Do You Have a Deficit Mindset Towards Mexican American Students?

Blog Series: Deficit Thinking in Education.

A term sometimes used when talking about a Mexican American student goes something like “ay pobrecito.” Educators might use this when the student gets a failing grade. They might use it when the student gets suspended for continuous visits to the principal’s office.

Sometimes, “ay pobrecito” is used when the student does not show mastery of the learning. It comes with the connotation of, well, maybe the student cannot attain it.

But the student can attain the learning. And it is okay for students to do hard things. They can struggle through the learning if there is mastery by the end. Learning journeys are different for every student. Giving up on the student with an “ay pobrecito” means lowered expectations. It implies the educator viewed the Mexican American student through a deficit mindset.  

When a Mexican American student is struggling academically, does the educator:

• Change the learning expectation for this student but not the rest
• Move on from the student and help someone else instead
• Think the student might not be cognitively capable of achieving the learning
• Find something about the student or the student’s family to blame their lack of learning on  

When a Mexican American student is struggling behaviorally, does the educator:

• Separate the student from the other students
• Ignore the student the rest of the day
• Start the day looking to correct the student’s behaviors
• Send the student out a lot

If an educator answered yes to these questions, they probably responded to the student’s struggling academics and behaviors with a deficit mindset.

The sense of awareness now comes. Being aware is the first step towards change. Without awareness, the student goes through their day with continued struggles. Even more problematic, without a willingness to change, the educator will develop habitual behaviors that harm students and their learning.

Some tests help a person measure their implicit biases, which are those they are not consciously aware of as they go through their day-to-day. These tests are practical tools for educators to use as they reflect on their actions toward students. Another helpful practice for every educator at the end of the school day is to ask themselves: Did my words and actions today show all my students that I believed in their ability to learn?

Believing in every student changes the trajectory of their learning. Every student deserves an educator that goes all in for them.

Part 3 of 7 of this blog series coming next week: How We Talk to Mexican American Students Matters.