by
Robert W. Grossman
Psychology Department, Kalamazoo College
Thomas E. Ford
Department of Sociology, Western Michigan University
Eventually I came to the conclusion that Tim simply lacked the motivation to complete assignments and attend class regularly. He didn’t have the academic skills to do the work nor the drive to correct his deficiencies.
As the semester drew to a close, it was clear that Tim would fail the course. It was painful to flunk any student but this was doubly so; something was obviously deficient in me. I didn’t have what it took to succeed with African-American students. Shaking my head, I wrote an F on the grade sheet.
When I received my class list for the next semester I saw that Tim Hanks was in my class again. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable I wondered why Tim didn’t try some other instructor. Tim obviously couldn’t get motivated to do the work in my class the previous semester. Was he just a glutton for punishment?
Seven or eight weeks later Tim came in to get his midterm test from me. It was an A-. He had earned no lower than a B+ on any of his assignments. As he sat down to talk (a big smile on his face after seeing the grade on his midterm), I asked him, “What makes the difference between someone I had to fail last winter and someone I’ll have to give an A to this fall?”
“I have a car,” he said.
“How can a car make such a difference?” I asked, puzzled.
“Well, I live downtown near the Art Center. In a car it’s a thirty minute trip. On a bus it’s an hour and half both ways on a good day.” Embarrassed, he looked down at the floor as he said, “On a bad day I would be OK till I got out here to Main Road. Then it would be hit or miss whether the bus drivers would pick me up. A couple of them would even swerve to splash slush all over me. If they did, I’d feel so bad I just got on a bus going back home.” When asked why he didn’t come in and tell me about these difficulties he said, “I was so embarrassed about doing so poorly in your class I just couldn’t get myself to come in.”
Discuss the following with the people sitting next to you and look for as many different perspectives as you can find.
Please do not go on to the next section until asked by your instructor to do so!
Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/racism/racism2.asp
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