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  Case: Case Study: The teacher treats me differently
As a 7th grade middle school teacher, Ms. Huff has clearly set boundaries with her students and is often viewed as strict but fair. One afternoon, a student she had the prior year approaches her and tells her she is unhappy in the eighth grade, especially in her language arts class, which the student had excelled in the prior year. "The teacher treats me differently than she does the rest of the students." When asked to expand on the comment, the student responded that she was the only African American student in the class, and she didn't feel like she was being called on with the same frequency as her classmates. She further commented that her submission of the lyrics of one of her songs as an independent poetry assignment had been graded harshly because of the "slang" that had been included in the verses. Ms. Huff knows the teacher in question, but is unsure if she should speak to her or exactly what she should say to the student. She is keenly aware of her own bias and is working on recognizing it in her interactions with her students and her colleagues. She mentions the interaction to the teacher in question who responds that the student "always wants to play the race card" and that the teacher is "tired of having to kowtow to African American students who don't do as well as the white kids." Ms. Huff is quite taken aback at the blatant racism, but is unsure what she should do next. What is her responsibility to the student and to her colleague?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
As teachers we have to follow a code of ethics and one of those include treating all students equally no matter their race, sexual orientation, culture, religion, etc. The teacher is clearly breaking this rule and therefore it should be addressed with administration. Ms. Huff should not try to handle the situation by herself as she does not want to get into any trouble herself.
 
     
     
  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: I agree. It is important to remember the Code of Ethics in these situations as it can be used to show that teacher she is breaking the rules without worrying that they would view this as a personal attack.
Rated On: February 27, 2021 8:41 pm
Rated By: Torii Podmokly
 
     
     
  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: I agree with this solution, the teacher should go to administration about the situation and they should be the ones to deal with the issue.
Rated On: April 2, 2022 11:27 pm
Rated By: gupeVy