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 can understand her anxiety. Give it time & the benefit of the doubt, though instead of projecting bad tidings. After all, that poem shows how far race relations have come and that justice has been restored as well as the history of the injustices and poor relations. In addition, time will give her students and her a chance to get to know each other. Even if they currently have a bias against her, their getting to know her individually will hopefully build a rapport between her and the students. Those students that have intractible prejudices can be dealt with privately and kindly on the level that they are being racist, etc, etc. I've had to do this with a couple of my students and its actually worked out well. We are are not buddy buddy, but are on good terms now. Remember, the poem does have validity as history, but nobody has the right to make it an issue with your sister.