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Case: I Wish I Were Black!
As a teacher of 5th grade students, I try to make sure that my students have a good sense of all the people and cultures that make up this country. Last couple weeks, I paid special attention to the African American people who have made significant contributions to the US. We read a book written by Walter Dean Myers. We have studied scientists, writers, and political figures. Students were very engaged and interested in the content. Yesterday something happened that puzzled me. Three of my White students told me that they wished they were Black. This was not my intention when I planned all my lessons on contributions of African Americans. How should I address this issue?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
One thing in the scenario particularly stuck out. The final sentence states, "This was not my intention when I planned all my lessons on contributions of African Americans." I have to almost question why all the lessons were focused on African Americans for the past few weeks. I think a better solution would be to learn about a different race or culture each week, or even bi-weekly. One particular group of people should not be limited to one month (i.e. Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month). I am sure the teacher did not intend to make a group of students wish they were another race, but that is exactly what happened by focusing on African American achievements for so long. Each "group" of students in the class, should be given a designated week (or weeks) to read about the achievements of their group or culture. This way all students are able to learn about each other and not just the dominant culture. |
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Rating
| The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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| The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
No
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| The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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| The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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| The suggested solution is original |
No
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| Comments: There should be no response made to the students pertaining to any race or culture. The simple answer (or question if you will) would be to ask the student what career or profession they were referring to; a writer, scientist, or.... Additionally, it did not seem as if the teacher was excluding any other peoples, it just happened that they were learning about African Americans who have made significant contributions. |
| Rated On: October 15, 2014 8:18 pm |
| Rated By: Denise Lukacik |
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Rating
| The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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| The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
No
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| The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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| The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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| The suggested solution is original |
No
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| Comments: He focused on African Americans for a couple of weeks. There is nothing unreasonable about his lessons. |
| Rated On: October 18, 2014 7:33 pm |
| Rated By: uJasuX |
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