Racism Within Schools

    Racism is something that is taught, not born with. As stated in this quote, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate from a young age, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” (Mandela). For centuries people of different race and religion have been facing discrimination throughout school systems. Racism is the act of believing that a certain race holds more power than the other. Racism is so deeply embedded into many people's minds and is something that happens on a daily basis in so many settings, one of which is schools.

In schools everyday there are students that have to walk in everyday with the realization that they will have to deal with facial comments, deiscrimination, and many other unacceptable things. With all of this on their plate in addition to things outside of school that could be affecting them, mental health is a very big factor in these students. In addition to the mental toll it takes on them, they also sometimes have to put up with physical abuse. As many people assume people of color are the instigators in many situations, it is usually the other way around, but students, administrators, and teachers always tend to air on the side that they instigated the situation and they end up getting in trouble. This is all due to the fact that they are a different color. Although this is something that many people are aware of, it gets blatantly ignored. People are ignorant because they “don't want to get involved” or “its not their fight to take part in”. This is the problem with America today. Most of the time people are bystanders or the instagaters. White people need to be able to stand up and say it is not okay to treat p[eople differently because of the color of their skin. Being a bystander is just as bad as someone doing the action. 

Many teachers in schools today base the way they  treat their students on the color of their skin. This all goes back to assumptions. They assume that because in previous years, they have had students of color that have not done their work, or have started fights, or have skipped school, that students in the current class are going to do the same thing. This is not the case. Every student is independent and should not be grouped into something just because of their skin color. Every student deserves the same respect and opportunities. 

Sadly, racism within schools just doesn’t come from within students bullying each other because of race, it also comes in the education students are provided. “ American schools are de facto segregated based on income and ethnicity.” This means that the school districts are based solely on neighborhoods. This is not fair because typically people in lo0wer income towns are grouped into one section and are sent to a school with not as good an education, where students of higher income towns get to go to a better school with better teachers and receive a better education. This shows the completely racist ways of our country. Everyone should be given the same level of education and be given the same resources. By sectioning off groups by income, people are already taking away the opportunities that the students should be given, leading to the cycle and stigma to continue. 

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As stated here, “One black student struggled academically and failed three major subjects for four marking periods. Teachers told administrators they did not want this particular student in their classroom the following school year.” This is completely and utterly unacceptable. As this quote states, this student has struggled. This is where the teacher should have stepped in and offered assistance, asked questions, and cared about the well ebing a the students. There is a common understanding that usually when students are struggling in school, there is most likely something happening at home that is causing there to be this lack of understanding or effort. Just because this studnet was struggling does not mean they were stupid or didnt try, they simply may have needed a boost to help them,or needed someone to ask if they were okay. It is not only the teachers responsibility to educate the students, it is their job to make sure they are okay mentally and physically. This quote shows the injustice students receive and the blatant racism in the school system. Teachers are expected to have the same level of respect for all students, this teacher is being ignorant. 

There are many people in the world that do not care about the lives of colored people. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, but there is a certain level of respect each individual deserves. In schools it is unacceptable to be treating people of color differently. All students should be given the same opportunities and feel comfortable walking into school everyday.