Teaching (bell hooks)
Bell hooks, who was among the first generation of black students who entered a predominantly white college, wrote about her own experiences and challenges she faced during her college education. Challenges of being taught by professors who believed they were racially superior! Challenges of facing racism and sexism in classes. Challenges of fearing most of the teachers and staying away from them or their classes!
She motivates all black students who went through the same experiences to share their stories. In her books, she addressed issues of race, sex, and class, and all different challenging issues teachers are facing in the classrooms:
“One professor, for example, asked how black female professors can maintain positive authority in a classroom without being seen through the lens of negative racist, sexist stereotypes. One teacher asked how to handle tears in the classroom, while another wanted to know how to use humor as a tool for learning.”
These kinds of autobiographical writings of black students who entered predominantly white schools, colleges and universities (especially the first generation of them) is really helpful in giving us an insight about the challenges they were facing during their education.
(hooks)