Edward Morris' study about how race, class and gender play part in the discipline and the hidden curriculum in urban school was very interesting. This study took Martin's findings in "Gendered Bodies" to a different, more complex level, where the hidden curriculum is seen and conducted through the lens of race and class.
The title of the article "Tuck in that shirt!" says a lot about the discipline of the school. The school officials interviewed had a general consensus on wanting to eradicate the street and gang style so heavily associated with the African American and Latino communities where the bulk of the students come from. However, I feel that the intention of the uniforms were two-fold. One of the intentions were to, indeed, keep the students from dressing like they would normally do, but this also probably aided in taking away a little bit of the fear that the teachers had towards the students that came with their typical attire, particularly with African American and Latino young boys. Secondly, the school officials said they instilled the uniform so that they could prepare the kids for the future of the business world. This is a fair point. However, at the same time the school officials were boxing these kids in what they saw as socially acceptable and normal white-collar attire that came with people who were of a high socio-economic class than most of the students families. The school officials wanted them to look better so that their appearance could match their level of intelligence, or at least make it seem like it does.
What bothered me the most about the findings in this study was the fear and discipline towards Latino boys. Attempting to set aside my personal bias as a Latina myself, it bothers me even then because what makes the Latino community more closely associated with gang activity and violence than the African American community, when the African American community is more constantly portrayed in the media with gang activity and violence? It makes no sense to me! However, when looking it from a larger perspective, what could bring a larger fear and want to discipline Latino boys is the fact that most people assume that every Latino is a stereotypical Mexican illegal immigrant who is uncultured. This is what makes most people uncomfortable, and almost not like Latinos and want to set them aside...at least that's what I feel.
However, Morris also speaking about this Latino boy named Thomas. The school officials didn't feel the need to discipline Thomas as much as his fellow Latino peers because his name was more Americanized than the other boys and he wore Dockers and looked neat and came from a Latino family that was more "cultured" in the eyes of school officials. This made me think of my own experiences in school. According to the US Census, I am considered white because I am part Spaniard. There is no option for me to choose "White-Hispanic". And, what's funny, is that most people don't think I am Latina unless I speak in Spanish, because I don't look or dress like the stereotypical Latina. That makes me wonder how people would react to me if I did dress like a Latina or looked more Hispanic than I do. Would they discipline me differently? Would they speak to me differently? Would they treat me differently? I believe my teachers, had I gone to a public school, would have. I've seen it happen with my cousin who came from Colombia at the age of seven. She is treated differently because she fit the stereotypical look of a Latin girl for a while. Even now, she is treated differently because of her accent. It's subtle, but the differences are there.
I really like and agree with you ideas about the reasoning behind the dress code. I think you make a valid argument in saying that having a dress code takes some of the fear out of the faculties eyes. However, the only disagreement I have with this is that the faculty were once the kids they are now enforcing. The faculty are not white upper class adults, but often African Americans. That is not to say that these faculty were not in the higher class system, but at the same time they are modeling their own race. Perhaps this is something they feel they have to do to change the perception of the social construction.
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about how the dress code is in accordance to upper class citizens. It seems like the end goal is to modify these students so they have the best chance to compete with the upper level students who come from a better background.
I asked the same question on a similar response, but do you think that if there were no dress code that Latino boys would be pinpointed just as much, or perhaps more? I personally feel that without a dress code these boys are going to be the target for faculty members even more than they already were because now there is no standard to set up there attire against.
I agree with your argument. I think that the school administration was enforcing socially constructed expectations of both gender but what was considered successful. By implementing the dress code in order to make the students comparable to their upper and middleclass peers the school was implying that to be successful one must fit a mold. I also agree with the mistreatment of the Latino community in this school. However I question if the uniform influences this discrimination. With or without a uniform the teacher’s immigrant assumptions would still exist and their prejudice would not disappear. Like Melissa I question if the teachers conceptions of different races would change without a uniform. If the students were given more freedom of expression would the problems of discrimination increase or decrease. Coming from diverse public school I agree that a teachers perception of a student plays a key role in their success. Would students who were once overlooked become people of interest?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post, especially because you posed questions that allowed me to think of how I may have been treated differently by authority figures in high school if I had been of a different race, class, or gender. It is truly astounding how much unfair privilege comes with being of a certain race, gender, or class. If you asked any teacher if they believed that they viewed a certain race, for example, as more capable, more aggressive, or more intelligent, they would most likely say no and would be appalled at the suggestion that stereotypes sway their opinions and treatment of different social groups. After all, no teachers believed that Thomas, the Latino boy who dressed "appropriately" and more conservatively, was a gang member. No teachers believed that Lisa was unfeminine. No teacher believed that Jackson, the White male who mimicked the mannerisms and behavior of his Black peers, was "bad" or threatening. What teachers may not have realized is that each student was not perceived poorly because they were White, like Lisa and Jackson, or followed the expected norms of White people, like Thomas. The idea of "white privilege" has gotten out of hand and teachers need to learn that no member of one social group should receive any special or different treatment based upon their affiliation with a certain group.
ReplyDeleteLike Melissa, I agree that one thing that upset me most was the fact that the teachers felt afraid or frightened by some of their students. I went through a public school system, but it was in an affluent suburb that was predominately white. I never felt that the teachers in my school were afraid of any of my classmates, even the ones that were "troublemakers". Because almost all of us were white and had privileged upbringings, I guess it was assumed that we didn't pose any sort of real threat. What bothers me is that even though the teachers at Matthews Middle School might not outwardly say that they fear certain students, I think that students more than likely pick up on it. Ultimately, what kind of message does this send to the student? What does it mean to someone if their own teacher is afraid of them? Furthermore, what kind of message does it send to that students classmates?
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that you mention how the media portrays different minorities and their level of violence. While African-Americans are portrayed as violent, I definitely agree that Latinos are not so much. The fact that the teachers were afraid of their students, even in a middle school situation, is appalling, and it did not help that they were prone to prejudice due to the race of the students. I suppose a lot of the fear came from the students who defied the dress code the most, were most "affiliated" with gangs (at least in the eyes of the teachers), and who got in trouble the most. But when it comes to the popular media, White people are portrayed in more violent situations that people of Hispanic descent (see The Sopranos). You say that there is prejudice about illegal immigration, and I believe that may be a part of it as well.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in several points point you made, Melissa, because, as you said, you have no 'white-hispanic' label, I wondered how difficult it must be for the Latino children school to contend with the white stereotypes put forth. I would argue that the stereotypes and expected behaviors associated with Latino children (that they are boisterous troublemakers) is truly what drives the discipline they receive; it is not vice versa. Here is an example of social concepts and creations essentially dictating behaviors, when we are told that it is the other way around, that our behaviors are dictated by social concepts. For instance, if I were walking a few steps in front of a white man in a business suit in the city at night, I may not be as nervous as if a black man with a hooded sweatshirt were behind me. In the latter instance, I might duck into a shop to let him get away. Here, my preconceived ideas would define my actions, even if the two men acted identically. This case mirrors that of the treatment of children in Morris' article.
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