Personal History and Bias

I grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Attleboro is a small manufacturing city with a population of about 40,000 people. Although it is classified as a city, it is more rural and less busy than many other cities. Attleboro is similar to other places in that it has its maintained, middle and upper class sections along with its run down and lower class sections. I lived in a middle and upper class section in a duplex owned by my grandmother. All of the houses and buildings in and around my neighborhood were not exactly brand new, but were taken care of so that they looked in good condition. Lawns were green and mowed when necessary, and there were flowers in front of houses or hanging in containers attached to porches. Decorations and festive flags were displayed on many houses. My neighborhood was located several miles away from the train that runs through a part of the city. It was far enough so that the train was not a constant disturbance, but close enough so that me and my family could enjoy hearing it.

I come from a Portuguese family. There are numerous Portuguese families living in Attleboro. I lived in a different part of the city, but there is actually a section of the city that has been identified as being populated by many Portuguese families.

The schools that I attended were also located within the middle to upper class sections. From elementary to high school, the students within Attleboro's schools were primarily white. There were students of various ethnicities including African American, Asian, and Hispanic. However, white children were the majority of students in the school. When I think back to some of my classes and the students in each of those classes, I can only identify a very small amount of students that were not white.

As a white, middle class women, I felt a little out of place when entering Ms. Katherine's classroom. I was one of a handful of white individuals within the classroom, one of which was Ms. Katherine. At Early Morning Elementary School, white children are minorities, while Hispanic and African American children compose a majority of the student body. In addition, I differed from most of the students in terms of my economic standing. Many of the children come from families that are considered to be a part of the lower class.

I differ from the students in terms of both my ethnicity and my class. These are major components of an individual, and they do affect how a person lives. It is challenging to tutor the children in Ms. Katherine's class because I haven't been in their position. I grew up in a different kind of neighborhood, went to a different kind of school, and received a different kind of education. I do not know what it is like to live their lives, making it much more difficult to establish connections and reach them when they are having difficulties.

During this service learning experience, I have confronted several of my personal biases. It is difficult to admit but, the greatest bias that I had entering Early Morning Elementary School was that children within the lower class were going to be more of a challenge to tutor. I felt as though they might be further behind and more inclined to start trouble than children in the middle and upper classes. I cannot say that this experience has affirmed or disproved my bias. Not all of the children are falling behind and not all of them get into trouble. Some children follow directions, constantly pay attention, and do well with their school work. However, there are a number of children who are not close to where they should be in terms of their academics and a number that do participate in activities that drive Ms. Katherine to reprimand them. During one of my visits, the children had completed their Reading Buddies activities and were asked to go to the giant rug. While the teachers were busy organizing the students who were from other classrooms, the students on the rug were getting out of control. One girl named Carmen was sitting on the teacher's chair, claiming she had permission from Ms. Katherine to sit there. Another girl wanted to sit in the seat and started to push Carmen off. This confrontation lead to pinching and crying.

I think it is important to recognize my potential biases as a future teacher. I cannot allow my biases to prevent me from giving the best education possible to all of my students. Society is a diverse place, and as a result, schools are going to be diverse. I do plan to work with young children when I become an official teacher. While I may work with middle or upper class, privileged children, I may not, and end up working with children that are similar to those that I am currently working with at Early Morning Elementary School.