Call Me MISTER

[The Drunk Girl]

Call Me MISTER Program Seeks to Attract More African American Males into Teaching Profession

African American children comprise 17 percent of the student population nationwide, but their chances of seeing an African-American male teacher in front of their classroom are about 1 in 100.

Hoping to close that gap, Eastern Kentucky University recently became the first college or university in the Commonwealth or any adjacent state to join the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Modeling) program, a national initiative begun at Clemson University that seeks to attract more African American males to the teaching profession. The MISTER acronym also refers to the classic film “In the Heat of the Night,” in which Sidney Poitier’s character demands respect with the line, “They call me Mister Tibbs!”
Source (http://www.prm.eku.edu/ekunews/?article=1183)


For minority and non-minority children, the MISTER leading his class
represents something they don't have in sports stars and entertainers: a Black man of authority whom they can reach out and touch.

"The MISTERs will have a different perspective than most of the other teachers," Jones says. "Some of them come from a dysfunctional background themselves. All of them represent a new breed of teacher: one uniquely prepared to address the whole child."

In a State where African-American men, although a significant part of the population, represent a blip on the elementary teacher rolls and 65 percent of the prison population, Jones believes Call Me MISTER will shatter stereotypes while it kicks open doors across the nation.
Source (http://www.black-collegian.com/career/career-reports/mister-grad05.shtml)

So what do you all think about this program? I can honestly say that in all my years of school and college, I have only encountered one black professor. I guess I never really thought about it that much, because seeing and having a white teacher/professor is something that has become "normal."

[Americano]

Source (http://www.prm.eku.edu/ekunews/?article=1183)


Source (http://www.black-collegian.com/career/career-reports/mister-grad05.shtml)

So what do you all think about this program? I can honestly say that in all my years of school and college, I have only encountered one black professor. I guess I never really thought about it that much, because seeing and having a white teacher/professor is something that has become "normal."

What are the percentages of all teachers for African-American, Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic teachers when compared to population percentage statistics?

[Michael]

Yes, a problem, but I'm skeptical of band-aid solutions to treat symptoms that ignore the underlying cause.

That there are no black male public school teachers demonstrates that a major problem exists within the public school system. Some fancy PR campaign to reduce a gender imbalance amongst teachers ain't going to solve that problem.

Programs like this just end up showing how serious the problem is - it doesn't provide a solution. Fast-tracked affirmative action hiring is not going to magically create black male role models in public schools - quite the opposite I'd expect once you realize the size of the shortage and how much standards will be conveniently lowered to address this problem. Filling the schools with unqualified teachers is not a solution to any problem.

[Michael]

See, here's another reason why its hard to take this latest PR campaign to improve teaching in America's public schools seriously...

Teach for America is poised to lose its dedicated $18 million grant from the federal government and will instead have to compete for a bigger pool of money with other organizations that train teachers...

Source (http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=02&year=2010&base_name=training_teachers)

Two steps forward, one step back. As one new PR program is rolled out, the previous PR program is shunted aside.

The Education industry is rather well known for rolling out PR programs to suit the crisis of the week (and promptly forget about it next week when a new crisis shines like a bauble for the media).

[Greendruid]

The underlying problem, from where I'm sitting as a straight, white, male professor, is the cycle of racism in America. Why I should have been encouraged to become a professor, to be normal to my students, is a problem inherent in the relationship between majority and minority groups. The problem is very deeply rooted in our culture, and I include Canadians in that summation just the same. I'm trying desperately to think of a popular film or representation in our mass media of a male black leader or authority figure. When I do, the images of vigilantes and dead men come to my mind (Malcolm X, Blade, The Hurricane, The Shawshank Redemption). These are representations that celebrate the independent man, the lone wolf, the renegade. These are not representations that reflect leaders, teachers or bearers of knowledge. While I don't place all my stock in popular culture as the mirror in which our entire culture is reflected, it acts as a decent barometer on most days of the week.

The potential problems that Michael alludes to are real. They are happening in the university system regardless of sex or race and I believe Margot has ranted about this at length as well, by all rights. So we are left with a few poignant questions. Should we encourage programmes like this that allow a small amount of change to take place while risking the integrity of the institutions that were originally constructed to reward excellence? If the real problem is racism in our culture, and I believe this to be the case, how in the hell do we address that? What "actionables", as the politicians say, are there to address a widespread, endemic, powerful and very human mechanism of creating groups of "us" and "them" in order that we may make the realisation that there are no biological human races and that there are no benefits to operating towards a future that divides us still? How can we ever level the playing field of 500 years of the most recent round of human racism? Is it possible?

I have very limited experience with being a member of a minority group. In fact, as a pagan I am a member of only that minority group. At that, my minority group is not a visible one and not one whose difference rears its head often. But I do know from my experiences that when confronted with my very existsence, the majority who believe their religion is the only way consistently show one emotion - fear. This is no different than racism I think. It is the fear of the other, the unknown and, truly, the unknowable. This is an extremely powerful emotion and one that I am not willing to underestimate in our species. It is strongly linked to self-preservation and this seems to be where the problem is rooted for those who react against upsetting the way things are.

