Teachers and Mentoring Students of Diverse Backgrounds

According to a study done between 2012 and 2017, on 233,982 students from third grade through twelfth grade, 78% of elementary school students felt engaged, 59% of middle school students felt engaged, and 60% of high school students felt engaged.  Many factors cause this, and they are not addressed enough.

What are some of the reasons behind this ongoing problem?

It is no surprise that third to twelfth graders find it difficult to stay interested in school.  There are many reasons for this, but it is important to explore them more closely.

One of these reasons is that students simply don’t care enough about what they are learning to be actively engaged in it. The bottom line is that they would rather spend their time doing other things.  However, a more significant reason for the lack of engagement_,  might be that they cannot find a way to relate to their teachers.  It is essential to look at why this is such a problem in the school system. 

How can we take a closer look at the problem?

Not only is the teacher’s personality essential to engagement, but so is teacher diversity. Studies have shown that students relate more to teachers who look like them when compared to teachers who don’t.  The lack of diversity within the faculty and staff can make engagement especially challenging for students whose backgrounds differ from their teachers.

Christina Torres says, “I grew up in a very white space, there wasn’t anyone who looked like me at all.  I was one of very few Latinx people in the area, let alone in the gifted and talented program I was in at school.”  Christina is just one example of children who are the minority in their schools. This example shows that the environment students learn in is very important in regards to how they feel about what they are learning.  If students feel like they do not belong in the environment they are going to school in, then they will be less likely to take an interest in what they learn about in school.

What is the solution to this?

To combat disengagement in schools, the issue regarding the lack of diversity in educators must be addressed.  In order for there to be more teachers of diverse backgrounds, there needs to be more people of diverse backgrounds who want to teach.  One way this can happen is by finding good teachers who are passionate about what they teach, passionate about teaching in itself, and who can make learning interesting and relevant to the students.  

If enough attention is brought to this issue and people start to share their experiences of learning in an environment in which they felt like they were out of place, then teachers and faculty can try to make sure that the environment they create doesn’t make their students feel out of place.  This change would allow the students to be more actively interested in what they are learning.

If this happens throughout all schools, not just secondary schools, then a significant number of people of all backgrounds will want to share their knowledge with future generations.