Identity shapes every person's world. There are different aspects of identity, and each aspect interacts with another to form a unique identity and experience. Identity helps shape others' perceptions of themselves and how they are treated in their lives, as well as how each person sees themselves. School is a major influence on identity because it begins when each person is very young and easily influenced and lasts through crucial periods of development. One of the aspects of my identity that has had a large impact on my experience in school and my sense of self is race. I attended a school district where about 70% of the students were white. Despite being in a district that is largely considered a fairly liberal community, with a sizable population of students from other parts of the world or whose families are from other areas, and many students from a more urban area , mostly black, who opt for regarding their school choice, many people in the district are not as progressive in their thinking as perhaps they would like to think. As far as I know, none of the students from different countries or cultures are teased or bullied because they are different. These students were quite accepted and not considered truly strange or unusual. Yet these kids were still not normal, or not. Many of the assumptions in my life have proven to be false and have led me astray and ignorant. I have met too many people from so many different places around the world to be sure that there is a right way to everything. There will be a right way to teach each child which will be different from child to child. And I know that with so many different cultures and communities, something that someone considers normal will be something completely different for me or something I've never considered. I think maybe the only real assumption I can have is that I will be surprised from time to time