Tired of entertaining students about my racial identity

I am of several different cultures and have grown to accept my multicultural heritage. I had years of a crisis about my identity because in my younger years I wasn’t made to feel “enough”. I wasn’t Mexican enough because of my skin tone, and not knowing Spanish as my first language. When I tried to reconnect I was harassed into silence and rejected. I wasn’t native enough, no one trusted that because I didn’t have a tribal ID to flaunt and my dad had 0 knowledge. (He says his great great grandfather is Sitting Bull and his native name is Runs With Beer) I was Japanese enough to be fetishized by my peers and poked fun at for my eye shape when I smiled but not enough because I wasn’t good at math and I didn’t like anime. The list goes on.

Now I’m a substitute and it’s always up to constant debate. My last name is of Mexican origin with Spaniard roots. The cycles repeat so I give students less information. They ask if I know Spanish and HOW MUCH so they know how to talk shit about me, and I hear every single word they say.

One time a student blurted out “ARE YOU ASIAN??? ARE YOU CHINESE??? ARE YOU JAPANESE???” Before I even got to introduce myself. I asked him if he treated all subs this way and asked them this and said “Well ARE YOU?” And I said “okay (Latino last name- redacted for privacy), you really want to know?”

I’ve had a student have the audacity to say “it’s because I’m Mexican huh?” In response to me discipline him. No dumbass. You’re not listening, you’re acting foolish, and doing something that’ll hurt you, others, and the class. It’s called accountability. That kind of weaponizing is so disgusting to me. I thought it would be over.

At this rate I don’t entertain these questions because of the exhaustion I feel in these conversations. Because I don’t “look” or “act” like how I’m supposed to…. It’s exhausting. I side eye parents often when I clock out and leave campus. Shit needs to get in order. I thought we were better than this.