Prejudices and stereotypes can occur at anytime and anywhere. Unfortunately, the classroom is one of those places that remain racially …show more content…
Sexism is another stereotype that is created in the classroom that can have social and academic effects on individuals. Research shows that an oppressive classroom environment impairs learning and academic performance for students oppressed with identities (Pitman, 2010). Sexism in education occurs at an early age. While children of both sexes typically play together, as they get older they spend less and less time playing with children of the opposite sex. When students are lined up according to gender, teachers are stating that boys and girls should be treated differently. When different behaviors are acceptable for boys and not girls because boys will be boys, schools and administrators continue the oppression of girls. Teachers tend to associate girls as being feminine and are praised for being calm, neat, and quiet, whereas boys are encouraged to be self-thinkers, participate, and speak up. By the time students have completed 12 years of schooling, the achievement gap has widened. Females, who generally outperformed the males in their early school years, now trail on all subsections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Program Examination (ACT), with the greatest discrepancies surfacing in the math and science areas (Dauber, …show more content…
There is a strong connection between racism and classism. Classism is differential treatment according to social class. Some classism stereotypes that educators take into classrooms are poor students lack motivation and there is no parental involvement. This stereotype continues to surface in schools today. It often leads to low expectation, teachers fear students that are of no threat and it prevents educators from addressing the real issue of unequal access to human rights. Classism is a key player in education. The harsh reality is that children from low income families tend to experience homelessness, suffer more illness due to inadequate healthcare, which in turn impacts student