New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds
The lunch period ended like so many others. After the bell rang, students raced up the stairwell, not in a rush to get to class on time but to finish socializing and playing with their friends. I was a sophomore at Lake Area New Tech High School in New Orleans at the time, and I was not very different from the other students. Instead of studying during my spare time or rushing to get to class, I talked to girls and texted on my phone. But on this particular day I came to a realization. As students rushed by, my fifth period teacher Mr. Allen simply opened the door to let his students enter his classroom. By the time the tardy bell rang, we had all taken our seats and opened our history books, quietly awaiting further instructions.
Glenn Sullivan
How was it that one of the few great black teachers in the school building was able to gain our trust and respect when less than five minutes ago we had no concerns about what we were doing so long as it was not school work? Somewhat to my surprise, I realized that Mr. Allen’s background partly explained our behavior. But what shocked me even more than this realization was the fact that a lot of other teachers could not control a class, let alone get their students interested in the work. Mr. Allen could do both.
This situation helped me notice an even bigger issue in my school. A lot of the good, black teachers were being replaced. Not only were they being replaced, but younger white teachers were replacing them. This started during my sophomore year and continued until I became a senior this past school year. Given that the school is predominantly black, this troubled me. Particularly upsetting to me was the departure of the music teacher, a veteran black educator who helped run the school choir and put together trips for students.
When I talked to administrators about the departures of good black teachers, I was told that students need diversity in order to receive a high quality education. The school principal, who is black, has pointed out that a majority of the teachers are still black — a higher percentage than at many other New Orleans charter schools. He also pointed out that students are not always privy to the reasons teachers depart, and some might have chosen to leave.
I believe that students need diverse educational experiences, but I do not agree that this diversity must come from the race of the teachers. In my opinion, this is not the best tactic to improve education for students, particularly students of color.
Mr. Allen provided his students with diverse learning experiences by engaging them in many different ways. Some days we read and took notes, some days we watched video clips and had open-ended discussions. Along with understanding the necessity of varying his teaching methods, Mr. New Orleans schools should stop hiring so many teachers who don’t understand the students’ culture or backgrounds | Hechinger Report: