Reflecting on my childhood, I know that I went to a stereotypical rural school. Throughout my four years of high school, we had one black student enroll every year; they always left after a week or month. This saddened me deeply. I love my friends growing up, but I hated when they would make derogatory jokes about students who would open-enroll or show up then leave. The typical student at my high school was this: boot wearing, truck or jeep driving, lived and/or worked on a farm, 4-H and FFA participants, oh yeah, and all white. Some of their actions sickened me. I get being prideful of what you do and how you are raised, so why single out someone who is doing the same? Even if their parents raised them differently? I hate this, and it was one part of high school I absolutely hated. Now, looking at my high school, the diversity is growing. But I have not been back into the school to talk with my past teachers to see how things have actually changed. When I went to college my eyes were opened, but not because of the diverse classmates I had. My eyes were opened because of the class sizes. I kept to myself most classes, but that was not out of racial prejudice, just my lack of being desirably social. It was not until soccer season (I played in college), that I was drastically educated on the personal take on certain situations, that I became more outgoing and trying my best to make friends with anyone and everyone I could. I do not know what these people in the videos have gone through, but I do know that I have a role to learn and educate my students and future children on what is right and wrong.
