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Case: The N-Word My name is Kristin. I have taught high school English for nine years in a rural school. Recently, my husband and I had to move to a much larger city because of a promotion my husband received. I found a job as an English teacher at a high school that serves mostly African American and Hispanic students. My new students are nice and respectful. However, there is one issue that has been bothering me. I have been seeing my students talking to each other using the "n word." They are not bothered by this, but even in class discussions, if they are responding to one another, sometimes they use the "n word." In my previous school, we were very strict about these types of slurs. I am at loss now. Is this part of the school culture? Should I explain to my students why they should not use that word? Should I make a rule about it? I do not know how to deal with this. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Unfortunately, in the American Culture, media and entertainment have had a dramatic impact in the social life of the youth. Even slurs that were at one point insults, are now becoming part of the norm and becoming more and more acceptable. I would suggest the following solutions to the above case, first of all, I would have laid down the rules the first day of class. It is important that the teacher enforce these rules and make them her priority. Second, I would teach the class about the negativity that the word, "nigger" has.Perhaps giving them a lecture about the history that this word originates from can change their attitude towards the "acceptance" of this word and thus refrain from using it. I would also add other words such as, "nigger," "wet back," and "onion picker," all of these are racialized insults that can hurt certain people from different ethnicities. Moreover, I would teach them that, "Respect" is a fundamental concept that should be used in the class setting at all times. This includes that they should respect the teacher and their peers, including refraining from using certain words that are not appropriate. It is worth to mention that most of times, students express themselves in certain ways because they lack education at home. This is why I agree that it is the teacher's duty to educate her students so they can become better persons in the future. |
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