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When you are in high school, it's hard enough to be yourself; much less what someone else thinks you should be. Most kids can't go a single day in school without having some sort of label applied to them. When it comes from your peers it hurts; but when it comes from your teachers it can be devastating. These are the adults, the ones that everyone says you should look up to.

Teachers, and anyone actually, that work with others can apply labels to certain groups or single individuals. Why? Unfortunately this question is not an easily answered one. The human mind and it's idiosyncrasies will probably never be completely understood. So to solve this type of behavior the only way to approach it is to look at the affects that a biased opinion has on those at whom it's directed.

If you have ever been witness to a biased opinion, whether through firsthand knowledge or through some other means, then you already know that it can cost someone their self-esteem. Whether the teacher feels that one of their students is un-teachable, or another the perfect do no wrong student, the affects of such bias can be detrimental to learning.

If one student is left behind because the teacher saw him or her as unworthy, that child will begin to wonder why they even bother with school. What's the point of going to school if those responsible for your education don't even care? If another student is seen as perfect then the affects are different, but can still be damaging. What if that student is ignored because the teacher feels like they already know all the material and has all the answers? What if that student is built up so high that they have trouble living up to the teachers expectations? Any of these situations will have an affect on the student; both throughout high school and into their adult life.

So if you work with kids that are at the tender age of teenager; and you know yourself that's not an easy time, be careful of how you view them. They are no different than adults in the long run. We all, as human beings, want to be accepted for who we are and treated accordingly. Only by putting aside bias and personal opinion can we even begin to see the true individual within.

Learn more about this author, Rhonda Nieman.
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