All of the readings this week were
very interesting, but the video “Frontline: Dropout Nation” really stood out to
me. It was easy to see how this week’s theme of structural and
institutionalized discrimination affected the students of Sharpstown High
School. The school’s population was primarily Hispanic and African American and
also accounted for one top ranking drop out schools or “dropout factories” in
Houston. Those two factors are not just a coincidence.
The kids that end up at schools
like these have most likely already fallen behind academically a year or two
from where they should be, but what is really sad is why they have fallen behind. The few kids shown in the video had
some really tough life stories. One of the girl’s mom had just died and she was
homeless, another boy had just moved to Houston from California to get away
from gang violence, and another boy’s dad had just got deported and there was a
fear his mom would be deported as well. If I was in those situations, it would
be very hard to focus on school. It reminded me why I want to go into the field
of social work. I want to be able to work within these broken systems such as
being able to help find a solution, or at least part of the solution, to why these
kids are dropping out of school. With each kid, their issue stemmed from
trouble within their family, the law, poverty, and one common factor- they were
persons of color.
As mentioned in this week’s
introduction on Canvas, it might be easy for an ignorant person to deny the
fact that structural and institutionalized discrimination plays a big part in
why these kid’s lives are so messed up. They might say that the reason these
kids are having trouble is just because they are bad kids and are not putting
in the effort. But when you look at statistics and see that these minorities
are the one’s struggling in school, it is clear that it is structural discrimination.
If those kids shown in the video had gotten the same chance at life as kids from
a stable home- where food was available and there was at least one adult in
their life to look out for them- they would have a better chance at graduating.
In the video, I noticed that most
of the staff people were female. This goes back to the question asked at the intro
of this section of “why is there any stigma attached to the ‘helping
professions’ and so many fewer men in those jobs?” I think that a reason there
is a stigma attached to these ‘helping professions’ and less men in the field
than women is because society tells us that it is not “manly” to be caring and
have a desire to help those who may need it. To show emotion is thought to be a
sign of weakness. Also, most of these ‘helping professions’ are not the highest
paying careers and in order for a man to be seen as “successful” they are
encouraged to go to college with the intention of doing something that will
result in a high paying job. Whereas women are raised to be nurturing and
sensitive, which in turn, leaves them with a desire to work in these ‘helping
professions’.
Joanna,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. I also found “Frontline: Dropout Nation” to be a very shocking video. I also found that it is very hard to relate to the individuals in this video because they have truly experienced traumatic situations that can easily make them unmotivated to succeed in school. I like how you mentioned that this video reminded you why you went in the field of social work. It is imperative, as we become social workers, to help these individuals find a solution, in the most respectful and wholly way possible. I really want to help students and let them have the resources to succeed their education, but that requires an immense amount of hard work and lobbying. I really think we can achieve this if we put our hearts and minds into it.
I like how you quoted “why is there any stigma attached to the ‘helping professions’ and so many fewer men in those jobs?” It makes me sad that there is a certain stereotype for women and how the majority of women are “supposed” to have the profession as a teacher or caregiver. Why does our society create these attached stigmas, and men and women feel as if they have to follow the norm? Why do men have to maintain these “manly” jobs, just because society tells them to? I feel like when we become social workers we should help advocate for people to follow their dreams and not let society create these expectations for people. I really enjoyed your article; it made me realize how stereotypical the professional world really is.
Hi Joanna, I agree that the video “Frontline: Dropout” was particularly interesting. It is one thing to read about oppression and a completely different experience to actually see the individuals who are affected. It helps to understand the problem better when we see exactly how our structures are negatively impacting people. Videos like these are able to shift our perspective; I know it’s true for me at least. It is easy to just see what is on the surface of an individual. A simple interaction cannot tell us about all the struggles people face on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI could not help but reflect back on my time in high school. I had some challenges, but overall I was very fortunate. I had my parents support and was able to focus on my education. I had a part time job, but I did not have to provide for my family. I also had time to participate in extracurricular activities. At that time, I could not appreciate all the opportunities I had and that many others did not. High school me would also be a little prejudice towards students like those presented in the documentary mostly because I did not know about their life stories. I was ignorant and completely unaware of the institutional and structural discrimination taking place. As you mentioned, I don’t think I would be able to focus on school with other much more pressing issues taking place.
I did not notice the gender disparity in the school presented in the video. I probably have to take a second look, but I appreciate you taking notice.