Comments on: Where have all the black and brown teachers gone?

By: BAP

BAP — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 03:40:59 +0000

I get it! WE NEED MORE REPRESENTATION OF BLACKS IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM! Let’s not close our eyes to what’s lurking around in society. When my kids come home and report they have a Black teacher or a Black assistant principal, they are excited to see a professional that looks like them. Do they respect ALL their teachers/administrators (Black/white/pink/yellow)? Absolutely! I wouldn’t have it any other way! I have taught them to be respectful to everyone. However, it is much less intimidating for a Black teacher/administrator to approach a Black student and discuss the racial issues that are rampant in our society these days. It is not easy for a White teacher to address these racial issues in the class. The truth is, no teacher Black or White would feel comfortable discussing the racial issues at hand; however, I know that Black students will feel more comfortable discussing an issue like that with me, because honestly I feel the pain of a mothers whose Black sons were killed because of the color of his skin (past or present). We cannot ignore statistics! As an adult, I cannot ignore that 99% of my teaching staff is White, and I’m major minority (oxymoron intended). Many will ask, why are they there? Can’t you find another school? I’m here the for the handful of Black students to see that they, too, can be successful, amidst all the racism that exist. Let’s be part of the solution and encourage our students to be successful, especially when they are Black and we KNOW disparity exists in every corner of America. It is what it is…. so, let’s be role models or find role models who can help our students succeed. Invite guest speakers who are successful in society and look like your students, so that they can see success in action! IT DOES MATTER!
Barry, thank you for sharing the link.

By: Rosemarie

Rosemarie — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:49:17 +0000

Quahn: Your comments are interesting, and I ask you to consider this: There is a different perspective among those who came to the US for a better way of life and those who were seen as standing in the way of that better life, back in our history. African Americans came as slaves, Indians were violently removed and Hispanics also were treated horribly. By the time you came to the US, there were programs to help you succeed. Even today, those fleeing from atrocities in their home country are given assistance that goes beyond what is available to other citizens. Good for you and I am sure you worked very hard. But, how would you have felt if you had worked equally hard for 1/4 of the outcome?

By: Rosemarie

Rosemarie — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 19:37:20 +0000

First, a very wise woman once told me that, it doesn’t matter who is sitting in the seats, cultural competency is essential. So, we cannot view retention of teachers of color strictly in terms of them serving students of color. All students benefit from a diverse teacher pool in their school. I am a teacher of color. When I have started at a new school, I am almost always mistaken for a para professional or cafeteria worker. It is very isolating, even when the other staff are welcoming. The reason is that there are always a few coworkers who assume I am unqualified and will take it upon themselves to provide me with the most basic of suggestions and who even march into my classroom with unsolicited advice, something they would never do to a Caucasian teacher. Team meetings are the place for professional conversations about students and achievement. But, even here, teachers of color are dismissed. The hardest thing is that there is no one with whom we can discuss the subtle racism that exists, because others do not see it and we are labeled overly sensitive and our comments irrelevant. The teachers of color understand that it is often their culture, rather than their color, that is not accepted. Our way of relating to parents and students often comes from a more community model and we are more apt to consider the whole child. That is a strength, but often seen as a deficiency. At the school I work at, there are definite lines of division. As a school who insists that children be treated with respect, and rightly so, the same is not required for paraprofessionals, custodians, etc. They are often spoken to in a condescending manner and it disturbs me that this is modeled to children. I insist that all adults in my room be treated respectfully and that has caused some problems. In the District I am at, affluent parents of Special Education students need only snap their fingers and their will is done. It is cheaper to give in than go to court. However, les affluent, less educated parents are dismissed and sometimes bullied, even when their request is reasonable. Teachers of color are grouped in the same way. Until that changes, minority children will continue to lag and teachers of color will continue to quit.

By: Ayanna

Ayanna — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:02:46 +0000

So disheartening that some of the people who responded are totally missing the point in my opininion. Unfortunately it is white privilege that blinds some of you. There is a disconnect between what the author is saying and what some of the comments are saying. I am a college educated person of color raised with middle class values and standards and I have a 7 year old son who is smart, creative, and has been read to since he was in my womb. I can relate to this article because have a 7 year old son in public school. The author is saying is that children of color particularly from poverty, have a better since of self-worth when they are educated by people who care about them and look like them I do not understand why some cant take the time to think deeply instead of being defensive. Its not about segregation, America has already found a way to keep segregation alive and well by race, class, labels, etc… Until teachers get a better and deeper understanding of their students, children of color will continue to fall behind. Its no secret that this is a country built on segregation and racism….its really scary that many reasonable minded teachers and professionals do not see this. FYI the civil rights march of the 1960’s was not only to end segregation but to make life fair for African Americans education fair and equal and sadly its not.

By: M. Lee

M. Lee — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 14:44:38 +0000

To Debra Watkins: People don’t “grow up with the violence of enslavement in their DNA.” It’s an attitude learned from the people around them. I guarantee you that when Pham came over at the age of 12, she was extremely poor and was made fun of every day by people of other races, yet she persisted. As a Chinese-American man, born and raised in Brooklyn, I was consistently harassed and teased by Black students and even adults for being Chinese. I heard all sorts of racial slurs. I had NO Asian teachers. Yet, I succeeded, graduated, and am now a teacher myself. I am tired of this sense of entitlement–I see it every day. “People aren’t doing enough for us. People need to do more for us.” It starts in the home: children need to be taught good family values, to work hard and not give up, and that each man or woman can control his or her own destiny. If you stop blaming the world for your problems, you will be amazed at the things you can achieve.

By: Debra Watkins

Debra Watkins — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 18:51:12 +0000

First of all, I applaud Alexandria Neason for having the courage to write such an excellent article. I am sorry that you were pushed out of the teaching profession. I hope you consider returning. We desperately need teachers like you.

