Kerisha Goode
Final Research Essay 2
December 10, 2016

Stereotyping is an issue everyone, in every community, and region faces. However, stereotyping education in the Appalachian region has been among one of the most prevalent issues discussed. I’ve learned that there is a battle between perception and reality that students in the region are forced to deal with internally and externally. This perception of self identity and reality effects how students think and respond to formal education, and what factors influences their opinions.
The Appalachian region is a place seen as a symbol for many. This symbol consist of preconceived notions some of which are good and bad. To stereotype “is to dehumanize; to make ridiculous to ignore history, politics, economics, and culture” (Shelby 158). It has been common for many Appalachians to question whether schooling is needed or not, except when regarding practical work and vocational studies. This was viewed as a positive thing because it taught skills necessary to provide for a family. Advanced schooling was seen as an opportunity to move away from the rural area and unique cultural lifestyle. Those who had possessed a degree meant they were soon emerging into the middle class with a higher paying occupation. Formal education was believed to be the “primary obstacle that challenged the farming, mining, and working-class” (Abramson 1515). Although, it is quite obvious that with a degree or even some type of formal education, you’ll be provided with a larger array of possible career choices to pick from, that was not the goal. Parents were still skeptical about sending their kids off pass the 8th grade. Then there were kids whose school terms were broken up due to their movements between coal camps and Mountain Farms (Cox 165). This was preparation for the children so when they got older they could easily maintain the long time family business or common job held within the family. These were the children belonging to families who put work first and education second. When Appalachians did migrate out of the region or left school before graduating, it was to work on farms, coal mines, or in the oil and gas industry (Abramson 1519). Many students respond in such a way to the idea of formal education because of how it is depicted within their communities, making them seem less hardworking or wanted to be better than they’re raised.
Our parents and close family members play a huge role in our influences, particularly how we see ourselves, and also the world around us. Because of this, many students are faced with the struggle of social pressure. This includes the desire of wanting to be closer to home and choosing whether or not to even attend college. It is common for many students to move back to their home towns to live and work after graduating. This sense of hometown pride and fear of leaving home come from worrying about how well their families will do economically. “7 out of 25 participants listed location… as the major reason for their decision” (Snyder 122). After giving a survey two out of nine first generation college students listed their parents or a close family member as an academic role model. 15 out of 16 students from more of a educated family said they could easily identify a family member. From this data, we see that first-generation Appalachian college students have to look outside their homes, while other Appalachian students, who come from educated families, are able to find advice more readily available (Snyder 121). Many people see this as an Appalachian problem, however it is not. This is a first-generation problem all over, in every community and every region. This also has a lot to do with how students view their parents. If the students are told or shown in the media that without a degree, some type of formal education, and a low-paying job you are not successful nor intelligent, then that is what they will believe about their families and themselves.
The idea of shifting cultural norms started to slowly become more popular in the late twentieth century. However illiteracy rates were still very high in areas like Kentucky and West Virginia (Williams 328). Students weren’t even being taught about Appalachian literature, some of which took place within their own communities. Popular writers of poetry and short stories like Frank X Walker, Nikky Anney, and Crystal Wilkinson are Appalachian natives to the region. Many of these names went unheard of in the classroom because they were considered to be Affrilachians. Theresa Burriss says she recommends bring Jazz into the classroom because most of the 21st century students are unfamiliar with such diversity and greatness (Burriss 225). A lot of this was because of the identity of those African Americans in Appalachia and the story they told. This sense of self-identity was being passed along by the media and internalized by the students, making them more concision on how they were being taught about themselves. A great example of this is Jane Elliott’s “Eye of the Storm” experiment she conducted in 1970 with her third grade class. On the first day the blue-eyed students were told they were better than the brown-eyed students. On this day, these students acted, played, and we’re treated differently than the others. The next day when the roles were reversed, and the blue-eyes were now the inferior ones, their demeanor completely changed. The students even took a reading test, the same from the day before, and their scores dropped. When asked why they think that is, they said it was because the previous day they were better than the other students and today they’re not as smart because of their eye color. Elliott says she learned and saw more of a change from the inferior students because they were now on the bottom. Their attitudes and actions toward this unfamiliar discrimination caused them to believe misconceptions about their own identity and how they were viewed by others. Similarly this is how Appalachian students see themselves.
The battle between perception and reality that many students in the Appalachian region deals with is a result of the multiple factors that influence their lives. Students perception of their own self identity has effected how they think and respond to formal education.