[Michael]

Yes, if America wants to do something about the shortage of black male public school teachers, they only have to focus on the dropout/failure rate of black males in public school. If you address that 'real' problem, the rest of the issue will solve itself.

But unfortunately, there is very little interest in actually addressing the main problem here and instead, they are search for bandaids to address the symptoms. Hence my skepticism/cynicism on the topic.

One does get the feeling that educators are highly sensitive to perceptions they might be part of the problem and thus seem to go to great lengths to create new perceptions that they do care about the issues (even if they do nothing about the issues - or contribute to making the problem worse). Smells like a guilty conscience to me. If we are looking for failed systems in dealing with the black male education crisis, one MUST look first at the teacher's unions and education bureaucrats since that is where a large part of the problem sits.

Instead, we have endless PR campaigns - they are so much easier and less painful for everyone involved (except the poor black males who keep getting dumped by the public school system).

[The Drunk Girl]

Yes, a problem, but I'm skeptical of band-aid solutions to treat symptoms that ignore the underlying cause.

That there are no black male public school teachers demonstrates that a major problem exists within the public school system. Some fancy PR campaign to reduce a gender imbalance amongst teachers ain't going to solve that problem.

Programs like this just end up showing how serious the problem is - it doesn't provide a solution. Fast-tracked affirmative action hiring is not going to magically create black male role models in public schools - quite the opposite I'd expect once you realize the size of the shortage and how much standards will be conveniently lowered to address this problem. Filling the schools with unqualified teachers is not a solution to any problem.

I agree that this demonstrates that there is a problem within the public school system, but I really didn't take this as fast-tracked affirmative action hiring or having unqualified teachers as a result teaching (I know that I don't attend the smartest university in the country or world, but there are decent requirements for the participants).

If you want to see some hiring that you're speaking of try working at a job and have the store manager come up to you and say, "You're the first black person we have had working here in a few years. I'm so glad we have a black person now! We really needed one..." It sucks being the "token" but it does happen.

I'm trying desperately to think of a popular film or representation in our mass media of a male black leader or authority figure. When I do, the images of vigilantes and dead men come to my mind (Malcolm X, Blade, The Hurricane, The Shawshank Redemption).

To Sir with Love? :shrug: :lol:

If the real problem is racism in our culture, and I believe this to be the case, how in the hell do we address that? What "actionables", as the politicians say, are there to address a widespread, endemic, powerful and very human mechanism of creating groups of "us" and "them" in order that we may make the realisation that there are no biological human races and that there are no benefits to operating towards a future that divides us still?
I really don't think there is a way to address racism. I mean you can, but the outcome is always going to be the same. People are always going to complain and point fingers at their situation and blame someone else.


Should we encourage programmes like this that allow a small amount of change to take place while risking the integrity of the institutions that were originally constructed to reward excellence? Yes, if America wants to do something about the shortage of black male public school teachers, they only have to focus on the dropout/failure rate of black males in public school. If you address that 'real' problem, the rest of the issue will solve itself..

I might have mentioned it before, but my first go around at college I blew a full academic scholarship. I was a Porter Scholar (http://louisville.edu/diversity/scholarships-awards/porter-scholarship-the-society-of-porter-scholars.html). At UofL it was something to be very proud of and was thought very highly of by students and teachers alike. This scholarship was a minority scholarship for black students (and the first time in my life I actually cashed in on my race). I wasn't the only one, but in a sense I became a statistic not only for college drop-out rates, but also for minority or black students that dropped out.


How can we ever level the playing field of 500 years of the most recent round of human racism? Is it possible?

This probably is racist in itself, but I believe that one way that society has become comfortable with this issue is sports. The same way that it has become "normal" to see more white teachers and professors in the classroom, the same can be said with blacks on the basketball court or the football field. If you see a whole white line-up run out on the field or court one can't help but to scratch their head.

(By the way, I really enjoyed reading your post :))

[Michael]

I agree that this demonstrates that there is a problem within the public school system, but I really didn't take this as fast-tracked affirmative action hiring or having unqualified teachers as a result teaching (I know that I don't attend the smartest university in the country or world, but there are decent requirements for the participants).

If you read the linked article, that's exactly the solution they are proposing (they even make a comment about new black male teachers from dysfunctional backgrounds).

Fact is, the shortage of black male public school teachers exists because there is a shortage of qualified black males for this type of position. Thus, any immediate increase in black male public school teachers can ONLY come about by lowering standards and making special exceptions (which is exactly what their policy proposes).

That's a classic example of 'treating symptoms' and ignoring the disease.

Treating symptoms never achieves any appreciable result and ultimately ends up just being 'window-dressing' to make people feel like they are addressing an issue (when they are continuing to steadfastly avoid it). I'm not fan of silly 'assuage white guilt' type policies that serve only the purpose of trying to make white people feel like they aren't racists (and ignores the actual evidence/problems of racism). In reality, US public schools are probably the single most racist institution in America.