Diedre is an assistant teacher in your Head Start classroom. She is from a middle-class family and has a college degree. She has a hard time accepting and appreciating the lower-income children and...

Diedre is an assistant teacher in your Head Start classroom. She is from a middle-class family and has a college degree. She has a hard time accepting and appreciating the lower-income children and families who are at the center. When her activities do not go well, she becomes angry and usually blames it on the children, “who don’t know anything,” “never learned manners,” or “don’t even speak the language.” While she appears to be sweet with the children, you sense that there are a lot of feelings of anger and frustration underneath. Diedre is quite argumentative, and your suggestions have often been met with strong opposition. She feels that she is doing an excellent job, and your criticisms are usually dismissed because “you didn’t really see what was happening.” The tension is mounting. You have decided that it is time to talk with her about the situation.