Classism is discrimination against people on the basis of their social class. The term is used in relation to both domestic and institutionalized intolerance. Indeed, classism can be considered a form of human prejudice. This phenomenon is always strongly correlated with racism and xenophobia. In my opinion, children are more influenced by classism in today’s program. For example, many Hispanic or African-American children are denied the opportunity to receive a higher quality education because their parents do not have the resources to do so. They also have to go to schools in disadvantaged areas. Children may also be bullied because of their poverty and because their lifestyle or appearance is different from their peers.
It is worth mentioning that classism has a devastating effect on all people, but it is children who are the least protected. They can easily find themselves in a situation where they have no one to turn to for help because the problem of bullying is ignored (Pope, 2018). In a multicultural environment, ethnic conflicts are not uncommon (Robles de Melendez & Beck, 2019). If teachers do not take action against bullying, there is a risk that children’s lives will become less happy. Certainly, it is impossible not to mention the fact that classism hurts parents. However, they have the resources and often the experience to deal effectively with this kind of discrimination. For the administration, preventing classism in schools should be a top priority (Research Outreach, 2021). By implementing a non-discrimination policy, school leaders can protect children from prejudice. The problem with classism is its systemic nature and how it can permeate the whole learning process, which means that methods of dealing with it must also be systemic.
References
Pope, A. (2018). Classism in our schools. Class Action.
Research Outreach. (2021). Classism in education still exists: Here’s what to do about it.
Robles de Melendez, W., & Beck, V. (2019). Teaching young children in multicultural classroom (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.