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Case Study: The teacher treats me differently
As a 7th grade middle school teacher, Ms. Huff has clearly set boundaries with her students and is often viewed as strict but fair. One afternoon, a student she had the prior year approaches her and tells her she is unhappy in the eighth grade, especially in her language arts class, which the student had excelled in the prior year. "The teacher treats me differently than she does the rest of the students." When asked to expand on the comment, the student responded that she was the only African American student in the class, and she didn't feel like she was being called on with the same frequency as her classmates. She further commented that her submission of the lyrics of one of her songs as an independent poetry assignment had been graded harshly because of the "slang" that had been included in the verses. Ms. Huff knows the teacher in question, but is unsure if she should speak to her or exactly what she should say to the student. She is keenly aware of her own bias and is working on recognizing it in her interactions with her students and her colleagues. She mentions the interaction to the teacher in question who responds that the student "always wants to play the race card" and that the teacher is "tired of having to kowtow to African American students who don't do as well as the white kids." Ms. Huff is quite taken aback at the blatant racism, but is unsure what she should do next. What is her responsibility to the student and to her colleague? |
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Solution 1
Posted October 6, 2020 2:18 pm |
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Ms. Huff has a responsibility to the student to act fairly and honestly in all situations. As she has learned that the teacher is in fact acting in a racially driven manner, she should continue to try to address this with the teacher and explain why this is unfair to her BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students. Then, the teacher should check back in with the student in question after a few days to see if anything has changed. If anything has not changed, the teacher should report this to administration and continue to support the student by offering resources and words of validity and encouragement. |
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I think this is a very good solution for a tough problem. |
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Posted on: March 4, 2021 2:05 am
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Solution 2
Posted October 9, 2020 1:20 am |
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I wasn't sure what to think of this case study until I got to the end. This teacher is being blatantly racist.
Not only is she being blatantly racist to you the teacher bringing up this concern but blatantly to the student who's noticed it and noticed it enough to ask an adult she trusts for help.
Report and don't even blink. This teacher is DEFINITELY doing this to other students. Ethical violations here and certainly ethical violations behind the scenes. |
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Solution 3
Posted September 18, 2020 3:14 pm |
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Wow, that's a really tough situation to be put in, but in my opinion, since the student came to you with a problem, you now have to deal with it. I would love to know more. How long has Ms. Huff worked with this colleague? How long has she been teaching? Has she taught African American students before? Since your first conversation with the teacher in question did not go well, perhaps you can approach her again and explain that you have to go back to the student with some kind of response so maybe you can observe a class to be able to form your own opinion. You might also suggest a sit-down between the 3 of you to air out the grievances (or just the two of them and see how that goes). Otherwise, as uncomfortable as it might be, I think you have to take it to a superior. The student can not be made to feel like an outcast. |
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Solution 4
Posted February 25, 2021 5:44 pm |
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As teachers we have to follow a code of ethics and one of those include treating all students equally no matter their race, sexual orientation, culture, religion, etc. The teacher is clearly breaking this rule and therefore it should be addressed with administration. Ms. Huff should not try to handle the situation by herself as she does not want to get into any trouble herself. |
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Solution 5
Posted September 29, 2021 1:25 pm |
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This directly violates a teacher's code of ethics. As a teacher and mentor to this particular student, you have an obligation to ensure that this situation does not continue to occur by reporting this situation to administration and making them aware of the situation. Blatant racism should never be tolerated, let alone in a classroom where students are meant to feel safe and included. |
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Solution 6
Posted September 29, 2021 1:27 pm |
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This directly violates a teacher's code of ethics. As a teacher and mentor to this particular student, you have an obligation to ensure that this situation does not continue to occur by reporting this situation to administration and making them aware of the situation. Blatant racism should never be tolerated, let alone in a classroom where students are meant to feel safe and included. |
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Solution 7
Posted October 17, 2022 12:10 am |
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Wow! Such a real issue. I have seen something similar in my internships. I would suggest that Ms. Huff addresses the teacher's superior with the concern. If the teacher did not respond well to Ms. Huff, hopefully they will to the superior. |
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Solution 8
Posted October 10, 2020 4:18 am |
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I would say "You know that what you just said was racist" and maybe show her some Ebonics youtube videos |
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I would definitely bring this issue to administration. This type of mindset is not acceptable, especially not for someone who is in an educator position. Additionally, I would make sure that the student in question is able to be placed in a different language arts class as this one is clearly not dedicated to equitable treatment of this student. Finally, I would implore the administration to implement mandatory diversity training to try to prevent this type of mindset from persevering in this school. |
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Posted on: December 4, 2020 5:48 pm
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Solution 9
Posted October 6, 2020 2:23 pm |
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After observing the teacher's class and confirming what the student has told you, I think it is necessary to pull in either the counselor or assistant Principal as an unbiased 3rd party to be present for your next interaction with this teacher. I am only an intern and haven't experienced anything similar to this, so I am not 100% sure this is the perfect solution, but it's how I would handle this particular situation. This really is a tough situation to be put in as an educator. |
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