“UNINTENDED” MESSAGING ABOUT BLACK (MALE) TEACHERS
Teachers who establish meaningful relationships with their students should be celebrated and modeled after. However, social media has a way of turning any narrative on its head; making teachers overnight sensations for sharing complex handshakes with their students.
Inventing customary handshakes for each student doesn’t make a teacher great, however I get the point of all the hype; if a teacher cares enough to have a special handshake with each student, it says something about their attention to detail and care for each kid. It also says something about establishing solidarity with students.
Barry White Jr., a fifth-grade teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, was a Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James fan. He began doing handshakes with his students because he wanted to bring to his class the same bond and closeness shared on the Cavs at the time to his students. David Jamison, a fifth-grade teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, memorized 75 different handshakes with his students. Like White, Jamison sought to create a stronger bond with his students.
His efforts, and the response received on social media earned Jamison with an appearance on Good Morning America.
It must be said that both White and Jamison are Black men. It matters CONTINUE READING: "Unintended" Messaging About Black (Male) Teachers - Philly's 7th Ward