background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(15, 17, 20);"> In the Philippine context, a similar complexity can be seen among learners from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. While some students are perceived as “resilient” or “independent,” especially those from low-income families, this can mask the challenges they face such as lack of materials, limited support at home, or learning gaps. As a teacher, I recognize the contradiction between expectations and reality students may appear capable, but still need guidance and support. This pushes me to create a more inclusive classroom where all learners are given equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background.

This situation can be connected to the early history of education in the United States, where access to citizenship and education was not equally given to all. For example, the Naturalization Law of 1790 limited citizenship to “free white persons,” showing that from the beginning, systems were designed to include some groups while excluding others. Similarly, the idea of “progress” seen in the concept of Manifest Destiny promoted education and development, but only for certain groups, while others especially indigenous peoples were left behind or marginalized. Education, symbolized by the “Common School,” was presented as a tool for democracy, yet it was also used to maintain inequality by deciding who deserved full participation and who would receive limited or second-class education.

In my own classroom, I see a parallel in how some learners are unconsciously given more opportunities because they are perceived as more capable, while others are expected to simply cope or survive with less support. This reflects the same contradiction between democratic ideals and unequal practices. However, just like in history where marginalized groups fought for equal education and rights, I believe that teachers today play a key role in ensuring fairness. By being intentional in my teaching practices providing differentiated instruction, emotional support, and equal encouragement. I help my students exercise their own agency and overcome barriers. In this way, education becomes not a tool for exclusion, but a pathway toward genuine inclusion and equity.

The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935 by James D. Anderson. University of North Carolina Press, 1988.

Naturalization Act of 1790, United States Congress.

American Progress by John Gast, 1872.

Multicultural Education concepts discussed in An Introduction to Multicultural Education by James A. Banks. Pearson, various editions.

Critical Pedagogy from Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. Continuum, 1970.

Reflections on Education, Citizenship, and Inclusion in the Classroom