Marek Bartošík: Unpopular child is not a permanent status. Nothing lasts forever
Social scientists say that social excluded groups do not have access to education, work, power, and political participation. Excluded pupils at school do not fulfil these conditions. They go to school, then get a job and vote rights. However, their enemies made them excluded from a class and create a very specific example of exclusion which I find dangerous.
Although from parents’ point of view, all kids at elementary school might look similar and have the same chances to be successful, there are many types of pupils in each class who are not popular. A small student wants to be tall, because nobody respects him and is chosen as the last one in Psychical Education. A similar problem has a fat individual. It is not important for others, if he tries to lose weight or not. If you wear glasses, you are automatically underrated as “blinder”. Everyone knows somebody who can solve a lot of assignments, but is slow in thinking. According some of his (unfortunately loud) classmates, he should be in special school for “empty-headed”. Laughing to the pupil with darker skin is getting closer to regular racism. This is typical in the Czech Republic, as Roma people are not very popular with most Czechs. I met with one more, a very special type. Parents of my classmate smoke at home, so he constantly smelt like a cigarette. Despite of the fact that he observed the hygiene, his social background involuntarily created his bad appearance. This was a starter to use him as a victim in our class.
While all elementary school is a specific term with one meaning, a high school is a very general term. In the Czech Republic there are grammar schools for future doctors, lawyers, scientists, journalists, and others. Little bit worse students attend business academies. The rest of students goes to the training. When somebody of “strange” group comes in the training, his situation will probably does not change. Surveys show that grammar school student is much more tolerant and liberal than one in training. We can say that small students, ones with glasses, slower ones or “darkers” will be better included in a class of students. Small people are not humiliated by missing arrogant sportsmen. Glasses are more sign of intelligence and various student skills rather than incompetence. Former “blinders” are respected, especially if they can carry out difficult and time-consuming homework thanks to their preciseness.
Racist comments on students with different skin are disappearing. Grammar school students are not only more tolerant, but also know the law (especially the constitution with liberty of individual) from special subjects which only they study. Individuals in the training have technical and practical subjects instead of social studies. Example of my experience, friend who smelt like a cigarette, also can achieve better level of inclusion. It is very likely that a few classmates will be interested in social works etc. They will try to find out why this person smells. They discover that this person is not guilty and cannot do anything till he lives with his parents. Person gains respect and is passably accepted in a group.
I am not afraid of calling university a different universe. You feel like in a social bubble, because you are in a very specific social bubble. A skin is totally unimportant, as there are a lot of Erasmus students from the United States, Africa, and Asia. There might be even more people with glasses than without them. You are concerned with a height only if there is a tall man in front of you and you cannot see the lecturer. What a paradox! My mentioned friend no longer lives with his parents and enjoys fresh air of his student residence. A big city like Brno offers him a lot of options for earnings, so he can be totally independent.
My comments might look like a propagation of a high-school and university education. However, I want to say that it is important for each person to ignore hateful comments of their classmates or team-mates, because kids can be very rude. They must not surrender. They must hold on. I am convinced that a situation of originally disadvantaged is getting better in a time. Nothing lasts forever. In the end, everybody can live a happy life.