The expectation is that new educators will have mentors who have their best interests and professional growth at heart. I honestly think it’s a challenge for black men to find someone in their school willing to level with them and be honest about the great responsibility that comes not only with being an educator, but a black male educator at that.
So many times I’ve personally seen young teachers written off and led astray by “mentors” who didn’t mentor them and allowed them to sink into what can be a professional abyss. If any teacher is not given the proper support, it is easy to be consumed by the overwhelming responsibility of being an educator.
Challenge: When black male teachers are on the staff in urban schools that need their presence, it is imperative that a concerted effort be made to provide these men with caring, spirited mentors who understand their importance and vigorously provide them guidance.
You can’t be what you don’t see. So many times it is said black boys want to be rappers or athletes because when they turn on the television, that’s what they see. If more black male teachers were in our nation’s classrooms, it would dramatically alter children’s aspirations. I wrote this Commentary because I believe every single conversation about education today must begin with the need to increase diversity in the teaching force. A conversation about standards, teacher quality, or graduation rates cannot begin without a vigorous effort and commitment to this cause.