We do it all the time, assume... We assume people are a certain way, or they like certain things, or that they will answer in a certain way, just because we know better. I do it on a daily basis, whether I like it or not. This weekend was no different as I attended a pageant for the first time to watch a dear friend's daughter pass her crown on. I sat through talent and all i did was assume; that girl looks like she is easy, that girl has no chance of winning, that girl was obviously told she is a good singer but my lord someone needs to tell her the truth. And I felt good about my assumptions, after all, I am always right.
Well, as I went back to hotel room I thought more about these assumption and just how closed off they make me. And even more so, how these assumptions hurt me more in the long run than anyone else. It also made me realize how on a daily basis in my classroom I assume many things.
Home Life:
All the time, we assume that students have a certain type of home life depending on their socioeconomic status, their skin color, their language, their homework completion etc. Often these assumptions lead to how we "deal" with the students in terms of giving another chance to do homework or extended time on a test. Even more often we don't have the time or chance to find out what really is going on in their home life and in turn affecting them greatly at school. How many times do you assume that the smart student who is always happy is actually experiencing her parents fighting all the time? We are good at assuming that our poor students come from broken homes and good at assuming that our white kids have both mom and a dad. It is time we stopped thinking we know "those kids" and really get to know our students.
Cooperation:
We always know which child will be the difficult one after orientation day, you can just see it on them, right? Wrong. That child may have a bad case of the nerves, I know I do, or just wake up super grumpy; guilty of that as well. I will not believe anyone that says they can judge a person within the first 5 minutes. If you think you can, maybe you should look at how often you were wrong. I can tell you countless times those first day perceptions were dead wrong.
Intelligence:
This is something we all partake in whether we are willing to admit it or not. We base our misconceptions on things such as hair color, height, weight, skin color, accent or dialect, clothing and the list goes on. How many times have you heard someone describe someone's intelligence level with a knowing look and a hint to where they come from, because that explains it all? Well, it doesn't. Being both blond and foreign I have two things stacked against me. People either assume I am Swedish or stupid, I disagree with both when needed and get offended when I have to.
Basic Knowledge:
As a teacher, I hope that all of my students have learned all of the curriculum they are supposed to have learned by the time they get to my room. I certainly know that my co-workers do their very best in teaching them. And yet, how many times have I been proven wrong when I think I know exactly what my students know or don't know?. That kid that struggles in math might be really good at math facts, or that kid that writes 3 grade levels below might be a strong reader. And it even goes the other way; strong readers may be terrible writers. Just because we think we know does not mean we really know it all.
So, I am not a saint; I will go on assuming as I always do. And yet, I do promise to try to assume less or at least check out my assumptions after I have made them. I feel that we assume because it provides us with a sense of security; when we can label a person then we know how to handle them. I wish I could tell you that at the beauty pageant I had many "hallelujah moments" where I was shamed out of my assumptions; I didn't. However, it wasn't because my assumptions were right, I just thought it was much more fun to think I knew everything instead of being proven wrong. I am after all just a human being.
