This book investigates the racism experienced by Black teacher trainee Post-graduate students whilst on teaching placements in South London primary schools. Using critical race theory as an epistemological lens, the book goes on to explore their experiences in school via testimonies around the gaslighting they were subjected to. Chapters delve into how these students work to fit themselves into the school’s white space at an emotional and psychological cost and addresses the questions these experiences raise for those in charge of PGCE courses and Initial Teacher Education.
Author(s): Veronica Poku
Series: Palgrave Studies in Race, Inequality and Social Justice in Education
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 206
City: Cham
Prologue
Note on Terminology
Bibliography
Praise for Black Student Teachers’ Experiences of Racism in the White School
Contents
Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Black Teacher, White System: Critical Race Theory and the Contours of Racism
Black Students and Teacher Education
Critical Race Theory
Racism
Whiteness and White supremacy
White Privilege
Contours of Racism
What Was Happening in Schools?
Government Drive to Change the Face of Teacher Training
Bibliography
Chapter 2: CRT and Narrative Inquiry: Storytelling and Tackling the ‘master narrative’ with Counter-Narratives
Black Students and Teacher Education
Critical Race Theory (CRT)
Racism
Whiteness and White Supremacy
White Privilege
Microaggressions: Symptoms of Whiteness
Institutional Racism
Institutional Policies: Acts of Interest Convergence?
School Policies
Bibliography
Chapter 3: Storytelling: Legacy of the Griot(te)
A Black Feminist Perspective on Teacher Education
Bibliography
Chapter 4: Managing a Black Identity in White Spaces or Strategies of ‘Becoming’ White
Who Am I? Where Do I Fit In?
Fitting In and ‘Acting White’
Fitting In and ‘Acting White’: Cultural Identity
Misrecognition and Identity
Misrecognition and Microaggressions
Gravity of Whiteness and the Markers of a Cultural Identity
Survival Strategies: Fictive Kinship and Withstanding the Gravity of Whiteness
Bibliography
Chapter 5: Why Does ITE Matter?
What Has Been Learnt?
Key Finding 1
Unconscious Bias and Emotional Work
Key Finding 2
Minstrelsy, Wearing of Masks and De-centring
Key Finding 3
Places of Sanctuary, Safe Spaces and Coping Strategies
Bibliography
Chapter 6: Discussion and Conclusion
Introduction
Epilogue: Sankofa
Bibliography
Chapter 7: Final Thoughts: More Things Change, More Things Stay the Same
Contribution to Professional Practice and Implications
Reflections and Adaptations
Quo Vadis?
Bibliography
Bibliography
Index
