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Teaching and Education: The New Green Opportunity for Black Males
By Meta J. Mereday
With the amount of discussion on clean air initiatives, renewable energy and the whole “greening” of America, we are neglecting another emerging industry that is ripe with opportunities and vital for national security.
That industry is education and the opportunities are ripe for Black male teachers who lag behind in applications for positions at all levels. Black male teachers are considered almost a “dying breed” at a time when they are most needed.
Educational jobs continue to rank high along with green jobs and children will still require some connection to scholars, teachers, professors, instructors as well as adults returning to academia for new careers or different skill sets.
It is all about economics. Studies have shown not only the significant difference between the income of a high school graduate and that of a college graduate, but also the findings have identified the high attrition rates among Black male students and the importance of role models to serve as motivators.
However, the research is only beginning to address the impact that Black male teachers could have on Black males during that critical educational transition. With all the data on the impact of absent Black fathers in the home, how beneficial would it be for Black students to encounter a positive influence in their school system? Could it be if there were more Black male teachers that more Black males would be able to achieve higher college graduation rates?
Education in America, according to an article published on WashingtonPost.com, needs a new vision that embraces the principles on which America was founded - freedom, equality, opportunity, responsibility and ownership.
Currently, America’s educational system is still trying to re-define itself within the new administration and the post “No Child Left Behind” regime in which many children were still left behind. Black male teachers can play a vital role in bringing a new face of encouragement to education and bring up the number of Black males graduating from high school and pursuing higher education.
The importance of having a good education has been a consistent chant from parents to their children in order for them to achieve great things in the future. The message that should now resound in the community, especially the Black community, is the relevance of Black male teachers and their importance to the future of the community and the country.
“Having more Black male teachers, is the equivalent to having more Black men in the household. It creates a balance. A woman can’t be a man and as a community we have to stop forcing the man’s responsibility on women,” states Guy Madison, Principal Consultant at GM Consulting. “Colleges and universities represent the testing ground for young people to define themselves and to determine what their future will be and it is the diversity of thought and experience that shapes the most well rounded student, and a respected Black male role model creates a respectful Black male student.
Opportunities abound for Black male teachers within the education industry and it is the responsibility of the Black community to reinforce the importance of Black male teachers so that more applicants “go for the green” in education and plant productive seeds in our future leaders.
Mereday is a contributing writer for Regal Black Men's Magazine.
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