COVER STORY : THE DIVISION PROBLEM : Teachers Are Facing Greater Challenges as Schools Become More Ethnically Diverse

History teacher Scott Samuel never thought of himself as an oppressive white male, but some of his students did.

Discussing colonial America with his 11th-grade class at Hamilton High School, students argued that race relations in this country had not evolved enough because people like Samuel were still in positions of authority.

Samuel took the opportunity to engage the class in a discussion on racial issues and the power structure in the United States. He found himself explaining to his students that as a Jewish man, he had never considered himself part of the white majority.

The experience, he said, proved far more lively and valuable for students and teacher than reviewing a textbook reading assignment.

But, he added, it also came as a shock.

“Being Jewish, I had never thought of myself as being part of an oppressor group,” said Samuel, 26. “It totally threw me off to hear a group of people say they saw me in that way.”

Such situations are becoming increasingly common in Los Angeles County classrooms, where teachers as a group have remained predominantly white while student bodies have grown more ethnically diverse. On the Westside, the demographic trend is most evident in the Culver City and Los Angeles school districts, where non-white student enrollment is 62% and 88%, respectively, while the share of non-white school staffers, most of whom are teachers, is 13% and 41%.

In these and other districts, teachers are frequently facing racial and cultural misunderstandings--and finding their assumptions about themselves and their work under challenge. That has made for classroom tension--a problem, education groups say, that merits as much concern as the more widely recognized problem of racial tension among students.

In response, some school districts and nonprofit groups have begun offering special training programs to help teachers understand and work effectively with minority students and colleagues. But such assistance, usually voluntary, so far has not reached a large percentage of teachers and in some cases has been criticized as confrontational and counterproductive.

Ultimately, educators say, the key to resolving racial issues among teachers will be teachers themselves.

“There is a point where teachers are forced to change if they are to be in tune with their students,” said Steve Martinez, principal of El Marino Elementary School in the Culver City Unified district. “An effective teacher is one that sees the change and responds to it.”

Some analysts warn that in embracing such change, teachers must be careful not to undermine their main mission.

“The danger is that are you are working so hard to be politically correct without being educationally correct and not addressing the real issue of self-esteem: education,” said Joel Kotkin, an author who has written extensively about ethnic issues. “In the real world you have to be able to compete based on skills.”

School officials, however, say teachers still must try to become more aware of minority concerns.

“To effectively reach young people, we need to understand and address those special needs and (different) cultures,” said Bud Jacobs, principal of Venice High School. “Because of L.A.’s diversity, adults learn more from kids than they do from other adults.”

For teachers, the classroom problems that stem from racial or cultural differences can be as straightforward as a language barrier or as subtle as a misguided assumption about a student’s behavior.

Nancy Cohen, principal of McKinley Elementary School in Santa Monica, says she has dealt with teachers who have misinterpreted the behavior of students, in most cases Asian, who are being reprimanded.

“A child may lower his head . . . but he is not showing disrespect,” she says. “In his culture he is showing deference to an adult.”

Samuel of Hamilton High, meanwhile, says he was taken aback on one occasion when his students reacted with outrage as he was describing the economic forces behind slavery in the South. The students, especially African Americans, felt Samuel was portraying slavery as justifiable.

Samuel says he continues to present such material to his students, but now points out to them that he is offering an analysis, not a point of view.

“Some of (the students) have a hard time drawing a line between what you are saying and where you stand,” he said.

Some teachers do not appear to be as aware of their students’ feelings, however. Mike Schwartz, a junior at Hamilton High School, says that insensitive comments by some teachers at his school have contributed to a feeling among students that the teachers are out of touch and not worthy of respect.

In one such example this year, he said, one of his teachers joked to a group of Latino students: “Hey, what are you doing? Don’t you have any drugs to sell or tacos to make?”

When teachers are aware that racial sleights are occurring, whether by other teachers or by students, they do not always feel that it is their duty to address the problem.

Aida Diaz, multicultural coordinator at Santa Monica/Malibu Unified, says teachers have told her that they do not believe they can do anything about other other people’s prejudices. She disagrees, saying the prejudices often arise in school or in the media--and teachers are uniquely positioned to combat them.

“My little boy came home the other day and told me that I couldn’t vote because I was a Mexican ,” she said. “I told him that he was Mexican too and he almost started to cry. He said, ‘No, Mommy, I’m an American.’ He has a picture in his mind about Mexicans that is not very positive. I want to know where he got this. I’m glad he thinks of himself as an American but he doesn’t need to put down other people.”

In some cases, teachers feel they are the victims of racial stereotyping. At a retreat for Los Angeles County teachers in Malibu recently, several minority teachers complained about their treatment by white colleagues.

Robert Farrar, of Polytechnic School in Pasadena, said that numerous times during his career, white colleagues have acted surprised because he speaks without using the slang they expect from African Americans.

“People say, ‘God, Robert, you speak differently! Where are you from? What is your background?’ ” Farrar says. “The perception is that, I guess, as a black man, I should sound or act or look like what might be perpetuated in movies or songs.”

In response to such problems, some school districts and teachers themselves make use of sensitivity training programs offered by nonprofit groups.

