time was the 1960s, and the mood was decidedly hostile between blacks and whites. As a young, enthusiastic teacher, I could not understand the hostility of my lower-income African American students, because I did not feel I had done anything to warrant it. What I did not understand was that I was an outsider because of socioeconomic forces beyond my control. I was pressured by the administration and the students into a role similar to that of a drill sergeant, clearly in command but with a passively