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Case: Black Intern in A Rural School I am one of few African American students in my teacher education program. My last semester in the elementary education program is designated for a semester-long internship in a local school. I have been very excited about the internship. The schools around us are rural schools with majority White student populations. My first day at my assigned school was quite interesting. When I arrived at school, I easily noticed that almost all the students were White. My supervising teacher introduced me to other teachers in the school all of whom were White. I felt really out of place. Although they did not say or do anything wrong, I felt like they were looking at me in a strange way. At the end of the school day as I was driving out of the parking lot, parents were driving into the school to pick up their children. I saw a number of trucks that had racial slurs or confederate flags in their back bumpers. My discomfort turned into fear. How am I going to complete this internship? What should I do? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I believe this situation is a great opportunity for you to prove that race does not define your ability to teach. This opportunity allows you to represent African Americans and show how bright, intelligent, and prepared you are. Your main focus is teaching and the students in your classroom. If no one has bothered you or made negative comments towards you, I would just keep my focus on what is most important: teaching your students. I had a friend who got a job in a predominately African American school. She too, was weary at first because she felt as though the teachers and parents viewed her differently because she is White. She said that once the teachers saw her wonderful ability to teach and how much the students loved her, it seemed as though they were very welcoming and friendly. Just concentrate on what you can do and not what others may think. They should be able to look past race, especially when they see your teaching skills. |
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