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Case: Was Alex too Friendly?
My good friend Alex, who is a White person from Central America, has been teaching biology at a high school for two years. The school where he works serves a majority Black student population. One of the strengths of Alex is his ability to connect with people and establish good relationships. He used his skills in his new school, too, to form close relationships with his students. He believes that a teacher should be like a friend to the students for the students to trust and relate to the teacher. He gained popularity among teachers and students as a great biology teacher. One specific incident got him in great trouble. As he was walking from his car to the school building one morning, students greeted him with smiley faces and friendly attitudes. Most students greeted him by saying things like "What's up Mr. A?" "What is going on dude?" "How you doing buddy?" Alex found these appropriate and responded to students similarly every day. This specific morning, one student greeted Alex by saying "What's up nigga?" and Alex responded to the student using the same phrase. The next day he found out that the student and his family filed a complaint against Alex for using the "n word." The principal asked Alex to submit a written explanation in his defense and that his position at this school was at jeopardy. Alex asked for help, and I am not sure what to tell him.
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
Even though this was clearly an honest mistake from Alex, I do think he needs to be careful about crossing the teacher-friend barrier. It was almost as if the student set him up for a trap. I would send an apologetic note home to the student and his family explaining everything that was said and how it was a great misunderstanding, but that it would never occur again. I would then ask specific students in my class what they were comfortable with as far as "names" or "nick-names" to help me under stand what was acceptable for future reference. If a student were to use the "n-word" to the teacher again, I would report or discipline the student. If Alex did not want to take it that far, he should tell the student that the word is not appropriate to use, and makes him uncomfortable when called that. |
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Rating
| The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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| The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
No
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| The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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| The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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| The suggested solution is original |
No
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| Comments: In my opinion, apologies have no meaning unless they are given in person. A note can be misinterpreted and lead to even worse problems. Speak with the parents directly and express to them that it was your mistake. I do not agree with nicknames for students. In order to have a professional standing within your school, the teacher should use the student's birth-given name. |
| Rated On: October 21, 2014 1:56 am |
| Rated By: yVuLyR |
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Rating
| The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) |
No
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| The suggested solution is relevant to the case |
Yes
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| The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement |
No
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| The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue |
No
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| The suggested solution is original |
Yes
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| Comments: The issue isn't the "nickname", but the racial slur. How can he report and discipline a student when he did the same thing? It certainly did not make Alex uncomfortable, and lying about that to get a student in trouble is unethical. |
| Rated On: March 7, 2021 10:43 pm |
| Rated By: WyJyGa |
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