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Labeling Understood in Social Science

Labeling is a long standing theory in social sciences which basically says that people (and especially children) live up — or down– to what the people (especially the authority figures) around them think about them. A child who is told and expected to be smart, pretty, or competent generally is. A child who is told that she is a slut or he is a dumbass — usually ends up acting that way.

Teachers should know this. It should be in their curricula in college. It certainly is in Introductory Sociology and in Pyschology courses. Why then to teachers demonstrate and live out labeling theory instead of apply the wisdom from knowing about it?

What I’ve Seen

When I was in graduate school in the 1990s, the one Sociological paper about Learning Disabilities found that teachers thought LD was Mental Retardation. When I substituted in 2006, I certainly saw this play out. Teachers treated any “special needs” student with contempt and extraordinarily low expectations. My short time in the class could turn the situation around — but I doubt permanent change would remain.

When I was Academic Dean, I saw teachers make bright student’s life hell because of teacher gossip. When the student is a 7 year old, too bright for the class, and yet bedevilled by negative fantasies of the teacher…. it is exasperating. I was in the classroom. I saw it.

I was not in the classroom of my daughter’s third grade classroom, but the mother of another student let me know that the teacher there used bullying and name-calling regularly in the classroom. We are talking about the 1980s. In front of me, even, the teacher declared that my daughter could not read. But when the teacher turned her back, my daughter turned to the back of the book and read the page fine.

One shudders to consider how labeling is working in today’s hyper-sexualized, extremely disrespectful environment.

Hear the Episode

Let’s consider labeling. It has detrimental effects. Unfortunately, we see these more often with students with diagnoses and learning problems.

It could have good effects. If only….