Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: White Intern in a Black inner-city school My sister, Gina, who is a young White girl, started her student teaching in a predominantly Black school in inner-city America. She initially approached her job with optimism and purpose. However, she began to experience her first doubts with the presentation of an emotionally charged poetry reading at an all-school assembly. The poem painted a picture of the oppression of the African Americans by the European American majority. My sister was moved by the poem and accepted the historical truth of its message. At the same, she said she wondered what educational effects of the poem were and whether it would affect her legitimacy as a White teacher in a Black school. She talked to me about her experience. I am an experienced teacher, but I could not answer whether poems like that have any educational value, and whether or not my sister should worry about her legitimacy as a White teacher. I don't what she should do in this specific situation. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I can somewhat relate to your sister's experience, being a white teacher at a predominately black inner-city school. I do not think that my students notice skin color yet because they are just 4 and 5 years old; however, the older students do notice skin color. I think the educational value or meaning to a student rests with the experiences that he/she has had. I believe that regardless of the poem or skin color, students will accept your sister when they realize and understand her attitude for teaching and learning, and having the best intentions for the learners. The students will reciprocate the behavior of a teacher.