The Effects of Social Identities in Education

Laura Cosentino
TE 250 Section 18
Cultural Autobio1

When reflecting on my entire schooling experience, I have come to

realize that there have been many aspects that have shaped my own
identity. Through many first hand experiences, I have come to understand
which of my social identities have shaped me the most in my schooling
experience. When looking at social identities, I believe both my gender and
class have been the greatest contributors in the shaping.
One of the most important identities to me is my gender. Being female
is not only shown by my looks but the way I learn and how I was treated in
school. Starting my schooling off in a Catholic, private, school began the
shaping of my social identity in terms of my gender. At this private school,
the entire staff consisted of females. I had believed that this was the norm. I
did not see nor hear of a male teacher until I switched to a public middle
school in seventh grade. At my private school, guys would often say to me
and other girls, You can get away with whatever. Youre a girl. The teachers
at this school were also known for being sexist. I know many boys that had
left the school due to this issue. I, as all other girls, was known to be a part of
the privileged group of the school due to my gender. Even after switching to
a public school, I noticed privileges I had obtained simply by being female.

When in a class taught by a male I seemed to get special treatment from

them. For example, if any boy in the class asked to go to the bathroom, they
were quickly shut down and possibly yelled at for not going in between
classes. If I or another girl asked to go to the bathroom we were always
allowed to go. This caused me to make assumptions that male teachers
thought females were weaker and needed this break. Female students were
not only favored by the male teachers, but also by the female teachers as
well. Female students were known in my school to be higher achievers, more
organized, and more dedicated to their schoolwork. This caused female
teachers to connect more with the female students. I witnessed many female
teachers get more frustrated with male students. This also meant that I, as a
female, was held to a higher standard in all my schoolwork. My schooling
experience shaped me to see how I would be perceived in the real world as a
female. I would have to work harder than most men to show that I wasnt
just be favored but rather had actually worked hard on my work.
Along with bringing privilege, my gender also has also put me at a
disadvantage in my education. Looking at all school activities, it seems that
most are geared towards the male gender. School curriculum prepares for
the typical male business job, the athletic department spends more money
on male sports, and more after school activities are designed for males.
Everyone attended the boys varsity football and basketball games while my
varsity soccer games had just about no one in the bleachers. On days when
boys were playing rival teams, my schools principle would make a school

wide announcement telling everyone to attend the game. I realized that to

be a successful student you should not have to be a male just to get a proper
education.
Another social identity that had really defined me is my social class.
Class is a very important social identity not only because it depicts how you
got to be raised, but also how you were educated. Social class reflects how
much money was put towards your education. I grew up in a town where just
about everyone was from the middle to upper middle class. Being apart of
the middle class I had taken my strong education for advantage. I never
thought about other schools that didnt have the laptops, iPads, and other
resources we had. I know now that living in the area that I did, affected my
education and gave me the privilege of receiving such a high education.
Being apart of the middle class affected who I got to interact with. Since
mostly everyone was from the middle class, it was very easy to tell who
wasnt. While most people lived in nice subdivisions with large houses, there
were few on the opposite end of the spectrum. A small pocket of my
hometown lives in a small trailer park home. I didnt realize until I was out of
school, how much different their lives were from mine. These students didnt
have the resources I did at home. I could go home type my papers, do online
research, and even ask my highly educated parents for help if needed. A lot
of these students could did not have such luxuries and it may have effected
their school experience. Living in this middle class community it is almost
expected that you will graduate and go on to a university to get an

education. In fact, people from my town that do not do this are often looked
down upon. Being apart of the middle class shaped my schooling experience
because I knew I was being held to a higher level. I knew that I had to get
good enough grades and participate in many extra-curricular in order to
graduate with high distinctions and go onto my university level education.
My parents and grandparents had all come from middle class families and
went onto get a higher education and I knew this was also expected of me.
Everyone around me had this same background and I never realized how
much it affected my schooling until I saw other low-income school districts
and their struggles.
Through my thirteen years of schooling, my social identities have
greatly been shaped and molded through personal experiences in and
around the classroom. Had I not belong to either of these social group, I
believe my entire schooling experience would have been altered. By realizing
both the privileges and disadvantages I had, I discovered how these social
identities made me who I am today.