What Happens When Students Are in the Minority Experiences and Behaviors that Impact Human Performance

by Hutchison, Charles B.; Abelquist, Maria; Adams, Tiffany; Afam, Clifford; Blankton, Daniel; Bongiovanni, Brian; Bradley, Carletta; Brisley, Winfree; Clark, Tracie S.; Cornett, David W.; Cross, Jim; Danzi, Betty; Deckard, Arron; Delehant, Ryan; Emerson, Lau

• ISBN13: 9781607093954
• ISBN10: 1607093952
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-16
• Publisher: R&L Education

Summary

When people find themselves as the minorities in different situations, they often feel as if they have been placed on stage with a spotlight on them. Consequently, they become prisoners of anxiety and engage in certain predictable, negative behaviors. Owing to sheer anxiety and mental overload, these situational minorities often find themselves behaving unintelligently. This book uses real-life experiences of diverse people to illustrate that, if not understood and addressed, situational minorities at school or work are unlikely to perform to their highest potentials. This book is for anyone who wants to understand human behavior and performance: why minorities struggle in majority schools, or why the only male or female on the lean has to overcome a mental barrier in order to catch up. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Charles B. Hutchison teaches at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and was a classroom teacher for twelve years.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction to the Minority Effect	p. 1
The "Minority Effect" as a Human Phenomenon and Its Educational Implications	p. 3
The Minority Experience from the Perspective of Racial Minorities	p. 17
My Dark Curly Thick Hair Was a Nemesis as All I Wanted Was the Blond Straight Hair Parted Down the Middle, and Romeo: A Misunderstood Student	p. 19
Black and Female in an All-White and Male Math Class, and Mercy's Dilemma	p. 25
Is There a Minority in the House? Why I Dropped Out of College the First Time Around, and Victimized Jones	p. 31
Seeing My Student at an All-White Church Saved My Day, and the Double Lives and Social Consciousness of My White Students	p. 41
Experiencing the White Church, A Cross-Cultural Wedding Experience, and A New Angela: A Bicultural Personality	p. 47
A Black Female in a Predominantly White Male Class, and Reversing Roles: A White Student Acting the Minority in Class	p. 57
Self-Conscious at Pleasant Green, and Minding Mandy, the White Minority in Class	p. 65
I Felt Like Everybody Else in the Church and It Only Took One Person to Help Me, and Biracial and Double Minority	p. 71
The Minority Experience from the Perspective of the Racial Majority	p. 77
Comparing Experiencing the Minority Exercise to a War Zone Experience: A Soldier's Reflection, and Breaking Out in Cold Sweat in All-Women's Company	p. 79
I Already Felt Unwelcome, and...This Feeling Was Completely Inside My Head, and Stuttering at a Staff Meeting	p. 85
Getting a "Good Seat" at Granite, and A Different Worldview, a Different Life	p. 93
Experiencing the Minority at a Hip-Hop Dance Class, and A Good-Kid-Turned-Bad: Surviving Black History Month	p. 99
A German's Visit to a Latino Church, and German Sensibilities at a Super Bowl Party	p. 105
Understanding My Students at Church, and Finding My Feet a at My In-Laws'	p. 111
Experiencing the Minority as the Only White in Church, the Only Woman in Corporate Meetings, and as a Denominational Minority	p. 117
Experiencing the Minority at a Black Church, Fitting in as a Reverse Minority in School, and Thinking Religion "Outside the Box"	p. 123
Surviving in Church, and Understanding the Minority through Interracial Marriage	p. 131
Differences on a Common Ground, and the Only Guy at an All-Girls Party	p. 137
A White Female in the Class on the African Experience, North-South Linguistic Dichotomy, and Thinking about Marcus	p. 143
Short Narratives of Diverse Minority Experiences	p. 151
It's Eleven Thirty at Night, and Da Club Is Jumpin'	p. 153
I Fit in Perfectly with the Corporate Environment...Except for My Accent	p. 157
The Few White Girls in the Dance Hall	p. 161
A Lone White Female in an All-Black Course	p. 165
A White Guy at a Black Student Union Party	p. 169
Slowly Embracing a Different Taste	p. 173
Surviving in a New School through the School Band, but No Drums, Please!	p. 175
Concluding Narratives and Analyses	p. 179
Lessons Learned from My Minority Experience	p. 181
Experiencing the Minority at the Local Restaurant	p. 191
The Minority Experience from the Perspective of Students of African Origin	p. 199
Experiencing the Minority: Overcoming Double Consciousness in the Classroom	p. 209
Comparative Reflections: Lessons Learned about the Minority Experience	p. 217
Bibliography	p. 233
About the Editor and Contributors	p. 239
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