Making Connections: Addressing the Pitfalls of White Faculty/Black Male Student Communication

Classroom assignments, especially papers, often serve as the catalyst for many of the interactions that take place between Black male students and white faculty. This essay identifies some of the pitfalls that contribute to the breakdown of communication between white faculty and Black male students during interactions over student writing; it points out the behaviors that both constrain and facilitate these interactions, and it offers suggestions for how faculty can improve their interactions with this population of students. The essay concludes with suggestions for improving faculty awareness of how racial dynamics impact student/faculty interactions over student writing.