Teacher Biases Differ for Low- and High-Achieving Minority Students

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

Whatever!

Talk about splitting hairs...

...and to what avail?

Without any research whatsoever, I will agree that teachers are "biased", every damn one of them.

And, you know what...

...so is every other human being on this planet. That's why there are different types of housing, modes of transportation, clothes, food, and entertainment. We all have our likes and dislikes...or "biases".

And no amount of diversity training is going to change it.

Yes, you may get folks to be more "politically correct", but you won't affect change. Professional development will reinforce the beliefs of the liberal-minded and piss off the closet and non-closet biased, prejudiced, racist right-wing social conservatives.

The only thing that stands a chance of changing a person's "soul" is their own personal experiences with those different from them, whether the topic be politics, religion, or race.

One sentence that was intended as negative in the article, I actually found encouraging:

"All of the students were being pulled towards the center," she (Irizarry) said.

Back in the old days, back before DI, when dinosaurs roamed/ruled the classrooms, the accusation (admittedly with a grain of truth) was that teachers taught to the "middle"...

...failing to adequately challenge the gifted students while leaving the slower students behind.

Well, a great philosopher of the 1960s claimed that the times they are a-changin'...

...but I guess some things remain (and always will remain) the same.

Hmmm, guess we better climb aboard that other education bandwagon...

...and teach today's students "grit".

Hey, kid...

...your teacher has human frailties, may even have low expectations of you. Well, you know s/he ain't gonna change, so you might as well quit whining, suck it up, and prove his/her sorry ass wrong...