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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!) Poetry in any form can have educational value. With a few of my fifth graders, any type of reading proves to be valuable. I certainly understand her concern over the poem and whether or not the poem will affect how students will feel about her. I think that most students trust the people that earn that trust. If she is as caring as she seems to be, she will win trust and respect from the students. It is a shame that race issues, black or white, still exist, but that is the world we live in. It would be awesome if the world was truly color blind when it comes to people. I think of trust as an emotional bank account and every day I put a deposit into my students' accounts. When I get angry with them or they get angry with me, there is still a great deal of trust there because of this account. Students will grow to trust her and understand her. It may take time, but it is something that we all go through even when race is not the issue. |
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