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 do not think that the color of your skin should hinder you as a teacher. Teaching is an art! Teaching black, white, tan, yellow, or orange students is still teaching. Your sister can use her feelings toward to poem to better translate her feelings with her students. She could talk about "the truths" behind each race to better explain their similarities and thier differences. She could ask for input and she could even hold a classroom debate. I think that students are more understanding and they could learn/repect any race within the classroom.