The True Role of an Educator

One afternoon, a male student of mine walked into my room after school as I was preparing my things for the next day. He entered nonchalantly, plopped down at a desk and said not a word. He was a frequent visitor, but never really said much, so I had grown accustomed to his presence. As I went about my business, he sat there quietly and studied my movements not saying a word. Eventually I broke the silence and asked him, “Keith, I have a question. Why do you guys always come around here to hang out with me?” He sat up and seemed taken aback by my question. After a few stammers and the timeless, “I dunno” response that students give when they need more time to think of their answer, he finally dropped a gem of insight that I will never forget. “I guess it’s kinda like looking into a mirror in the future. You know, being able to see what you want yourself to be…”

In the humility and sincerity of his response, he neglected to realize how deeply his words impacted my perspective and orientation in this work. It was in that moment that I realized that who you are in this work is important. It became clear to me that there is much more to this job than teaching kids the nuances of binomials and quadratic equations, but rather that there is a broader role you play when you look like the kids you stand in front of every day. The reality of our society is one that provides Keith and students like him a narrow perspective as to what a black man is and can be. To him, my existence and presence stood counter to that narrative.

I think a lot about how important it is that the kids we work for see themselves in positive ways daily. To me, that means that there needs to be more of us, as black men, in classrooms stepping up to the potential impact that we can have. At the same time, just being there isn’t enough. There is a level of critical consciousness, clarity of identity, and commitment to the art and science of teaching that we need to possess and operate with in order to truly impact the students we serve.

This movement is one that is in dire need of soldiers, and I am looking for my brothers to be the first ones that stand up.

http://teacherpop.org/2014/02/the-true-role-of-an-educator/?utm_source=2013+Corps+Members&utm_campaign=ed3c688bc4-0216141cms&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_115a64f4c1-ed3c688bc4-287689745