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!) The best thing Gina can do is to make sure that her classroom provides a safe and positive learning environment for her students. No matter the color of your skin, students respect teachers that care about their well being and their individual needs. Gina should discuss with students the truth behind the poem but ensure students that her classroom is free of oppression. In the future, Gina might want to include more history of African Americans in her class to show that she is culturally sensitive toward African Americans. As students realize that Gina actually cares about their history, they will accept her as a legitimate teacher, no matter what color she is.