Privilege

     Growing up I never had it easy, but I never wondered where our next meal came from. I grew up in Forsyth County going to private school. It was never if I was going to college, but where I was going to college and for what degree. I had the chance to experience new things and to go to different places shaping the person I am today, all because of the privilege I have being the race, gender, religion, etc. that I am.

     According to Sensoy and DiAngelo (2012), privilege is “the rights, advantages, and protections enjoyed by some at the expense of and beyond the rights, advantages, and protections available to others” (p.58). They go on to say, “privilege is not the product of fortune, luck, or happenstance, but the product of structural advantages” (Sensoy and DiAngelo, 2012, p. 58). I use to think that privilege was just living a better life or having something given to you. After reading part of Is Everyone Really Equal, I realize that my privilege I experienced growing up was at the cost of someone else’s privilege or lack of privilege. I have never lived as the minority or as the one majorly different from someone else and as a result do not have the experiences of feeling different or the outcast as those who are not the majorities have possibly felt more frequently. As a result of this, I believe I will need to be intentional in leaving those preconceived ideas and stereotypes at home when I go into my classroom. It will be important for me to have an open mind when meeting and interacting with my students. I think that knowing about this in advanced will help me be a better teacher in the near future.

Sensoy, O., & DiAngelo, R. (2012). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press.