Black Enough to Teach Black Kids?

[wlotus]

In Charles Barkley’s book “Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man”, Barack Obama recalls a few college professors asking him, “Man, why are you pretending that you’re not smart?” Obama continues, “And coming from black professors, especially, that was important, because I couldn’t throw back at them, ‘Oh, you don’t understand.’”

Looking back at his own educational experience, Obama concludes, “That’s a big part of the reason it is so important to have black teachers, especially black male teachers. I’m not saying exclusively, but in many situations you need someone who can call you on your stuff and say… that it’s not ‘acting white’ to read a book.”

~ From "Understand?", by Will Okun
(http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/understand/)

Will Okun, a white teacher, asked his students to write whether they feel black teachers are more effective with black students. Half of his students said race made no difference in effective teaching. Half of his students vehemently disagreed, claiming white teachers give up on black students faster, don't understand where black students are coming from, etc. Will said while it frustrates him to think his race hinders his efforts to reach some of his students, he sees where there is a racial disconnect when they study certain topics.

I see the points and recognize the validity in all of them. But in my experience, the race of the teacher is unimportant, so long as they do not limit their thinking based on their race. For example, black teachers with a "Black people don't do that!" mentality about certain subjects or activities are just as harmful to a black young person's development as white teachers with that attitude. Since black teachers are human like the other black people with that mentality, I have to believe there are plenty of black teachers with that mentality. They just aren't called "racist" when they express those views to black students, while white teachers are.

All black people do not have the same experience, so putting a black teacher into a classroom does not automatically mean she or he will connect better with their black students. For example, I know nothing about living in poverty and violence, because I did not grow up in a poor family or violent neighborhood. But make no misake: I am black. Check my userpic. :-)

Anyway, having a black teacher who could speak to those issues from experience would not have helped me understand my math- and science-intensive curriculum any differently, would not have encouraged me to shine academically rather than pretending to not be as smart as I am, and would not have made any difference in my above-grade-level English and composition abilities. I suppose it would have been nice to have seen dark skin and curly hair (or dreadlocs) on my engineering school professors, but their whiteness and Asian-ness did not cause me any problems. Cousins from Africa were my advanced math and science teachers in high school, and I don't recall being any more able to relate to them than I was able to relate to the white woman who taught my AP Biology course or the white man who taught me Calculus.

Perhaps for some black youth, having black teachers makes a huge difference. It didn't matter to me, and I don't remember thinking as hard about the race of my teachers as I have thought about it while writing this post! In short, I learned because I wanted to learn, and I worked hard because I had goals in life, which included getting and staying OUT of the inner city environment I went to high school in! :-)

What do you think?

Comments

[lilrongal.livejournal.com]

Teacher race never made a diffence to me, either. It was how they treated their students.

My issue was with the teachers who sought to tear us down rather than build us up, by saying things that we'd never make it in college (I have a Bachelor's degree), grading us lower because we were honors students and needed to be put in our place, things of that sort. I could have done without those teachers, black or white or whatever.

[saladbar.livejournal.com]

Forwarding the article to a friend of mine that teaches kids that have been kicked out of PUBLIC schools and stuck in her charter school because they have to be taught.

She is white and most of her students are black. Her stories are often heartbreaking (12 yo student impregnanted by her father ... stuff like that).

[warkitty.livejournal.com]

I think it might depend on the area. Perhaps it would make a difference in an inner-city school if the teacher is good anyway, but perhaps not so much in other areas?

I dunno. Color never had a bearing on how well I related with a teacher.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

One of my first teaching jobs was in a very poor school, populated largely by "project kids." About 75% of them were black, the rest were largely bi-racial and Hispanic, with a few white kids. This isn't exactly what you were asking, but I have to say, I LOVED that school, and the kids in it. I loved them with all my heart. I took their problems home with me (and their problems were numerous...BIG problems like "mom got arrested for selling crack" and "daddy brought home a gun last night and pulled it on my big brother.") But I wouldn't trade my years at that school for anything. I like to think that the kids didn't see that I was a middle-class white woman who had no idea what most of them dealt with at home. I'd never experienced poverty and circumstances that many of them were thrown into, but I tried to lend a sympathetic ear whenever any of them needed to vent, and I hope to God I was able to give them some decent advice. I taught 4th graders the first year, and a 1st/2nd split the second year I was there. At that time (early '90s), a teacher could still be affectionate with a kid, without being arrested for molestation, and I gave as many hugs as I could every day.

