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!) The poem absolutely has educational value. Anything can have an educational value. The true question is what is being taught by that poem. Your sister seems to think that the poem was historically true which is a positive. The way this poem was presented also lends value to it because it was presented to an all-school assembly which gives a high level of importance to it. As far as this poem affecting your sister's legitimacy as a white teacher, I believe it could. However, its affect on her largely depends on how she responds to or ignores the poem. I would use this poem as a springboard to start discussions with my students, if I were her. Openly discussing such an often controversial issue could lend credence to her as a teacher (black or white). Letting her students understand her perspective and showing interest in their perspective could also help her to gain a little respect from her students. I handled correctly, I think this poem has more a chance to increase her legitimacy as a teacher than it does to decrease it.                 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: By openly discussing the poem in the classroom in its proper context and how it relates to a lesson, will provide her with validity as a teacher. There will be instances of uncomfortable instances in our teaching career and this is a good lesson in how to approach them. Rated On: October 16, 2014 11:34 pm Rated By: Denise Lukacik                 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: Good Rated On: October 3, 2017 6:09 pm Rated By: NuXepy