest in mind. Students like that need to know that you are there to help, not to hinder. With Chris knowing this, he does not act out

anymore and does his work to the best of his abilities. There are some teachers that will just throw them into the stereotype without assessing the situation or finding ways that they can help that student. Mariela: Being one of a few teachers in the education system that doesnt stereotype their own students, do you find it hard to talk to other teachers about students or situations? Mr. Noble: Yes, I do. Everyone has their own opinion about teaching and how it should be done, but this is a more touchy subject. One teacher will have one opinion about how to handle the situation, while another will be even more different. That makes it extremely difficult. I just wish I could figure out a way to show the other teachers that they shouldnt stereotype or assume anything about their students. Mariela: It will forever be a mystery on how to accomplish that. Although, my friend was a new principal at a school and she needed to improve the student achievement outcomes by reforming the curriculum for the teachers. She soon figured out that the teachers of the school did not believe that the students could achieve any more than they already were. B: What did she do? Mariela: This is the amazing part; she took the teachers of the school on a Neighborhood Bus Tour and showed them where the schools students lived. The teachers met some of the parents in their personal homes and got a better glimpse into the lives of their students (27-29). In the months that followed, through numerous Professional Development Days, the teachers learned that they need to push their students to work harder and try as hard as they can. Mr. Noble: Wow that is an amazing story. Its nice to hear something positive about schooling for once. Hayden, do you think that your teachers stereotype you or your classmates sometimes?

Hayden: I guess they might; maybe on your looks or even your home life/background. But I dont think they do Plus, I dont really know what stereotyping is. Mr. Noble: You have a point Hayden. Not many people know what stereotyping is or even how to define it. The way that I define stereotyping is way different than Marielas and so forth. Mariela: Agreed. Your personal definition is based on education, background, age, and so much more. There cannot be one perfect definition that captures everyones thoughts or beliefs. B: Well, that was a successful conversation! Thank you, guys.

Works Cited Brown, Josie Foehrenbach. "Escaping The Circle By Confronting Classroom Stereotyping: A Step Toward Equality In The Daily Educational Experience Of Children Of Color*." Berkeley Women's Law Journal 19.2 (2004): 216-232. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Davis, Andrew. "Lookism", Common Schools, Respect and Democracy." Journal of Philosophy of Education 41.4 (2007): 811-827. ERIC. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. DeCastro-Ambrosetti, Debra, and Grace Cho. "A Look at "Lookism": A Critical Analysis of Teachers' Expectations Based On Students Appearance." Multicultural Education 18.2 (2011): 51-54. ERIC. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. Elhoweris, Hala. "Teacher Judgment in Identifying Gifted/Talented Students." Multicultural Education 15.3 (2008): 35-38. ERIC. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. Rodrguez, Mariela A. "But They Just Cant Do It: Reconciling Teacher Expectations of Latino Students." Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership 15.1 (2012): 2531. Education Research Complete. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.