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RecycleJack Marine's picture

Catagories are Contagious

We make up catagories to characterize people and all of us do that too. It helps us to make sense of our world and the differences around us. In the article, Culture as Disability, anthroplogists catagorize children of the inner-city as less fortunate as the children who grow up in middle class communities. These children are catagorized as being disadvantaged (a catagory). It was my experience in the past several years that I taught in West Philadelphia that these children are at a disadvantage because they do not have the same opportunities as do students just across City Line Avenue. But what I discovered after teaching this past year is that these students should not be catagorized in this way at all. Their lives are very different from my children's, but their culture has much value to it. Many of my students will indeed succeed in their lives. I will get into this more in my mini-project.

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