Neutrality is a Myth
According to Childs & Wooten (2023), teacher bias is: “an unconscious (implicit) or conscious (explicit) bias about a students’ identity (Kunemund et al. 2020; Harbatkin 2021). It is a ‘psychological driver’, prejudice or ‘subtle discrimination’ based on subconscious or unconscious beliefs (Bruneau et al. 2020).”
Truth be told, most of us were not fully prepared to work with students of similar and different backgrounds. Many teaching preparation programs provide training in environments based on location and age, not cultural diversity. We were not pushed to really understand cultures beyond our own. So when we step into diverse classrooms, we bring our own beliefs and ideals that we assign to different groups of students: race, orientation, and sexuality, to start. What we know, and sometimes what we do not know, shows up inevitably.
- It shows up when we misread behavior, such as assuming the “bad students” are always children of color
- It shows up when we make quick assumptions about effort or ability, such as assuming that Asian and Middle Eastern students are naturally high performing
- It shows up when we center one way of speaking, thinking, or learning as the “right” way, such as admonishing students for speaking in AAVE or their native language
Of course, no adult intends to profile and misjudge a student, yet this practice is still a factor that is not talked about enough.
The Damage of Deficit Thinking
According to David & Museus (2019), many scholars define deficit thinking as: “a blame the victim way of thinking that attribute students’ failures to their individual, family, or community traits, and utilize this definition throughout their analyses (Bruton & Robles-Piña, 2009; McKay & Devlin, 2016; Haggis, 2006; Solórzano & Yosso, 2001; Valencia, 1997, 2010; Weiner, 2003).”
Bias does not usually look or sound obvious in schools. It is quiet, subtle, and easy to justify. After 7 years of teaching, these are just some of the things I have heard colleagues say.
- “They just don’t care.”
- “Their parents aren’t involved.”
- “They’re likely to join their family business.”
- “You know how kids from that neighborhood are.”
- “I just gave them a nickname because I never pronounce it right.”
- “We already know the ESL students aren’t going to ace their English class.”
This kind of deficit thinking does not allow educators to give their students a fair shot or a fighting chance. When we lower expectations, misinterpret communication styles, or fail to recognize different kinds of intelligence, we are not just misunderstanding students; we are limiting them.
The Disconnect Is Real and It Matters
The students of today are not the students from the past. In this digital, post-COVID, socially inept society, many students grow up in front of screens, and lack communication skills. Due to this, teachers may assume students are disrespectful or ignoring them, when in actuality, they may not know how to have a conversation.
Cultural misunderstandings can often be interpreted as negative behavior. For example, in many Asian cultures, it is disrespectful for students to look their teachers in the eyes. To an American teacher, an Asian student who refuses to make eye contact or look their teacher in the eye while being addressed, can easily be taken as disrespect.
The type of household a student comes from directly has an effect on how they show up as a student. Students who are well off most likely have technology at home, but students in struggling situations may not have any computers in the house. If the teacher is not aware of these matters, it is easy to assume negative beliefs about the student who never does their homework when technology is involved.
The Work Starts With Us
Teacher bias and deficit thinking can cause students to shut down when they feel misunderstood. I have also seen the opposite: how they open up when they feel seen. Confronting your own bias requires humility. It requires you to reflect on your pedagogical choices, subconscious thinking, and thought processes.
That kind of reflection takes intention. It takes honesty. It takes consistency, but it is necessary. The goal is not perfection. The goal is awareness, and then action. At the end of the day, our students do not need us to be perfect. They need us to be responsive. They need us to be willing to learn from them the same way we expect them to learn from us.
Teaching is never just about content, curriculum, and pedagogy. It is about what we believe, what we see, and how we interpret it. It is about who we believe our students are, how their experiences shape their actions and values, and what we believe these scholars are capable of.
When we do that, classrooms change. Relationships deepen. Learning becomes more authentic. The truth is, the biggest barrier to reaching all students is not always curriculum, state standards, or even resources. Sometimes, it is the lens we have not examined yet, and once we begin to confront that, everything about our teaching has the potential to shift for the better.
Adrienne Carrington is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Program at Prairie View A&M University.
