Essays in this collection explore the education of African American children. More attention is required to the ways African American children are taught. The ways teachers teach profoundly affect the ways students perceive what is being taught. These perceptions have an impact on students' internal motivations for accepting and learning new information. The basis for teaching methods lies in what educators think about African American students. The primary goal of these essays is to bring attention to the need for preparation activities that help teachers and future teachers widen their perspectives concerning what is valuable, who is of value, and how to help others see their value to themselves, society, and the world. Schools should support the premise of a tiered democratic society focused on a free enterprise agenda. The processes of teaching and learning, it is argued, must support the existing social construct. The following chapters expand on these themes: (1) "Teachers as Leaders"; (2) "Stories and How They Make Us Think"; (3) "Racial Difference as a Continuing Rationale for Oppression"; (4) "The Impact of Culture on Education"; and (5) "So What Do We Do Now?" The relationships between teachers and students are the most important parts of any plan for school success. To help young people become productive citizens, teachers must become reflective practitioners who learn to build bridges between the lives and past knowledge of their students and their learning and futures. (Contains 78 references.) (SLD)