Section 3

A person’s identity can define who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going. Identity “refers to the stable inner sense of who a person is, which is formed by the successful integration of various experiences of the self into a coherent self-image.” Ethnic identity is when a person’s ethnic background affects their identity.

Children learn about their identity at a young age. Their actions are based on what they are shown in their schools, families, and neighborhoods. Because children are still developing, they can be influenced by everything around them. When a child goes through a rough situation or has a violent home life, and it is because of their ethnicity, they may tend to shun the only thing they’ve ever known. Some may even come to a point of complete negative identification, and may even go as far as to change their name, appearance, living situation, habits, etc.

Because someone’s identity can be determined at such young ages, teachers need to be prepared to care for their students needs, whether it be finding them a counselor or mentor to talk to, or making other students, of different ethnic backgrounds, aware of their peers situations. Many students can just simply be unaware of what is going on around them, and by showing them new scenarios, it will help their basic life skills in the long run.

America has been known as the “melting pot” because we are a mixture of different ethnic backgrounds. This is because we would assimilate into one culture from many different backgrounds. However, People of Color have tended to stay on the outside of the “white” melting pot because they were constantly being shoved away in some form or another. We need to start working on having our students, of all backgrounds, working together for a better environment in the long run. If we start on our students early, we may be able to prevent some crimes, due to race, from occurring.