by Kulture Kritic Staff
According to the National Education Department, black male teachers are disappearing by the boatload. Only two percent of the teachers across America are African American males.
WDSU TV in New Orleans spoke with Michael Booker, a principal at Lake Area High College Prep. Booker says that black male teachers have to keep their message positive.
“I’m not negating any ethnicity. I just think that we are a disproportionately low number, and African-American males in particular need to go into this profession and think of it as one where they can make a difference in the lives of all children,” he said.
According to a study by Colorado State University, black male teachers are stronger disciplinarians and also improve the test scores of black students. This is particularly true among the boys.
“When they see us in positions of authority in education, it can motivate them to be better men, be better fathers and do something that is going to take us out of that realm that says, ‘All African-American males are incarcerated, we have children out of wedlock and we don’t take care of business.’ And things of that nature,” Booker said.
Vera Triplett, CEO of the Capital One New Beginnings Charter Schools Network, also claims that black male teachers have a strong influence on the girls.
“I think for the females, the interaction between them and the African-American male being very positive, very professional, very respectful. Sort of seeing that and understanding that this is what you should expect from any sort of relationship that you have with an African-American male,” she said.
The disappearing black male teacher is attributed to a number of factors, including low pay, the perception that teaching is a feminine profession, and the fact that black males are less likely to pursue degrees in anything, let alone education.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Monday, May 7th 2012 at 4:15AM
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