Cultural and Racial Diversity in Education

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White savior mentality” is the perception of some white pre-service teachers, that they are going to be able to come into a classroom and save the “helpless” students of color from dropping out of school. Several pre-service teachers believe that they can help a child of color succeed in school because they, as a white teacher, are helping that student learn. As we all know, all children learn in different ways and sometimes it takes some extra help from a tutor or a teacher for the student to reach their full potential or understanding of the concept or lesson, but the pre- service teachers that Sherry Marx interviewed seemed to think otherwise. They believed that because they were tutoring Latino students, the students needed to be saved.
Some pre-service teachers like the tutors Sherry Marx interviewed in her book, Revealing the Invisible, “have a strong desire to ‘help’ children who are less fortunate than themselves” (Marx, pg. 40). This sent a red flag to me; they seem to have the belief that children of color are not as smart as children who are white, meaning that the children of color need more help. No student should ever be treated differently because of their background. I am a strong believer in the idea that what is on the inside is what counts! As pre-service teachers we need to put our thought of helping the “helpless” to the side and focus on education our future generation. They are not “helpless”, everyone has the ability to achieve anything they want and their teachers need to help mold them into great learners so they can achieve those dreams and goals without worrying about being perceived differently because of the color of their skin.
These tutors believe that once they help these students, they will be se...

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...-service teacher because you can learn from your views beforehand and after your experience and that could help with your thoughts on racism. The idea of having more reflective assignments I believe is genius because it allows pre-service teachers to evaluate themselves and their student as well as critically analysis the process. This will allow in-depth thought on presuppositions and the challenges compared to what actually happens.
As an educator, I think it is my role to counter institutionalized racism and classism. No student should ever be treated differently because of their race. I believe that as a teacher, I need to recognize the backgrounds of all my students and help to teach their beliefs so that the other students understand. I also believe without a complete understanding of a student’s background, it can lead to bullying and fighting.

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