Maya Holmes

Eng 320
Dr. Wynne
4/8/2016
Teaching: Diversify It
Think about this sixteen percent of public-school students are black, but the proportion of
black teachers is less than half that, and thats only 7 percent of the teaching force. Latino, Black,
Asian, and Native American teachers account for 17 percent of all U.S. public school teachers,
and about 2 percent are black men. However, slightly more than half of all public schools
students are children of color (Hawkings, Denise). This is a problem because children deserve a
diverse teaching force to prepare them to be global citizens. Second, diversity drives innovation.
White teachers can benefit from having teachers of color on the faculty to assist with navigating
unfamiliar cultural territory. Finally, evidence exists that there is value measured by increases
on standardized exams for students of color when they are taught by a same race teacher.
Who is teaching our students? Most people will come with the question of why does race
matter as long as students are being taught. This was best explained by a man named Christopher
Lloyd on the National Education Association web page. Because race does matter, says Lloyd.
Its not just about Black and brown teachers teaching children who look like them. Its about
White children, too, who will be able to see Black men and people of color at the front of the
classroom. The shortage and need for diversity in schools is urgent. When students do not get to
see a successful well put together African American man some may begin to believe the only
examples of African American males are the ones they get to see in the media, which isnt
always seen in a good light.
It is important to see more African American males within the education field. Teachers
are the people that children look up to and learn the most information from. Most African
American students may not have role models at home to look up to, so having someone who
looks like them to emulate would be great for their learning environment and for them to grow in
general. In areas that are low income minorities seem to be the majority. In areas like this
children go through so many different things including living in single parent homes and being
around different forms of gang violence and activity.
Whats lacking between African-American and other racially and ethnically diverse
students and those who teach them is parity. Although minority children have steadily become a
majority in public schools, according to government estimates, nationwide, their teachers havent
kept pace. White women (76 percent) continue to make up the majority of those who teach,
according to 2010 PEDS data down slightly from 80 percent in 2004. Todays teacher candidates
reflect the same demographic makeup 82 percent female and White. Strong numbers like these
scream that teaching is womens work. And while this may be a biased view, the number of
women in the classroom can be enough to keep men from giving teaching as a career a first look.

African American males are needed in the classroom for not just children of color but
also white children as well. Children need to see themselves in different careers or they wont
ever have the desire to join that field. If I never had a female science teacher I would assume in
my mind that females arent supposed to be good at science. With that being said there are many
female teachers but men specifically African American men is where the education department
lacks in recruitment.
I realize there are no easy answers to moving beyond modest gains in the number of
Black, male teachers in the classroom. It is shown however that whenever a good African
American male teacher does come and does a good job they are then attempted to be moved to a
higher up administrative position. This is good in some aspects, but it would be better for
students if they were left in the classroom.
There are many difficulties that black men must overcome to have successful teaching
careers. Dr. Lauren Bristol a researcher, found that many black male teachers faced at least one
of three main issues: feeling disconnected from the mission of their schools if they were one of
the only teachers of color at an all-white institution; poor working conditions in "turnaround"
schools those that were deemed failing and restructured with new teachers and administration
or schools in socio-economically underdeveloped areas; and feeling as though they were only
respected by their colleagues as disciplinarians rather than as educators (Jarrett, Tracy). What
needs to happen is not necessarily throwing every African American male teacher into a low
socio economic school and instead move them throughout different areas and facets of
education.
They lack of male teachers has to do with both the vulnerability of black males and the
victimization of black males. Education has always been very important in African American
communities, but professions such as law and medicine, not teaching, are now valued as higher
signs of success. The teaching profession is not valued in society, we don't pay them enough,
and you get what you pay for. If I'm a black male, why am I going to go into teaching? The
American dream is for me to become part of capitalism, that means what I need to do in order
to do better is not become a teacher that's all I used to be able to do, now I want to be
President, I want to be Vice President, I want to be Governor, the head of Walmart, or the head
of American Express.
I realize in todays society selling the job of becoming a teacher is a hard thing to do.
With teachers getting paid less and children seeming to get worse, its a profession a lot of people
shy away from.
That being said a way to get more male teachers is to begin to glorify teaching or if
anything give it the credit it rightfully deserves. Yes having programs like Call Me MISTER,
Teach for America, and the Children's Defense Fund's Freedom Schools is helping, but is this
solved? Absolutely not. There is still a long way to go.

Works Cited
Hawkings, Denise. "African American Male Teachers." NEA Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
<http://neatoday.org/2015/09/22/where-are-all-the-black-male-teachers/>.
Jarrett, Tracy. "Diversity in the Classroom." NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/
diversity-classroom-how-solve-black-male-teacher-shortage-n199471>.