Citation

Hinchey PH. Action Teach. Educ. 1994; 16(3): 28-36.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01626620.1994.10463206

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Because 92 percent of education students are white and nearly 85 percent of them had at least a middle-class income during their K-12 years, most of today's preservice teachers unavoidably have a white, middle-class perspective and cannot imagine teaching in a multicultural urban school. America's schoolchildren, however, are increasingly diverse and need teachers willing to work in schools unlike the ones they attended and sensitive to the possibilities of all children in all schools. In this article, six education students describe their experiences during a one-day visit to a Harlem school, demonstrating that even a brief visit to an urban school can prompt students to critically examine their implicit beliefs about urban schools and students. Teacher educators need not wait for a program to begin preparing their students for urban schools: a one-day visit can make a difference in students' thinking and is within reach for many teacher educators.