Baltimore City teachers get training on building relationships

To many city students, learning isn’t cool. “Smart kids” get made fun of because “they don’t know they’re black,” said Donna Ford, a Vanderbilt University professor of education and human development.

But to break through urban social ills, cross cultural lines and teach children, Ford told Baltimore City’s 7,000 teachers this week that they first need to understand students’ culture, home environment and personalities.