IMANI, Seattle, Washington, USA

High School Student 
Black 
Heterosexual 
Female 
 

Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? 

A: Appearance wise I don't have much in common with my teachers. Majority of them aren't of color but half of them are women so we do relate there.

Something that I do have in common with my teachers though is probably a shared mentality towards work ethic. I naturally have a mature mindset so it is easy for me to relate to my teachers. For example, it would be easier for me to talk to my teachers about the meaning of life and working after high school rather than my peers because my teachers and I just have a common perspective on things.


Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? 

A: Absolutely! There are so many benefits for not only the students but for the teachers as well. When students and teachers have things in common, teachers can understand why a student is choosing their actions. For students, it's important to have things in common with the teachers because you can relate about struggles and stereotypes, and it just creates a good feeling to know that someone can relate to you about certain things.

Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong ​

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