The middle school classroom I am in has students age 13 and 14. Thus, they fall into industry versus inferiority and identity versus role confusion. Because I am in a math classroom, the identity stage industry versus inferiority is much easier to observe. In my school experience, being “good” at math has meant that you are just generally smarter in everything. Being good at any other subject doesn’t seem to dictate one’s intelligence as much as math. If you are not good at math that means you are dumb. Of course, this is not true. Different individuals have different strengths, and we shouldn’t all be measured on the same scale. However, society seems to have chosen (arbitrarily) math to be the subject that classifies an individual’s intelligence. Thus, it is particularly important in this algebra class that students actively demonstrate their comprehension of the topic to prove their “intelligence” or stay quiet and not expose their “stupidity.”
These pressures are exactly what Erik Erikson discusses in the industry versus inferiority stage. Student behavior explicitly and implicitly displays this psychological stage. For example, when the teacher asks a question, students who know the answer are eager to share. They seek not only the teacher’s approval but also the approval of their classmates. When students are unsure of the answer, the majority refuse to propose a possibly incorrect solution. In this example, their goal is not to learn but rather to appear “smart” or at least “not dumb” to their classmates. These words seem harsh to us, but it is exactly the language I heard in high school and still in college.
The teacher does a FANTASTIC job of creating an environment that promotes healthy identity development. When a student gives the correct answer to a difficult question, Mrs. Talbot rings her “superstar” bell close to 15 times, grabs a stick with a little star on top, and runs over to where the student is sitting. She floats the star-stick over their head and almost yells, “That’s a superstar answer!!!” Every time she does this, it is clear the students are so proud to have been recognized. They always smile. Also, the rest of the class seems excited for them as well. Regardless, the scene Mrs. Talbot makes nearly guarantees that everyone in the class will remember the question and its answer. Whenever a student gives an incorrect answer, if Mrs. Talbot can tell that they truly tried, she will never say directly that the answer is wrong. Rather, she will say, “that’s creative, but I’m looking for something more specific,” or “I like the way you think. That’s not quite it, however.” This gentle letdown doesn’t deter students from trying. This is clear by the high percentage of students who actively participate in her class.
I identify with the moratorium stage of Marcia’s identity statuses. Coming from a conservative household to a liberal school has challenged nearly every single one of my beliefs. (I really don’t think I am exaggerating.) When I interact with people who live differently from me, I find myself in an acute crisis. I think, “Well, if they’re doing things this way, what makes me think that my way is right?” At my high school, everyone lived like me, and during this time in my life, I was in foreclosure. I wasn’t questioning any of my beliefs. I came to college with my parents’ values, not my own as a result. Now, I am trying to sort through what I truly believe versus what has just been passed on to me.
Because I get to sit in on different two different class periods, I can observe the difference between “advanced classes” and “regular classes.” I am quite surprised by how differently each class operates. The morning “advanced” class is so quite. Even when they are working in groups, they put their heads together and don’t stop working until the bell rings or they finish their work. In the afternoon class, the students are more likely to get distracted. When they work together, they talk about nearly anything but the worksheet in front of them. They seem to forget why they are in the classroom. Another difference I’ve noticed is that the teacher has to give more prompts and repeat herself more often in the afternoon class. She says that this class lacks the degree of executive functioning skills that are present in her morning class. However, I wonder if separating the students in this way just exaggerates the gap between them. Now, students who were distracted and placed in the “regular” class will have even more opportunities to get distracted. However, students in the “advanced” class have more opportunities to succeed because the room is quieter, their peers are better able to help them, and the teacher can focus on the content and less on reminding students to turn in their homework.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Angela Ellis.