When students are faced with microaggressions at school, their ability to learn can be compromised, education consultant Rick Wormeli said. “Students will engage or they will shut down based on the perception of microaggressions occurring in [classes],”  Wormeli said.

Deadnaming

Freshman Ace Weinberg has been in classes where other students have intentionally called him a name he was previously referred to as, which is known as a deadname. Weinberg tries not to get too annoyed by people deadnaming him or using the wrong pronouns. “[Their behavior] feels kind of passive aggressive,” said Weinberg. “But I know maybe it’s not. Maybe they just genuinely aren’t understanding.”

Slurs

As a freshman, senior Lexi Singer was the only Black person among people she hung out with. These people said the n-word around her and made jokes about Singer giving them “the n-word pass.” “At the time, I kind of brushed it off, but looking back, it was a really really hard time for me to accept myself for who I was,” Singer said.

Ignorance

When senior Naina Jobin enters a classroom, she is often met with people who disregard the correct pronunciation of her name, even if she politely corrects the mistake. “My name gets mispronounced a lot,” said Jobin. “So, I just kind of overlook it, but it’s definitely a problem. I feel like I didn’t really realize it until I mentioned it to other people, and they were like, ‘Wait, that’s really messed up.’’’

Racism

Last April, junior Olivia Zhao started a list on her phone recording times at school when she is called by the name of an Asian peer. Being the victim of a microaggression can feel isolating, Zhao said. “It’s upsetting that I can realize that [the microaggression] is bad, and I have to be the victim of it, but the person doing it is so ignorant about [their actions],” Zhao said.