Where are my role models?
By: Zaahid Kennedy 11/05/2018 Carver HSES, Philly Native, Future Visionary
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Absence of Black Educators in school
Throughout Philadelphia, and the nation, there is an absence of Black male educators in every level of our educational experience. How many Black male teachers did you have throughout your years of schooling? This investigation will dive into this problem and hopefully find a solution to this tension.
Through many levels of school whether it be private, public or even charter people of color are not choosing to enter the teaching profession. In Pennsylvania the lack of educators is very apparent. A reform and emphasize is needed in order to bring attention to this problem.
A Look Into the mind of a black educator
After speaking with my uncle, who is a black male educator in a predominantly white school. I asked him a few questions regarding his time as a teacher:
How many other black educators are in your school?
"I am the only black educator at my school."
How did being the only black male teacher affect you?
"At first the isolation was a definite problem at first and i began to question if this was something that was truly for me."
How did students respond to you ?
" A great deal of the African American students find that they can come to me with any concerns at all regardless if they have my class or not."
What are some challenges you faced ?
" Some challenges that I faced at first was that I felt I had to prove my ability to my white counter part so it at first I wouldn't say I felt completely welcomed at first."
What can be done to improve the amount of black male educators throughout the country?
"There definitely has to be an initiative to help out reach to young black men to allow them to understand that this an option that they could have a serious career in."