When the Student is Ready the Teacher will Appear: Teaching Black in the White Classroom

Authors

  • Patricia D. Hopkins Christopher Newport University African-American Studies, Director Assistant Professor of English African-American Literature

Keywords:

Race, Class, Privilege, Injustice, Education, Teaching, Tools, Strategies, Youth, College,

Abstract

Problems arise when you are a black student at a Predominately White Institution (PWI), which I always thought was par for the course and thus, simply held the mis-education of the said teacher/professor responsible.  Unfortunately those problems did not magically go away when I chose to step in front of the class; for nothing is ever really that simple.  Rather, in many ways, teaching at a PWI is a greater challenge, because I no longer have the privilege to hide in that invisible space I seemed to occupy most of the time, while a student on a predominately white campus.  As I see the shocked faces of students entering my class for the first time, I become the elephant in the room, Ivy League degrees notwithstanding.  Therefore, my article, “When the Student is Ready the Teacher will Appear: Teaching Black in the White Classroom” is important for it addresses issues that have not gone away simply because we have moved forward with a black President.  Further, it talks about the important issue of teaching black in a white classroom, whether you want to or not.

Author Biography

Patricia D. Hopkins, Christopher Newport University African-American Studies, Director Assistant Professor of English African-American Literature

Dr. Hopkins is an assitant professor professor of English and Director of African-American Studies at Christopher Newport University, where she researches the violence inflicted upon the Black female body in cases of rape and lynching.

Dr. Hopkins received her Ph.D. and MA from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, and her BA from Queens College, CUNY, in Flushing, NY.

Published

2014-03-22

How to Cite

Hopkins, P. D. (2014). When the Student is Ready the Teacher will Appear: Teaching Black in the White Classroom. Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 4(1). Retrieved from https://wpcjournal.com/article/view/11444

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2014): Understanding and Dismantling Privilege

Section

Creative Works & Self-Reflections

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