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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!)
The fact that she's white should NOT affect her legitimacy as a teacher, but unfortunately it will likely affect the level of respect she receives from some students. This poem could be a sign that there are students who resent white teachers and that she might have to work even harder to be very effective in the classroom. But that doesn't mean it is the way it should be. It also doesn't mean that she absolutely will run into problems with students.

But concerning the poem specifically, I think it would be a great idea to talk to the students in her class to find out their feelings and even to ask them specifically about how they feel about this topic and what, if anything, can be done to change their mind? It may be that only time will tell the difference. I think one of the best ways for her to "reach" these students might be for her to just show students throughout the year that she (a white girl) doesn't behave in the ways depicted in the poem read at the assembly.