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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!)
Poems can tell a story and impact cultures in different ways. The way a person reads the poem rather with excitement or emotion can have a huge impact on how the audience interprets the poem. In a large assembly teachers should be respectful to the diverse cultures in the audience. Gina needs to consider if the poem would be offensive to the dominate culture before reading it to the entire school.
Gina is concerned that if she reads the poem it will have an impact on her legitimacy as a teacher in a predominately African American school. I would caution Gina on reading the poem during the all school assembly if she is unsure on how the poem will affect her legitimacy. While the poem does discuss the history of events it could be misunderstood. If students or teachers misunderstand the meaning Gina could very well loose respect from the students and other teachers.
I would suggest that Gina read the poem in the classroom where the students can have a discussion on their thoughts and feelings about the history of the poem. Gina could explain what happened during these difficult times and show how African Americans had to overcome challenges over time.
Elizabeth Comella