There are various distinct groups within the United States student population. Such are the groups that are disadvantaged in some ways and are also the minority within a population. This essay focuses on two groups namely, Muslim students who undergo challenges in the pursuit for education and those students who are economically disadvantaged and are always struggling with their upkeeps in school. A research conducted on Muslim students by the Gallup survey showed that Muslim students felt angry with how they were being treated within their schools and within the states in which their schools are located. In this report that entailed a survey of students of various religious backgrounds such as Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews, it was established that in every day, 41% of the Muslim students felt that they were doing well as compared to 53%of the general US population. This was because of issues of racial discrimination and negative attitudes towards Muslims. In their schools, Muslim students face the challenge of hidden curriculums that are based on other students being taught about their culture and this instills a sense of racial profiling among other students towards them. The other groups of students who are in the minority bracket are students who are from less fortunate backgrounds (Howells, 2014). The students from this group are mainly from poor families and those on scholarships that may not be fully funded. The high cost of living makes them find it hard to cope in the United States .Such students are either very bright or have low intellectual stimulation because their families keep moving from one part of the country to another and this affects their learning stability. It also frustrates their efforts of learning as they have gaps between them and the children in the same grade that come from stable or middle income families("Economically disadvantaged students provide additional challenges to school districts", 2018). This is according to a research conducted by Lisa Leach, a supervisor at the Lubbock Independent District School.
Challenges that faced the Muslim students that clearly affected their performance in school were mainly racial since these students felt that they were being viewed by educators as Muslims instead of students. This has influenced the interaction with their peers since they felt they were being viewed as terrorists and anti-western which by ‘default ‘made them anti-democracy. The fact that they have to keep explaining themselves and defending themselves also influences their academic success as they are always living in fear of being harassed by either their colleagues or even their teachers who should be protecting them. They feel as if they are expected to behave in ascertain way and this makes them have low self-esteem which may manifest in their academic performance. On the other hand, challenges that deterred children from economically deprived backgrounds from performing well in school include lack of proper readiness for school since their parents cannot afford to cater for their physical well-being. Lack of physical well-being influences the approach in life in terms of emotion and mental readiness for new experiences in school. With lack of physical needs, the performance of kids from such backgrounds is relatively poor depending on the mental readiness to withstand challenges as these children lack social skills to survive in school.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Including the Islamic religion in the school curriculum is a strategy that can be used to make Muslim students feel part and parcel of a school with no discrimination. This will ensure student participation in school activities as they feel that their culture is well represented in the curriculum of certain classes. Inclusion of the Islam religion in the curriculum is important for educational achievement as it will enhance student interactions that do not involve attacking of religions and stereotyping of the Muslim students. Educators can also support students from economically deprived families by instilling a mentality in them that shows them that their background does not matter as long as they have the drive and determination to change their situation and that of their communities. Poverty should not be associated with cognitive ability or academic excellence as thus mentality results to poor performance even among children who were destined to register high aggregate points in their examinations.
The importance of religion being included in the curriculum is that it enhances student interactions and creates stronger bonds among the students and teachers as the issue of religion can be freely engaged in if there is room for study of the religion before criticizing it.This can help repair the damaged identity of Muslims as students and teachers will have a more detailed insight of the Islam religion. Motivation by word of mouth and practical action for students who come from poor backgrounds will highly motivate them especially when practical examples are used to show them that the status of your family does not have to influence their school performance.
On account of the above points and illustrations, it suffices to conclude that educators should be conscious of how they treat and handle students based on their religion and economic background. They should be responsible and supportive of their students and make sure that there is no discrimination either by them or by fellow students. By doing this, they will ensure that there is a healthy learning environment.
References
Economically disadvantaged students provide additional challenges to school districts. (2018). Lubbockonline.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018, from http://lubbockonline.com/education/2012-08-04/economically-disadvantaged-students- provide-additional-challenges-school
Gross, Z., Davies, L., & Diab, A. (2013). Gender, religion and education in a chaotic postmodern world. Dordrecht: Springer.
Howells, K. (2014). Exploring Cultural Diversity through the Lens of the Practice of Gratitude in Education. The International Journal Of Diversity In Education, 13(2), 41-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.18848/2327-0020/cgp/v13i02/40091
Mayer, D. (2013). Policy driven reforms and the role of teacher educators in reframing teacher education in the 21st century. Waikato Journal Of Education, 18(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.15663/wje.v18i1.133
