Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: I Wish I Were Black! As a teacher of 5th grade students, I try to make sure that my students have a good sense of all the people and cultures that make up this country. Last couple weeks, I paid special attention to the African American people who have made significant contributions to the US. We read a book written by Walter Dean Myers. We have studied scientists, writers, and political figures. Students were very engaged and interested in the content. Yesterday something happened that puzzled me. Three of my White students told me that they wished they were Black. This was not my intention when I planned all my lessons on contributions of African Americans. How should I address this issue? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I commend you for focusing on a race other than white for a unit of study! I think that most children who are not white can find themselves thinking, why is everyone we learn about white. I think black history month and Hispanic heritage month have added to students feeling accepted and included. However, in your particular situation I think that I would ask the boys why they felt that way. It could be something as small as they needed a little extra attention from the teacher so they said something outlandish. These boys clearly needed to get a little extra information about why you were focusing on African American people. Maybe you could talk to this group individually and discuss that there are important people in every race and they should be proud of their own personal heritage.