Diversities and socioeconomic status

     Today we talked about socioeconomic status and its correlation with academic success.  I actually find both reasons discussed in class for this to be either incomplete or ludicrous.  Even though studies may have linked socioeconomic status to academic achievement, I think that this is only due to the expectations teachers, parents and society in general place on students based on this status.
      Firstly, intelligence is in no way determined by material posessions, rather, it is genetic.  How then could the lower socioeconomic classes be considered to have less intelligence than people who may posess more status in the cultural context in which they are found?  The notion is completely illogical, and frankly, contains a great deal of bias against socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.  Secondly, I do think that the school system does to some extent discourage people of certain backgrounds from succeeding, however, I would not limit this prejudice against socially and economically impoverished people to merely the school system.  Rather, I think our society places a certain stigma on people who come from these circumstances, and that the population in general is taught to believe that those individuals will not succeed.  This social pressure can be particularly devastating to young individuals, especially if this pressure also comes from parents.  If children are bombarded with an association between poverty and intelligence, how can we expect them to remain strong and confident when we as a society strive to enculturate them with such degrading beliefs?  In effect, I believe we create this intellectual disparity between classes through unconscious prejudices, then reinforce them through theories such as the ones expressed in class.  I think it is neglectful, actually, to discuss this disparity in inteligence without discussing the solution thereof.  As students undergoing higher education, I believe it is vital that we actively examine ourselves on an individual basis to ensure that we do not develop such discriminatory notions based on whatever education others may or may not have had.  I believe that if we have the intelligence to recognize the problem, we have the responsibility to work towards the solution.  It is often all too easy to ignore issues such as this by engaging in the unmerited pride of belonging to a higher, educated socioeconomic class and thus believing that therefore you must be more intelligent than the norm.  However, as I am sure you would agree, to put the issue in such blunt terms simply serves to emphasize how ludicrous this generalization is.  Not all individuals with a degree are geniuses, and there have been amazing intellects from low socioeconomic backgrounds. 
     As future teachers, I believe we need to fully address our own beliefs, taking time to consider how the expectations that we hold of our students can possibly influence their success.  Thus, I believe that what I learned from this class was not so much diversity theory as it was the importance of ensuring I do not accidentally marginalize any of my students by treating them as inferior in any way to their peers.
-Rachel

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