Labels of Ability in Education
The labels assigned to different groups in the context of education absolutely have the power to influence how kids are perceived by their educators and peers, and maybe even more importantly, how they perceive themselves. Some of the most fraught labels in the classroom are those that categorize students on the basis of ability. One of the most widespread ways this labelling occurs is through the tracking of students into gifted programs. This is a case where the language surrounding these institutions—deeming some kids as “gifted” and the rest, by extension, as ungifted—reflects the central idea that it’s founded on: that high-achieving students’ success is the result of some innate gift that they have, and that other students simply lack. “Giftedness” isn’t framed as a goal for students to work towards, or as something affected by the myriad factors outside a student’s control—it’s just understood as a trait that you either have, or you don’t. This black-and-white labelling misrepre...