Labels, Labels, Labels!
What do Kids Know about Labels?
Almost everything in life comes with a label, from food and clothing to warning labels. While those types of labels are needed, others influence our youth with narrow ideas of who and what they are meant to be. Alexie Sherman in “Superman and Me” recounts his life with the cultural identity of a reservation Indian. Robert Lipsyte in “Jock Culture” interviews a coach that placed labels on jocks and non-jocks. Through similarities such as the recognition of a social issue, as well as the acknowledgement of the influence these cultures have on the youth, both address the misguided values being passed down from generation and generation that taint our youth, starting at a very young …show more content…
When Alexie returns to the reservation school as a visiting teacher to show the children the importance of reading and education, but also to show them that he is educated, successful, and still an Indian. Alexie’s hope is that Indian kids will see they are not defined by their culture, they can succeed which he sees in a few children that have “…written their own poems, short stories and novels. They have read my books” (Alexie 585) while others refuse to learn and resist the temptation of change, showing there is hope. Similarly, when Lipsyte talks with the coach several years’ later, he finds that the coach doesn’t remember dividing the world. Coach Stowe seems to realize that brains are valuable, and that all too often, Jocks are overvalued. Stowe proves that in his statement "But the real issue is with kids” (Lipsyte 352) as he talks about a multi-million dollar football stadium being built for high school jocks. “Have you got any idea how much good you could do, even just in athletics, for all the other kids with that much money?” (Lipsyte 353). Lipsyte gained more confidence in the idea that there is a chance for change, even from those who were originally the root of the stereotyping. “We’re on the same page, the coach and I. There’s hope” (Lipsyte
What do Kids Know about Labels?
Almost everything in life comes with a label, from food and clothing to warning labels. While those types of labels are needed, others influence our youth with narrow ideas of who and what they are meant to be. Alexie Sherman in “Superman and Me” recounts his life with the cultural identity of a reservation Indian. Robert Lipsyte in “Jock Culture” interviews a coach that placed labels on jocks and non-jocks. Through similarities such as the recognition of a social issue, as well as the acknowledgement of the influence these cultures have on the youth, both address the misguided values being passed down from generation and generation that taint our youth, starting at a very young …show more content…
When Alexie returns to the reservation school as a visiting teacher to show the children the importance of reading and education, but also to show them that he is educated, successful, and still an Indian. Alexie’s hope is that Indian kids will see they are not defined by their culture, they can succeed which he sees in a few children that have “…written their own poems, short stories and novels. They have read my books” (Alexie 585) while others refuse to learn and resist the temptation of change, showing there is hope. Similarly, when Lipsyte talks with the coach several years’ later, he finds that the coach doesn’t remember dividing the world. Coach Stowe seems to realize that brains are valuable, and that all too often, Jocks are overvalued. Stowe proves that in his statement "But the real issue is with kids” (Lipsyte 352) as he talks about a multi-million dollar football stadium being built for high school jocks. “Have you got any idea how much good you could do, even just in athletics, for all the other kids with that much money?” (Lipsyte 353). Lipsyte gained more confidence in the idea that there is a chance for change, even from those who were originally the root of the stereotyping. “We’re on the same page, the coach and I. There’s hope” (Lipsyte