Although many people like to believe racial segregation is a thing of the past, it is still very prevalent in today’s world. Education systems, including teachers during class instruction, often reinforce racial segregation, even though they may not realize they are doing so. I experienced such segregation when attending a Catholic school for nine years; this school was mainly composed of white students. Although most teachers at my school were not outright racist, they did subtly treat the few black students at my school differently.
When explaining a topic in class, teachers were often less patient with black students. If they did not understand what the teacher was explaining, the teachers would often act annoyed and reluctant to explain it to them again. On the other hand, if a white student did not understand, they would say “that’s okay, let me explain it a different way” and then try to effectively help the student. I was never sure whether or not my teachers realized what they were doing, but either way, I do not believe they realized that they were shaping children’s views on race.
As stated by Van Ausdale and Feagin, “adult definitions and reconstructions of children’s activities have a strong influence on children’s lived realities” (39). If teachers are becoming frustrated with black students or belittling their ability to learn, this can heavily influence white students’ views of blacks. “Children as young as three invent complex combination as racial meaning for themselves and for others,” and if teachers are depicting black students as less intelligent, students may also begin to believe this racial categorization (38). This can result in accidental racism in children’s views of whites and blacks. Thus, teacher’s and other adult’s interactions with others can heavily influence the racial views of those around them. A teacher must take caution to treat all students fairly and avoid accidental or purposeful racism and unfair treatment, so as to not influence the racial views of his/her students.