In “A World of Difference,” offered by the Anti-Defamation League, professional facilitators help teachers address stereotypes, prejudices, fears and frustration in a non-confrontational manner. Fees vary from a minimum of $500 for a three-hour session, to a maximum of $1,400 for a six- to eight-hour session and do not include instruction materials.

In the program, participants are asked to become aware of their biases and prejudices through discussions, educational videos and written exercises that they can use in the classroom.

They are also urged to recognize the diversity of their students and regard it as positive. Organizers acknowledge that their teaching runs counter to the model of American society as a “melting pot” or as “colorblind.”

“Not to see (our differences) is a denial of who that person is,” said facilitator Roberta Youtan Kay. “We are diverse, we are different from one another. There is a lot to gain in (accepting) our diversity. We will have a greater base of knowledge.”

Another program offered exclusively for teachers is sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The NCCJ Human Relations Retreat, a weekend of intense and, at times, confrontational exercises, is free of charge and offers teachers a $100 stipend.

The seminar seeks to educate teachers about the cultural and racial diversity of their students.

“Most teachers are teaching students who are different from them,” said National Conference program director Lecia Brooks. “The school districts haven’t been able to educate them about how to work with the rapidly changing demographics, but their principals nevertheless expect them to handle it.”

In one Human Relations Retreat this fall, the most dramatic moments came during a “speak-out.” Nonwhite teachers sat on one side of the room, white teachers on the other. Without restraint, the minority teachers gave vent to the anger and frustration racism had caused them. At one point, even the facilitators joined in.

“As an Asian person I want you to know that it has taken me years to get over the training that I am not as good as you, that I have to be like you,” said facilitator Henry Aronson, addressing the white teachers, his voice breaking with emotion. “I have to look, act, talk, walk and be like you in order to do anything appropriately.”

While most of the white teachers sat in silence, a few expressed feelings of guilt and shame.

“As a person of my race, I am ashamed of my father teaching me that it’s OK for you to work for me but I can’t be friends with you,” said Anne Sivley of Lakewood Elementary School in Lakewood.

Some experts criticize such methods, saying they sometimes backfire.

“The original intention of these cultural sensitivity seminars is well-meaning,” said David Hayes Bautista, director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health. “It is to let non-minorities experience what it is like to be a minority for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I think this hits such an emotional chord and the next steps are often misplaced (that) without raising issues of a larger shared vision that binds people together, the tendency is to harden divisions among groups.”

Samuel, who attended the NCCJ weekend retreat, agrees. Although he says he found the seminar valuable, he did not feel the “speak-out” was conducive to improving race relations.

“I was getting real upset by the tone of accusation (by people of color) and by the apologies (from whites). Not only did I think that (was) inappropriate, but (also) unproductive. I can recognize when I’ve done something bad, but I don’t need to apologize for it if I did not do it.”

Program director Brooks, however, says the exchanges are valuable.

“The success of our program hinges on honest dialogue between people about their own experiences,” she said. “Having group members who are ready to share what they have seen and felt--and professional facilitators to help them express it--is far more effective than any lesson plan ever devised.”

Some school districts have also launched their own efforts to make teachers more aware of racial and cultural issues.

In the Los Angeles district, teachers are required to take an eight- to 16-week course in multicultural and racial sensitivity training. The district also offers foreign language courses and multicultural study guides to teachers who request them.

Santa Monica/Malibu Unified last year implemented a plan, called Project REACH, designed to spread multicultural teacher training to all schools. Under the program, whose full name is Respect and Excellence Across Cultures and Heritages, one or two teachers from each school are expected to attend seminars such as the one offered by the Anti-Defamation League.

Then they create an action plan for their campuses that includes study guides to help their colleagues tailor course work to students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Implementation of the action plans is left to the discretion of each school.

Said Diaz: “We want to be more multicultural every day and move beyond the food fiestas.”

Kay, the facilitator for the World of Difference program, says such efforts could prove crucial.

“Teachers can do so much to combat racism and prejudice,” said Kay. “Their influence is so great working with kids every day. (And) the damage they can do is great if they are not aware.”

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Campus Trends

In many Westside school districts, students as a group are far more ethnically diverse than teachers.

CULVER CITY

Staff:

White 87%

Hispanic 7%

Asian 3%

Black 2%

Other 1%

*

Students:

White 38%

Hispanic 34%

Black 15%

Asian 11%

Other 2% *

BEVERLY HILLS

Staff:

White: 89%

Asian 4%

Hispanic 3%

Black 3%

Other 1%

*

Students:

White 80%

Asian 11%

Black 5%

Hispanic 4%

*

LOS ANGELES

Staff:

White: 59%

Black 17%

Hispanic 15%

Asian 7%

Other 2%

*

Students:

Hispanic 66%

Black 14%

White 12%

Asian 5%

Other 3%

*

SANTA MONICA / MALIBU

Staff:

White 77%

Hispanic 10%

Black 9%

Asian 4%

*

Students:

White 56%

Hispanic 27%

Black 9%

Asian 7%

Other 1%

* Source: Local school districts; NOTE: Chart, based on data for 1993, reflects numbers of certifed staff, which includes teachers, administrators, nurses, counselors, librarians and psychologists.