Isms Impact on Teaching

Growing up in a white middle class home and area, I don't feel that I experienced many isms, but one that does stick out it classism. As I got older, into middle and high school, I was not a part of the "cool" groups, and in elementary and middle school I didn't play sports so I wasn't a part of any sports groups either. I can remember begging my mom for the "name brand" clothes such as Tommy Hilfiger, Hollister, American Eagle, and Abercrombie. I can remember being made fun of for having clothes from K Mart and random stores in our mall like Sears or JCPenney. Basically my parents weren't rich enough to buy me the name brand clothes, so I wasn't cool enough to be friends with certain people. Today I'm actually thankful that I didn't have those things because as I've grown I've realized what really matters in life. Looking at those "cool" kids now, and thinking about where I am in my life, those cool clothes and high class kids aren't any better than I am. 

I think that classism, or any kind of ism can influence your teaching. We can become less tolerant of the ism, more irritable, angry, emotional, or impatient. This definitely could influence your students because they can sense your mood and mood changes. They can tell when you like or don't like something. I am a very emotional person and I don't hide my feelings well at all. My students know when I'm sad, happy, excited, angry, dissapointed, because it's on my face immediately. In regards to classim, I think I tend to be more sympathetic and understanding to kids who don't have much or don't come from wealthy homes, which is 90% of my class, teaching in a Title One school. I think I have a very low tolerance when it comes to kids making fun of other kids in any way, whether it's appearance, clothes, money, etc, because I know what it's like to be made fun of or belittled. I have learned that instead of showing that low tolerance, it's better to talk to the students about how that makes them feel, helping them try to empathize and learn how to treat each other with respect.