Tag Archives: Education

EDUCATION

The Dire Plight of the American Teacher

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I do not know of a single African-American Professor who does not possess the desire to recreate themselves. Simply put, one of the major by-products of Black graduate students working their way through the snares and traps of academia is a severe desire to make the path more accessible and passable for those that follow. By the time we earn our Ph.D. s, no one in the world can impress upon us that there are enough Black academics and intellectuals to mentor us through the tough times.

When one considers that the rough terrain that Black Ph.D.’s must cross is often made more difficult by Professors who detest our presence for a host of reasons directly tied to white supremacist thought, engagement with one of “us” while in graduate school can serve as a much-needed gust of wind propelling us toward our lofty goal.

Trust me when I say that the pride I experience when yet another of my students crosses the threshold of earning their Doctorate degree is not one of euphoria but rather an occasion to pause for several moments to celebrate the achievement but, more importantly, to bow my head in honor and respect to the ancestors who aided this process in one way or another.

In light of the above, I hope that you can understand my unending pride when several of my students, most recently Ms. Coiette P. Gaston, who now is a colleague working in the same department as myself, cross that final threshold in their chosen field.

Suppose I have achieved nothing else in the academy. In that case, I can proudly state that I have contributed to more than capable Black Professors being available to mentor and teach precocious Black students researching issues of importance to Black America. I took the job of ensuring that the pipeline of Black thinkers continued flowing with the utmost seriousness.

Manufacturing excellent Black students begins well before arriving on a college campus. Those I reference have undergone a K-12 curriculum that has prepared them for higher education. My contemporaries’ dedication to reproducing ourselves will never blind us to the heavy lifting in K-12.

Only a fool fails to see the interconnectedness between teachers and professors—an overstanding of the interconnectedness between educators’ mandates that I closely monitor the matter of teacher shortage.

According to a recent Learning Policy Institute survey, droves of full-time teachers choose to exit the profession via early retirement or more attractive employment opportunities. The most cited catalyst for the above changes is the twin evils of psychological stress and low pay. American teachers have historically been abused, misused, and devalued by the very society they have nobly served for centuries. Data states that one-third of those exiting the classroom report a typical work week of over “56 hours or more.” One-third of current teachers report working a second job to “make ends meet.” According to the Learning Policy Institute survey, “64 percent of respondents said their pay wasn’t sufficient to merit the risk or stress.”

The fleeing of the teacher ranks is so common that many of those I have aided on the path to participating in this noble profession have exited the classroom. The past five years have been ferocious for the brilliant youth whose minds I helped mold in my History courses. So many of these young Black teachers that Charles Hamilton Houston would have considered “levers for social justice” have exited the teaching profession for the same reasons highlighted by the Learning Policy Institute study. The teacher shortage crisis has gotten so bad that the Houston Independent School District that many of my students vacated was marred by over seven-hundred vacant teaching positions during a recent summer, according to the Texas Tribune.

It is past time that the U.S. Government (local, state, and federal) makes a decisive move on behalf of American educators. When you think about it, they are the foundation for this nation’s prosperity; however, they are much like laborers who have been left out of profits. The time for shucking and jiving educators has been over for decades; it is now time for the entire nation not only to agree to pay teachers a livable wage but also allow them a seat at the table when substantive issues impacting their lives are being discussed.

One more thing. If you were able to read this, thank your favorite teacher.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2023

 

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African-American Males, Black Males, EDUCATION

What is the Impact that One Black Educator Can Have On Black Elementary School Children

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Never in a million years did I imagine that when my pen hit the pad this morning that a rhythmic saying from Jesse Jackson, an individual that I have always considered Black America’s Dr. Seuss, would emerge. By the time that you finish reading this posting, I hope that you will understand why Jesse Jackson’s rhyme of “If they can’t see it, then they can’t be it” appears on this page.

I am certain that you are puzzled about the catalyst behind my use of the words of Black America’s Dr. Seuss this morning. Well, I will tell you that Jesse Jackson’s words illuminate a recent Johns Hopkins University study. The information shared below is nothing new to Black folks.

Having at least one black teacher in third through fifth grades reduced a black student’s probability of dropping out of school by 29 percent, the study found. For very low-income black boys, the results are even greater – their chance of dropping out fell 39 percent.

As mentioned above, the correlation between Black teachers and Black student success is commonsensical. I would venture to guess that any Black educator can tell you that the most significant indicator of student success are not school facilities or classroom materials, the wisest among us understand that the most important factor in the education of Black children is the person standing in the front of the classroom. Simply put, if an educator believes that their students can learn, they will learn.

Yakima School District rated among worst in nation for chronically absent students | EDUCATION | yakimaherald.com

It is foolhardy in every way to argue against research displaying the phenomenal impact that a single Black educator has on the life of young Black males. In an era of hashtags, it is obvious that #BlackTeachersMatterMightilyToTheFutureOfBlackBoys.

