Reflection Paper

When we are born, we are identified by our gender, name and race. We are weighed and measured at the hospital to be part of a statistic, and then a few days later we are brought home by our parents. These are identities that we cannot control; they are what society expects from adults who decide to have children, so we can be properly placed under a category where we will remain for the majority of our lives. Even when we start school, we can’t just decide that we are too smart or not smart enough for a certain grade level. We are put into a class with other students our age, despite the difference in learning levels. Once we get into the swing of things, we can then move to different classes, activities, and social groups that suit us better.

I told myself that I was aiming for straight A’s, but if I slipped up on a few assignments here and there, then that would be acceptable. One of my best friends had to remind me I was only human, and it was okay to make small mistakes as long as I was willing to fix them. I really tried to take that into consideration every day with whatever I was doing. I took on so many activities and responsibilities that first year of high school. I overwhelmed myself with dance, marching band, jazz band, pep band and choir, but I had to show everyone that I was capable of doing it all. The high expectations from my parents and teachers had only gotten higher, so I continued to worry if I was going to meet every goal they had subconsciously set for

That day in school where my classmate insulted me, was when “I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into - the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” (Staples 135). I will never wish to be anything else but me, but I have experienced time and time again what it’s like to let others down just because I didn’t exactly fit the Asian or intelligence standard. To this day, I find myself getting upset over tiny mistakes; I feel as though I haven’t lived up to the high expectations that my parents have set. I have gotten much better about cutting myself some slack because if I don’t, I’d probably lose control of who I really am. I am a person who will make mistakes, no matter what my race or culture defines me as. Race cannot be controlled, intelligence is something that most people have to work for, and we all have to keep that in mind. Thinking before we act will be beneficial for all of us in the long haul. The real truth is this: Asians will mess up on math tests, African-Americans don’t have to play basketball, and not all Caucasian people are