This is long, but well worth the read…
I teach middle school English at a private school out the outskirts of a major city. After many years of teaching, I can say with all honesty that a lot of the demographic stereotypes, particularly with minority students, are completely true.
The white girls all drink Starbucks, the Asian students all do well in Math, and the Hispanic students have to translate for their parents during conferences.
But…. Of all of the black students I have taught over the years, only three have come from dual-parent households. Only a small handful of my other students come from single-parent households.
And when it comes time for parent-teacher conferences, I have to schedule extra time for the black mothers because they always blame me and the other teachers for their student’s failures in school. Nevermind that the students do do their assignments, don’t pay attention in class, etc..
I, like the other teachers at my school, have to make two sets of lesson plans. One for the students who are on or above grade level, which happens to be all of the white and Asian students, and most of the Hispanic students. Then we have to make secondary lesson plans (mostly worksheet-based, since it requires less abstract thought) for the black students. I literally have to have black students doing “word searches” next to white students who are reading “Don Quixote” in order to keep both students learning at their level.
The average black student is at least three years behind their peers in Reading and Writing by the time they get to me in sixth grade.
And even as young as twelve years old, the young black males have hormonal and social issues. They say inappropriate things to the females in the class and even the female teachers. They swear constantly. (Yes I know, ALL students swear on the playground when they think no one is listening. But the young black males have no social filter for that. They even write it into their papers sometimes.)
Like many young teachers, I was taught in college that most of these problems are based on economics, not race. But this is a private school, so the parents have a little bit of money at least. The tuition is about $500 a month.
I’m not saying this like it is a problem or something that I need advice with. It is what it is. I’m not trying to change the world. I teach because I like it and I don’t really need the money.
Just something I had to get off of my chest. I am curious to know if anyone else out there has the same experience.