student experiences..

Noguera points out this amazing concept called "less than." Noguera argues that many minority students suffer from this idea. This “less than” concept is exactly what it sounds like; minority students feel “less smart, less capable or less attractive.”

Minority students feel a need or desire to be accepted by the dominant group. Noguera gives the perfect example of this. His son, Joaquin, was one of the top students in his class, his teachers had nothing but positive things to say about him. However, when Joaquin hit high school things changed and took a turn for the worse. His grades fell and his attitude changed. When confronted about the issue, Joaquin confessed that none of his friends were as successful as he was and frankly, he did not want to be successful.

As teachers we are to know how “individuals grow, develop, and learn and provide learning opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.” (Standard 2) In my novice placement, I have experienced this already. I have seen many Latino students who don't like to ask for help because they feel "dumb" asking questions. They feel less competent when they are the only ones who ask for help. Instead of seeing it in a positive way that can help them grow; they see it as being negative and weak.


 It is important to see this ahead of time and try to shift the way of thinking and reinforce the idea that asking questions is a positive thing. The way I have seen it work most positively is not when asking students if they need help in front of the whole class as I instruct, but rather to ask when walking around, in a more one-on-one environment.