I did notice some of the hoity-toity teachers (primarily white) who did seem to dismiss the kids that they deemed "problem" children, but those are the ones I was drawn to. I so badly wanted to help them, and maybe get them out of the cycle they were caught in. I actually found one of my former 4th graders on MySpace. He is 20, in college now, playing basketball, and he looks fantastic and healthy. He was one of the ones I worried about, when he was six. I am not egotistical enough to think that I had that big of an influence on him, but I like to hope that maybe with enough teachers who gave a damn, that that was what got him out of the projects and into a university.

OK, that was long and rambly, and probably not at all what you were looking for. I just remember that little school so fondly. I'd give anything if I could teach there again, but sadly, it no longer exists.

[warkitty.livejournal.com]

or, perhpas more it depends on the student.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

*former 1st graders*

His brother was in 4th grade. :-P

[chinook-wind.livejournal.com]

I actually agree with you, for the most part -- the attitude of the teacher is more important than his or her race. Some people, though, whether white or black, have already pigeonholed themselves, and I think it does those people good to see other people of their race do something outside the pigeonhole. Whether it's a teacher or a student, learning that people are more than their ethnic origins is important. I also think that there might be something about being any type of ethnic that maybe only other people of the same group understand. I don't know, honestly, because I don't feel like I belong to any ethnic group -- white seems to be the None Of The Above when it comes to ethnicity -- but from what I understand from other people, there's a shared 'language' or a bond between members of an ethnic group that people outside the group just don't share. Do you feel like that's true? It seems to me that it might be more related to socioeconomic status; I would have more in common with a black person raised in a similar middle-class, suburban environment than I would with a white person raised in a violent inner city, I think.

I think the sum total of my thought is that I think it's important to have teachers of all different races and ethnicities. Consistent exposure to all kinds of people is one of the best ways to move away from intolerance and prejudice, as I see it. Learning that all these different people are smart and caring and, overall, just like us is hugely importnat.

[verucas-chaos.livejournal.com]

Being an educator with teaching and administrative roots in urban education, this topic is of great interest to me. As a white teacher, I know had positive academic impact in the lives of my students who were predominantly black. The evidence is their ongoing academic success and contact with them as they grew up. The same is true for me as a principal. To the students, I always thought I made a difference. When I got puzzled by my impact was when I was told by not so few folks that, while I might have had an impact on the learning of children, never (yes I was told never) would that impact be meaningful in their lives because of my race. Further I was asked about my own philosophy on how children learn and was accused of being Eurocentric in my thinking. I got angry at first, then I ruminated on it. I asked myself what truth there is in that thought. I asked myself how in the world could I answer the question since I am not black and never will be. I asked the persons involved to define their definition of Eurocentric. While not correct, they said I only understood white, middle class values I found it interesting since I am a child of poverty from another culture in the US that believes otherwise (I was raised in West Virginia).

In the end, I chose to believe I was a good teacher and that I have impacted many children's lives...period, no qualifiers. I also chose to leave the urban setting because the sentiment of the adults was unyielding at the time. I miss the setting and, if I weren't so darn close to retirement, I would go back because I think they are wrong.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

It's a shame there were so many naysayers howling in your ears. Yet some of those same naysayers would probably howl about the lack of passionate, caring teachers in those schools!!!! Such ignorance...I cannot fathom it.

I'm glad you were able to come to terms with things in your own way, even though you ultimately decided to leave. I'm also glad that while you were there, your students had a GOOD teacher. Period.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Whatever grade he was in, it must have been awesome to see him doing so well for himself, now!!!!!

[verucas-chaos.livejournal.com]

The most interesting part for me is that, at least as socio-economics go, I was more similar to the urban students in the school than the folks hurtling the criticism. Mostly they were brought up in upper-middle class environments. So while they were racially similar to the students, they were very far from their class upbringing. Food for thought.

Thank you for the complement!

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

The words "narrow minded" and "hypocrites" come to mind!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I felt like a proud mom. Seriously. I still wonder about some of the kids I taught there...what they're doing, HOW they're doing. And I just pray that they're all OK.