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!) When thinking about Gina's experiences, I have to wonder if she has spent time building up her classroom community. I believe that before any content learning takes place, teachers should work to ensure that everyone in their classroom feels as if they are part of a community of learners. I think it is crucial for students to learn how to communicate effectively, but also to learn that we have differences that make us special. When creating a classroom community, students get to know each other, and they also get to know their teacher as a person, not just a teacher. The time that is spent laying the ground for a trusting environment is valuable in the long run, and it could help Gina and her students to understand each other a little better. I think that covering a sensitive topic, like the oppression of African Americans, is appropriate in the classroom in the context of history. However, I think it is crucial for the class to have an open dialogue about the topic in a way that students can ask questions and Gina could have a chance to help them find the answers to their questions in the correct context of history. Just skimming through a poem like that might cause some of her students to become offended. However, if they take the time to look at the poem in the correct context and have an open and respectful dialogue about it, Gina shouldn't have anything to worry about.