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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!) Your sister's legitimacy as a teacher is not in question, and her internalization of this issue is a testament to her cultural sensitivity. I think that open, honest dialogue with the students is the best approach to dealing with her feelings of self-doubt. Many people of European descent shy away from the issue of race because of feelings of guilt and fear that they are seen as part of the problem. If White people can't acknowledge and address the issues surrounding racism, we are being part of the problem. Your sister is right to be concerned about how she is perceived by students. Some students may have prior experiences which make them less likely to relate to a White, female teacher. (We must take into account that one of the most high-risk demographic groups is that of Black, male students.) In order for our students to be willing to learn from us, we have to show them that what we are presenting is relevant to their lives; therefore, we should make an effort to relate to our students personally. African American students know that racism is real. If White teachers come across to them as if they are ignoring or denying that fact, we give them the impression that we don't know much about their lives and therefore must not have much to teach them that will be useful to them. If she has the authority as a student teacher to alter a lesson in order to integrate a discussion of the poem into the curriculum, she would be giving the students an opportunity to get to know her as an individual. Perhaps she could even share some literature (or music or art) which would connect to the poem in a meaningful way. This will help her to represent herself as the students' ally rather than as being just another part of the oppressive majority. |
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