‘About the Author’

Hi, my name is Caroline McKinlay. I am currently a senior at Gettysburg College, I am a Sociology major and an Educational Studies Minor. For my Sociology Capstone 400 class I created this website which looks at the representation of racial minorities in United States high school History textbooks. Looking at the content prior to and following the Civil Rights Movement in 1950-2020.  

Throughout my time at Gettysburg, I have always been interested in Education and how what is taught affects our society. My interest in race came from taking Professor Hays, Sociology 209 class, which focuses on race. This relates heavily to my post collegiate career, where I will be working for a company called Uncommon Schools which provides charter schools for students in urban areas. This project gives me much needed background information when teaching and talking about race in my own classroom.  

Short-Term Goals: 

My short-term goals include graduating from college and successfully navigating post-college life. I understand that it will be an adjustment from what I have gotten used to in college. With that I will begin my job at an elementary school in Newark, New Jersey. It is a charter school that is part of Uncommon School which provides rigorous educational opportunities for students in urban areas. Their goal is to have the students graduate and go off to college, if they attended the public schools in the area this is a less likely possibility. In this job I want to grow and learn as a teacher, which I will be able to do because they provide real time feedback for their employees while they are teaching. This will provide me with the knowledge I need to really know if I want to continue teaching. Another short-term goal of mine is to save money and move out into an apartment in Hoboken.  

Long-Term Goals: 

If I enjoy teaching, a long-term goal of mine is to eventually apply to graduate school and get my teaching certificate. This will allow me to become involved in other areas the school has to offer including creating curriculum or becoming a principal or administrator. The skills I learned throughout my time at Gettysburg College will help me to bring a new perspective to an area like this. I have learned a lot about race in many of my Sociology classes which are extremely important in an area like this. Many of the students come from underrepresented minority backgrounds. I have learned so much about this which will help me to create and maintain a good environment throughout the school and my classroom. Another long-term goal of mine includes being able to save enough money to buy a house and settle down. I want to be financially independent of my parents at some point with a teacher’s salary. This may take a little while.