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 think that Gina needs to speak to her mentor teacher and find out how often this is done and if they look at any other races or only read about African Americans. She can also have a discussion with the class about how the poem affected her as well. Let the students know that other races can be affected by poems that are meant for one particular race. Gina should also see how the others feel about the poem and ask how it affected them. If the lessons have no educational effect, Gina has to make sure that she doesn't let it effect her teaching process.