discrimination

I remember being discriminated against in high school when I went to the mall. If I wore sweatpants and my hair in a messy ponytail, it seemed the employees wouldn't help me because I looked like I didn't have any money because of my age and appearance. They even seemed suspicious of me, as if I might shoplift just because I was a teenager. But if I wore nice clothes, carried a nice purse, and had my hair and makeup done, they would run right over to me all smiley asking if they could help, hoping to make a sale. I didn't really handle the situation in any certain way, probably because I'm not a big fan of confrontation. My "I don't care what you think of me, I'm never going to see you again" attitude didn't really change either.

I definitely discriminated against my roommates/classmates this summer while studying abroad. The majority of them attended UT Austin, UVA, and Vanderbilt and all they seemed to want to do was party. I associated their drinking with being southern, even though it probably was just because it was summertime. Another difference is that they were there taking Spanish classes to complete gen ed requirements and Spanish minors, while I was one of the few Spanish majors there, and really wanted to experience the culture so that I could become a better teacher. I didn't want to waste a minute doing something I could do at home in the US (partying). Another factor was that I paid for my study abroad with my own money, which made me take the experience a lot more seriously than my peers whose parents paid their way. In retrospect, I wish I would have enrolled in foreign institution.

I can use the mall experiences to combat discrimination in my classroom by not judging my students and others based on their appearance, age, and other factors. From my experience in Spain I realized that everyone has different motivations and goals for doing things, just as my future students will have different reasons for taking my classes.