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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 way Gina handles the situation is what will define her as a teacher, not the poem itself. I certainly think this needs to be used as a teaching moment. It can not be passed over due to the fact that it is an uncomfortable subject. I think it is important to talk to administration so she can inform them of her feelings and to ensure they approve of the lesson she will be teaching. She needs to be empathetic to the content of the poem and they way it made the students feel, but she should also shed light on the other side to allow the students a different perspective.