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!) Slavery is a part of American history. It is probably the low point of American history. Because of this it is impossible to nor should it be ignored. However although things are different today, discrimination and racism is something that still goes on today. Your sister could allow her students to write about and talk about an instance in which they faced racism and discrimination and your sister should do the same. She could even tell them about the feelings that the poem brought out in her. I believe that this will help increase her credibility as not just a teacher but as a person. The fact that she is also letting her students air out their opinion and that she is willing to listen to them is a good thing as well. If a discussion and solution can be brought out then I believe that it has educational value.