My students think i'm Indian: The presentation of an African-American self to pre-service teachers

How individuals perceive their selves is not necessarily congruent with how society perceives the individual. Race, class, gender and sexual orientation typically affect the perceptions and the expectations of the viewing audience as well as the performance of the observed individuals. This article examines one of these sociocultural features-race-to explore its effects on the inter- and intraracial associations between teacher educators of color and their students. It draws on the author's experience as an African-American female teaching in a predominantly White undergraduate teacher education program in the USA. An analysis of how race affects the interactions takes advantage of critical race theory, along with Goffman's theory of self-presentation. This article points to the effects of raced associations on Whiteness and Blackness in the contexts of a teacher education classroom and institution. The implications for teacher education programs diversifying their faculty are addressed.