Why it matters whether your teacher is black or white

I’m white. I’ve never lived in the South. I’ve had a fairly comfortable, affluent life. Now I’m about to move to Louisiana and work in classrooms where it’s likely that the majority of students, if not all the students, will be black. Where the majority of the students, if not all the students, will know what it’s like to live in poverty.

This was the case when I tutored in classrooms in Chicago during college. Never once did I work with a student, or even glimpse a student, who was the same race I was. This never caused a problem, and I had good relationships with my students. Nevertheless, it would be foolish to assume that race means nothing, or that we should all pretend to be colorblind – because I did see how it could subtly change the dynamic between teachers and students.

Pedamagog heads to the Big Easy

Oh! Hi there, blog. Um, yeah, sorry I forgot to write. Totally was planning to, but, well, I was pretty busy…you know how these things happen…

I’m reconnecting, however, because I’ve got some cool news to share. This month I’m moving to New Orleans to serve as a member of City Year! I’ll get to work with educators and New Orleans students in a charter school for the whole school year. I’ll miss being a reporter, but I want to take this chance to give a year of service and make a direct impact on children’s lives. Plus, since I’ve never lived in the South or worked in a classroom full-time, it will be a whole new experience for me that pushes my boundaries.

You can expect to see more about City Year on this blog soon, but that won’t be the only thing I’ll write about. New Orleans is a fascinating case study on what happens when a school district is almost literally washed away in a storm and has to start over from scratch. Almost every single school is a charter school, and there’s a rigorous debate over whether the city has suffered or benefited from its post-Katrina transformation. That transformation in some senses is only just beginning: the Louisiana legislature voted only last month to end the 2005 state takeover of NOLA’s schools. (Charters will retain autonomy.)

It’s a unique situation in a city that’s already pretty darn unique. I’ll keep reading and I’ll keep writing about what I learn…as long as I’ve got some energy left after keeping up with the kids all day, of course.