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  Case: Was Alex too Friendly?
My good friend Alex, who is a White person from Central America, has been teaching biology at a high school for two years. The school where he works serves a majority Black student population. One of the strengths of Alex is his ability to connect with people and establish good relationships. He used his skills in his new school, too, to form close relationships with his students. He believes that a teacher should be like a friend to the students for the students to trust and relate to the teacher. He gained popularity among teachers and students as a great biology teacher. One specific incident got him in great trouble. As he was walking from his car to the school building one morning, students greeted him with smiley faces and friendly attitudes. Most students greeted him by saying things like "What's up Mr. A?" "What is going on dude?" "How you doing buddy?" Alex found these appropriate and responded to students similarly every day. This specific morning, one student greeted Alex by saying "What's up nigga?" and Alex responded to the student using the same phrase. The next day he found out that the student and his family filed a complaint against Alex for using the "n word." The principal asked Alex to submit a written explanation in his defense and that his position at this school was at jeopardy. Alex asked for help, and I am not sure what to tell him.
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
First of all, him saying that word was a stupid decision on his part. He really does not have a good defense in this situation. The only thing he can do is apologize for what he said and explain that him being friends with the students helps him teach better. He just has to admit that he made a mstake and hope for the best.
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes
The suggested solution is original Yes
Comments: Great Idea! If I were in this situation, I would exactly do this.
Rated On: October 17, 2014 8:53 pm
Rated By: Doniesha
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes
The suggested solution is original Yes
Comments: If i were in the situation I would do exactly what you said.
Rated On: October 19, 2015 1:17 am
Rated By: Dan G
 
     
     
  Rating
The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes
The suggested solution is relevant to the case No
The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No
The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No
The suggested solution is original No
Comments: He also needs to change his demeanor in the classroom and set boundaries.
Rated On: October 15, 2017 11:50 pm
Rated By: hepasy