As the founder of the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE), I am the product of all White teachers from K-12 so I know that they can do a great job of teaching students like me. However, I am appalled by the ignorance and vitriol in some of these comments by so-called educated people. I wish that all children of color had the benefit of caring teachers like I had and that it had never been necessary for me to even start the CAAAE to ensure equitable educational opportunities for Black students. To bury your heads in the sand and pretend as though a lack of diversity in the teaching force has not contributed to the persistent gap in academic achievement of Black and Brown students is shameful.

I am especially appalled by Quan Q. Pham’s perpetuation of the myth that Blacks and Browns were the only beneficiaries of affirmative action. It was actually White women who benefited the most and the job that Pham has now is probably due to the fact that her employer saw the value of diverse workers.

If Pham had grown up Black in this country with the violence of enslavement in your DNA, perhaps you would not make such callous statements. On second thought, you might just be a provocateur like those who destroyed buildings when people of all races were attempting to hold peaceful protests after the travesty of two grand jury decisions.

I am glad that I know many enlightened White educators who acknowledge White privilege and are using their positions of power to advocate for a more just society where everyone’s talents are welcomed and celebrated, especially in America’s classrooms.

For those of you still living in the Dark Ages, please view the powerful PBS series entitled “Race: The Power of an Illusion” before you post any more insensitive comments!

By: David

David — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:55:27 +0000

How do you think it would be received if a mom requested that her white child be removed from a class because the teacher was black? Not well, I’d wager. Why isn’t it equally racist the other way around?

By: Jim Proudfoot

Jim Proudfoot — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 13:03:22 +0000

While I support almost all you say there will always be disproportionate ratios of black and white students so what colour of teacher do you get in to understand them all? I also think it is more of a culture thing than purely colour. In the UK it is more poor versus middle-class versus upper-class (a three-way split as all have huge differences and money is the common denominator). There are probably more poor black-only areas in US compared to UK hence your problem seems to have a more obvious base to start from.

Education is a life-long experience and there needs to be more regular meetings of staff to instil the school culture then it can be exposed where it is failing.

I know from experience that US schools suffer, in my opinion, from the interference of local authorities who vote for funds as they are often clueless to the fact that education is not about making or even saving money but it is undeniable that if funding is denied then there will be no return at all in the future

Good luck

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 05:27:25 +0000

I see a lot of defensive comments here.

In my experience, and in my teacher prep studies I’ve seen AND read of teachers with backgrounds different from the ethnic, socioeconomic, religious etc. identities of their students experience difficulties in some instances really understanding their students. This isn’t solely a white/black thing or a rich/poor thing– its a human thing. If I see my Filipina student withdrawn from group conversations I may attribute this to her not making an effort or being lazy if I didn’t understand common Filipino cultural standards towards group cohesiveness. If I encountered two Hispanic male students loudly insulting each other in the hallway I may immediately react towards disciplinary actions instead of recognizing possibly friendly communication– just in a style I’m not familiar with.

In these two cases, being of a different identity than my students ellicited behavior that may not be benefitial for my students. By not knowing my students backgrounds I may be more inclined to have lower expectations or have higher unncessary disciplinary interventions (just as examples). This is an unintentional result of life. Now it is not feasible for teachers to learn everything about possible identity out there but I think if teachers understand and accept that they may not understand their students on a deep level, this can drive teachers to seek out instances where their ‘unknowingness’ may be effecting students in their classroom. I don’t think you need to have the same identity to connect with students, but I do think you need to have the motivation to try to understand your students and accept that the difference between you two may cause issues for you as a teacher and them as a student.

Being of the same race is super helpful for this. Now for having role models, I think we have to accept the reality that people of color do not have as many visible role models in OUT there. I mean if in 2014 we are having our first, _______ female congresswoman etc, this is evidence to this. I think having role models in the classroom is always a great thing. Being a black female engineering student I would have loved to have a teacher that looked like me with my interest so I could connect with her and understand her journey. Again, its just in accepting that different people will have different experiences. Not to say that this wont happen with a teacher of a different ethnic identity, but its so much easier for students to see someone who looks like them and assume their life has similarities to theirs– and for maturing students, that is really important for them.

By: Barry

Barry — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 04:45:11 +0000

Although one might have reservations about the author’s perspective, the dialog she provoked is priceless. A trainer of teachers, I’m thinking about how I might use this dialog to develop assignments that might help my trainees more deftly confront issues that arise with their students and colleagues. If nothing else, the dialog points to the need for evidence-based systems for selecting the right teachers the first time and then inducting them properly during their first 2-3 years. Other professions do this routinely – e.g. medicine, law, engineering –recognizing that hiring is only the first step in producing a high quality employee.
Unfortunately, the dialog doesn’t mention the potential of team-taught programs to produce effective communication among teachers from diverse backgrounds. In such programs teachers can observe and critique one another, modify or create lessons that truly engage students and solve problems that require cross-disciplinary expertise. Most professions outside of education have had to do this to survive in the marketplace. Yet teachers today tend to function as they have for almost the entire existence of formal education – as sole practitioners in the one teacher for one class format.
The vast majority of teachers indicate their hunger for collaborating with colleagues. If the teacher contract even provides for this, they mostly have to do this after school when exhausted or on special training days when the students are off. What would it look like if teachers of different disciplines could collaborate in real time when students are present? Following are links to articles that describe such a team-taught, computer-assisted program with cross-disciplinary lessons and projects:
http://educationviews.org/fast-break-accelerated-learning-framework-for-21st-century-high-schools/
http://educationviews.org/fast-break-a-program-to-get-ready-for-the-season/
http://www.educationviews.org/program-handle-crisis-competence/
Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to this fascinating dialog.