Gen Z on race and teaching 

This fall, the school of education at Towson University (in Towson, Maryland, just north of Baltimore) hosted the release of PDK’s annual Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. After the event, one of our panelists, Rodney Robinson — the 2019 National Teacher of the Year — was gracious enough to stick around to talk with college and graduate students. 

Robinson, a Black teacher who works with incarcerated youth, engaged in a spirited conversation with the Towson students, most of whom were young White women. I was struck by how forthright these future teachers were in laying bare their insecurities about working with students of color. “I’m a cis, straight White woman who wants to work in the city with disadvantaged students,” one began. “How should I handle the differences between me and my students?” From there, questions about race, gender, and social justice flowed on for almost two hours. In the end, I found myself wondering not whether these aspiring teachers were ready to work in diverse schools but, rather, whether the schools are ready for them.