BLACK MATH TEACHERS ARE GOOD FOR MORE THAN RACE STUFF
This #Blackout era has provided some of us with a quixotic yet prosperous platform to center our experiences without apology. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of police, plus the ensuing uprisings across the world have created a level of urgency among white educators to become more aware of their complicity. Rather than an abrupt “I told you so,” I’m choosing to engage this new set of subscribers with a huge sense of responsibility and awareness of the moment, holding steadfast to my identity and all the anchors that held this boat steady even when the current smacked against its starboard.
If anything, this moment has shown us how critical Black educators have been to this work.
There’s a burgeoning literature out there suggesting the importance of Black educators, from our distinct ability to recommend students for gifted and talented programs to our focus on relationship and community building. However, too many of us have paths carved out for us that has little to do with will and more to do with opportunity. School cultures often push back against our very existence as authority figures in school buildings. When we’re accepted, we’re normally assigned the more difficult classes, or, when one of our colleagues finds a student difficult, pushes said student in our direction. When we’re elevated, it’s usually to a position of dean and/or an assistant principal who works as the de facto dean of discipline. We’re often hired in the spaces with the least resources, forcing us into spaces that we thought we might change only to perhaps replicate the trauma we once CONTINUE READING: Black Math Teachers Are Good For More Than Race Stuff | The Jose Vilson