Classroom teaching is often a thankless job. Teachers are asked to do a lot these days, and it’s not an easy profession, especially for a small fraction of educators: Black male elementary school teachers.
Less than 2% of all teachers in the country are men of color and the challenges that Black male educators face are of a wide range. These challenges don’t just affect the teacher. They also impact the students they teach and their families, as well as the schools where they work and the communities in which they serve. All are directly or indirectly affected by the lack of Black male representation in the classroom.
I’ve seen these challenges personally during my time in the classroom. First, when I was part of The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship working as an early literacy tutor at Next Door in Milwaukee, and now in my current job as a lead teacher at the same school.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve witnessed Black men face and frequently talk about has been knowing the route or the next steps for them to take to get into teaching.