Critical Examination of Racial Bias in Education

Introduction

In the book Bad Boys, Ann Arnett Feruson originally sets out to look at how institutions create and preserve a sort of racial order, and also how the idea of what race is influences how people view themselves as individuals and as part of a larger community. This leads her into a more specific topic, and a close look at young black males in the education system. What she finds is that black boys are looked at differently than boys in general, and they often looked upon in a negative manner.

Teachers treat them differently, and are quicker to punish them for things.

The concept of adultification

This is partially due to the concept of adultification. Rather than looking at actions as childish or naive, the teachers look at the boys as “adults. ” They assume that the misbehavior is intentional and that the children are fully aware of their actions. This negative idea the teachers held leads to many boys being victims of symbolic violence, which is the concept that words and standards can be as damaging and can cause injury that is as painful as a physical wound.

Get quality help now

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

Proficient in: Child

4.7 (235)

“ Amazing writer! I am really satisfied with her work. An excellent price as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

At Rosa Parks Elementary School, the teachers labeled many of the black boys as, “unsalvageable,” and, “bound for jail,” (Bad Boys, 2010).

Teachers do not see this as a race issue though; they feel they are colorblind, and believe that, “getting in trouble was not about race but a matter of individual choice and personal responsibility: each child made a choice of ‘good’ or ‘bad’” (17).

Children notice this difference in treatment, though, and can become active non-learners. They reject the teachers and the lessons because they feel they do not get any respect from them. Other reactions include acting out more, and some were even proud of their discipline file.

An interesting note is that Ferguson found that some boys who were troublemakers at school were known as good kids elsewhere. Ferguson noted: “Those who were classified as lazy, belligerent, incorrigible at school could be respectful, diligent, and responsible in other contexts…Horace was characterized…as volatile, insubordinate was described by others…as a team player, affectionate, great with kids,” (15). For whatever reason, these boys were defiant and resistant to certain authority figures, such as their schoolteachers, but obedient to authorities outside of school.

The boys may react the way they do in school because of how the teachers view and treat them. As previously mentioned, teachers often “adultify” the black boys, and treat them negatively. This may have to do with images that dominate the representations of black men in society: the criminal and the endangered species. Historically, blacks have been represented as different than whites, and have come to, “signify danger and a threat to personal safety” (78). Whether people want to admit it or not, these stereotypes can influence their perceptions of others.

The media does not help, and neither does the fact that black males are jailed at six times the rate white males are. Ferguson says, “As criminals, they are a threat to themselves, to each other, as well as to society in general” (83). In addition, their “maladaptive behavior” and “black mothering” is blamed for the criminal acts and the high mortality rate of African American youth, rather than the social structure that cultivates the environment it all takes place in (78).

The perceptions of a criminal

The perceptions of a criminal, combined with the adultification of black children, means teachers are quick to punish misbehavior. What teachers see as misbehavior, though, children see as a performance. They are trying to get attention by making the other kids laugh, because they are already known as troublemakers. They use the expectation of “acting out” to, “take center stage, and be admired…a resource for masculinity” (176). The desire to be masculine seems to be an important one for black boys, and they try to achieve it in more ways than one.

Some use attention and admiration in the classroom to get it, while others participate in fighting. It is not only used to build up muscles to look masculine, but it is also used to prove oneself by winning and also by dealing with the pain. It also gives them a sense of power that they lack in other areas of their life. This powerlessness is taught to them from a young age, and they see it every day around them. They are taught to fear the real world, and to constantly be on guard against others.

In addition, many of these children, “regularly witness the inability of adults…to provide safe havens, successfully champion their cause in school, “ and, “their vulnerability to a horde of powerful and terrifying adults looms ominously” (118). They are taught to fear the world, and they watch the adults in their lives fear the world. This fear can lead them to fight, because they want to gain a sense of power. The children can also learn this from their parents. One boy in the book, Horace, learns how to fight back from his mother. She taught him how to stand up for himself, and how to challenge others.

Horace learned that sometimes one must, “engage in tactics that are impolite, disruptive, in order to be heard and to win even small concessions,” (116). Horace witnessed this first hand when his mother went to court to fight for her landlord to make repairs to the apartment, and the lawyer taught Horace’s mother much like he is treated in the classroom. He sees that even in the “real world,” things are stacked against him, which leads back to the feeling of fear and powerlessness. Another thing that leaves children feeling powerless is seeing blatant racism in their classrooms.

The problems mentioned at the start of the paper

They feel marginalized and act out as a result. One student said his teacher would threaten to take toys away from black children if they did not put them away the first time, but would allow white children to keep them long after they were supposed to be put away, and gave them many more chances. Even the white children noticed how unfair this was (220). Ferguson said, “this reveals one feature…troublemakers well-elaborated theory about how race operates in the school to differentiate among children,” (220). The children can tell they are being discriminated against and it causes them to fight back.

This fighting back is what seems to cause the problems mentioned at the start of the paper. It is all a vicious circle; children feel powerless and fearful and act out or fight back because of it. The fighting back is what makes teachers and people think poorly of them, and conversely treat them badly. This poor treatment is what makes the children feel fearful and powerless. Ferguson does a thorough and captivating explanation of this phenomenon, and provides an interesting perspective on why black children are considered “bad. Fergusons approach of interviewing the “troublemakers” and cultivating a relationship with them to get their full and uncensored perception of what goes on added a lot of information and gave a different view of racism in schools. She did not seem to get much information from the teachers, though, and almost demonized them at points. Although the point she makes is valid, and oftentimes teachers do tend to treat the troublemakers with a preconceived notion of how they will act and how to discipline them, some of the children truly are acting out and do need to be punished.

What needs to be looked at is the cause of their actions, and it seems that teachers are not doing that. Ferguson did a good job of pointing out the cause of the actions, and this book is something that teachers in areas that are highly populated by African Americans could learn a lot from. Overall, it is a very strong book with strong arguments, but does seem to be biased at times, which is a bit ironic.