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!) I truly believe that the poem was an educational experience for the students. It is and should never be a secret that African Americans were not always treated equal by European Americans. It is very important for students to know about the past lives of their ancestors. The white teacher in the predominantly black school will be fine. It is totally up to the teacher to be able to form a great relationship with the students. The color of the teacher should not affect the feeling and emotions that teachers have for their students. It is great that the teacher is not black. Therefore, students and teachers can learn from each other and share different morals and values.