A microaggression is any verbal behavior or action that leaves an individual with feelings of inferiority. Sometimes people do this unconsciously and do not mean any harm as such was the way with one student I had.
While subbing, I was teaching in middle school a science class when a student told me it was okay to talk in Spanish. After I asked him why, he said "because I see you "struggling". He was referring to my accent when he mentioned "struggling". I acted defensive and told him that I was not struggling because I had been speaking English for the last 38 years. ALthough this student did not mean any harm, unintentionally he made me feel inferior.Yes, I do have an accent which I do not want to get rid of. My husband even finds it sexy. in this occassion I was the recipient of a microinsult.
My perception has been changed when it comes to cases like these now. After reading the required reasources, I understand the students behavior better. If I would of read the resources before this happenned, I would of reacted in a totally different way and not defensive.
Wow. Even the young children have begin to stereotype and show subtle signs of racism. You handled it well and I'm hoping to us as teachers and professionals can start to eliminate these microaggressions.
ReplyDeleteHi Dina,
ReplyDeleteYou gave such a perfect example of why microaggressions are so dangerous. The student of course did not mean any harm but I can totally understand why you may have felt offended. It's so crazy to think that even with our best intentions forward, we can say something totally insensitive. Thank you for sharing such a great example. Happy Easter!
Children are often the "givers" of microagressions because they have less of a personal filter. I believe as we get older we can filter those inappropriate comments more. (As long as we know they are inappropriate.) The problem being that most people don't realize that they are hurting someones feelings.
ReplyDeleteIt is good that in hind sight you were able to see the student didn't mean any harm. You’re correct microaggression is done at times without any malicious intentions. It was natural human instinct to defend you. If you could do it over again what would you do differently?
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies for all your comments. If I ever face this situation again, I will make sure I'll take advantage of it by using it as a teaching method. I can explain to the student that he didn't do nothing wrong intentionally, it is unacceptable to "assume" without asking. I can use different scenarios for all the class to engage and participate.
ReplyDelete