The Need for African American Teachers
As we enter a new school year, the problem of a lack of Black teachers—and teachers of color in general—still exists. Our schools, both locally and nationally, need to organize an aggressive campaign to recruit teachers from colleges and universities and to conduct a national search to find the best-qualified teachers of color. This is not only a problem in the Buffalo school district but also a national issue.
When I invited Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu to Buffalo many years ago, he stated that teachers, especially in elementary schools across the nation, are predominantly white and female. The same situation exists here in our school system. This is a great concern because the majority of the student population is African American. Additionally, we have large numbers of immigrant children attending our schools. All students need to see teachers in the classroom who look like them and share their cultural backgrounds.
This is not to say that this will solve all the problems in our schools. However, having more teachers of color and those who can teach from a culturally responsive perspective will have a greater chance of producing successful students.
The issue of a lack of teachers of color was evident when I was in the classroom 17 years ago and even earlier. While I certainly do not have all the answers, I would like to suggest some ideas that might help increase the number of African American teachers in our schools.
Suggestions to Increase African American Teachers
Promote Teaching as an Honorable Profession: We must prioritize teaching in our community and expose children to examples of great teachers. Many years ago, I created a Black Educators Exhibit at the Merriweather Library, showcasing African American teachers and their accomplishments. This exhibit ran for several years, highlighting these educators and inspiring others to follow their path.
Expose Students to Teaching Early: From the earliest grades, we need to inspire students to consider teaching as a career. This can be done through churches and community centers. Instead of primarily promoting athletes, let us celebrate the dedicated teachers who are making a difference in our schools every day.
Highlight Inspirational Teachers in History: We must teach our community about historic educators who made significant contributions, such as:
Mary McLeod Bethune, who started a school with orange crates that later became a college.
Charlotte Hawkins Brown, who created a school for Black girls in the early 1900s.
Lucy Craft Laney, a gifted teacher whose students also became educators.
Benjamin E. Mays, a Morehouse College president who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Locally, we have many retired and active educators who have made tremendous contributions.
4. Offer Competitive Salaries: Teachers’ salaries must be increased to attract the best and brightest graduates from colleges and universities.
This columnist rejects any idea that these suggestions will not work because many of them have not been tried before. We are so used to talking about the problem until we can’t see the solutions before us. While we recruit teachers from other places let’s put a plan in place to “grow” our own right here in this community and beyond.