For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy)

by Christopher Emdin

Invite students who are identified as possible participants to take part in the dialogues. The purpose of the selection of students who are opposites, or who represent the diversity of the classroom, is to allow for different voices to be heard. However, students will be reluctant to come to the dialogues if they misperceive the intention of the teacher, or feel like they are being singled out (this is particularly the case with students who struggle academically or are from groups viewed as “less than” in the classroom). Therefore, it is important for the teacher to be very deliberate about not only who is invited, but also how they are invited. The invitation process should be respectful of students, their time, and their status/reputation in the classroom.