Not available to order
Publication date:
29 March 2012Length of book:
100 pagesPublisher
R&L EducationISBN-13: 9781610487672
Stories of the lives of white teachers, as white teachers, too often simplify the complexities and conflicts of their work with students of color. Drawing on in-depth interviews with five white teachers, as well as on her own experiences, Audrey Lensmire provides generous, complex, and critical accounts of white teachers, against the backdrop of her sharp critique of schools and our country’s awful race history.
With Charlotte, Lensmire explores how hard it often is for white people to talk about race. Through Darrin’s stories, Lensmire illuminates this white teacher’s awakening as a raced person, his tragic relationship with a brilliant African-American student, and how his need for control in the classroom undermined his own sense of himself as a good person. In her interpretations of stories told by Paul, Frida, and Margaret, Lensmire examines how care and desire play out in teaching students of color.
In a society in which we avoid serious conversations about race and whiteness and what these mean for the education of our nation’s children, Lensmire’s book is an invaluable resource.
With Charlotte, Lensmire explores how hard it often is for white people to talk about race. Through Darrin’s stories, Lensmire illuminates this white teacher’s awakening as a raced person, his tragic relationship with a brilliant African-American student, and how his need for control in the classroom undermined his own sense of himself as a good person. In her interpretations of stories told by Paul, Frida, and Margaret, Lensmire examines how care and desire play out in teaching students of color.
In a society in which we avoid serious conversations about race and whiteness and what these mean for the education of our nation’s children, Lensmire’s book is an invaluable resource.
Lensmire's book is an ethnographic study of five urban white teachers using a single interview question: ‘Tell me the story of your work as a white teacher.’ Through the lens of critical race theory and whiteness studies, the author analyzes the words of these teachers, seeking to avoid generalizations or comparisons. She urges the reader to see each teacher's story as an individual experience in order to explore very challenging questions related to race, class, gender, and sexuality. An interesting and unique aspect of the book is how Lensmire (Augsburg College, Minneapolis) resists orderly summaries of each teacher's experience in urban classrooms. Instead she examines each issue from multiple possible interpretations and acknowledges the dynamic quality of teacher identities that shift and change depending on a variety of factors as they live the experience of teaching. Equally intriguing and compelling is Lensmire's honesty about her own experiences and thinking, as well as that of the participating teachers. Because there are no clear answers, the book leaves the reader with new, challenging questions and concerns related to the work of white teachers in urban settings. The book includes a very helpful appendix documenting the research methods used. Summing Up: Recommended.