As I have written in this space for several years, no one is coming to save Black folks. Hence, it is crucial that Black America begins creating reliable paths for the creation of Black teachers, particularly males, to work with our children during the formative elementary school years. Black America’s failure to strategize around information that contact with a single Black teacher for Black boys from low-income environments reduces their chances of dropping out by 39% is an unconscionable dereliction of duty. We must address this need in an uncommon manner that uplifts Black children and therefore our community in a significant manner.

Now, a discussion of an acceptable curriculum is a discussion for another day.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

 

 

Black Girls, Black Males, Black Popular Culture, EDUCATION, RACE

It Truly is A Different World: A Case for Exposing a New Generation to the HBCU Experience

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There is a nearly unavoidable danger that creeps up on us so smoothly that we neither recognize its arrival nor its presence. Yet, each of us is susceptible to this evil and the vast majority of us will fall victim to it. The danger that I am referring to results from spending too much time within a self-advantageous echo chamber that allows for us to make sense of the world.

I must admit to having found a comfortable echo chamber that fits my needs and interests. The foremost by-product of this dilemma has been conclusions regarding how I could best serve emerging generations of Black America.

While reading a recent post by former student Adrienne Cain, I was taken aback that after making a presentation to a group of high school students, many raised questions about a shirt that she strategically chose to wear. Emblazoned across the front of the shirt were the words Prairie View A&M University; Ms. Cain’s alma mater. To Ms. Cain’s surprise and my chagrin, the majority of students sitting in front of her had never heard of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The cornerstone of the Black middle-class and most reliable path to Black uplift.

In the new millennium, I never thought that the promotion of H.B.C.U.’s would be necessary. Yet, here we are once again. This issue has proven to be so bothersome that I eventually searched my mental Rolodex for an answer to the following question.

When did I learn about H.B.C.U.’s?   

Before I can answer the relatively simple question, I must explain a few things about my upbringing. Although I am from the great state of Ohio, a state where two H.B.C.U.’s exist, neither of my parents attended college. I was also not fortunate to have a blood relative who had attended college and was willing to offer any guidance regarding my desire to pursue a secondary education. Put simply; my exposure to secondary education was non-existent.

While my parents were incapable of providing first-hand testimony regarding the collegiate experience, God made provisions in that area.

I was fortunate to have been raised within a community where black teachers eagerly stepped into existing gaps that I and my peers working-class parents could not. A push toward higher-education was such an area. In hindsight, I cannot recall a moment of my K-12 tenure that I did not hear the familiar refrain of “you are going to college” from some Black educator. Ms. Jones, my sixth-grade teacher, took it a step further and refused to grade subpar work. I cringe at the repetitive experience of having ungraded work returned to me adorned with the blazing red words of “This is not college-level work, DO IT AGAIN!!!!!” The reconstruction of my formative educational moments would be woefully incomplete if they did not include Mr. Rick Roberson, the most important influence in my current status.

My response to the above question of “When did I learn about H.B.C.U.’s?” is an unbelievably specific one as I can tell you the exact date and moment that I was exposed to the Black college experience. It was Thursday, September 24th (1987) at 8:30 EST when A Different World debuted. I know that it was a Thursday because The Cosby Show came on every Thursday at 8:00 EST. And of course, it was through that iconic show that droves of Black students such as myself were introduced to fictitious Hillman College and the illustrious H.B.C.U. world.

Although other factors swayed me away from attending an H.B.C.U. during my collegiate years, I often wonder how different my life would have been had I made a different choice. As a professor at Prairie View A & M University, an H.B.C.U., I can now attest to the indispensability of Black Colleges to the development of Black students. From my vantage point, Black Colleges and Universities are the primary sources of racial uplift and hope for the eventual achievement of racial equality.

When one considers the overwhelming influence of media on the minds of our nation, particularly the youth; it may be time for a resurfacing of a Different World. It is imperative that Black students are exposed to every potential avenue of uplift as they navigate a world that may prove less than accommodating to their hope, dreams, and aspirations. Regardless of what many naysayers may think, the H.B.C.U. remains the primary gateway to a different world for poor and working-class Black students.

The time has come that every Black student understands the true meaning behind the words that opened every episode of A Different World.

I know my parents love me,
Stand behind me come what may.
I know now that I’m ready,
Because I finally heard them say
It’s a different world than where you come from.

Here’s a chance to make it,
If we focus on our goals.
If you dish it we can take it,
Just remember you’ve been told
It’s a different world,
It’s a different world,
Than where you come from
Than where you come from

As a professor at Prairie View A&M University, I can attest to the above lyrics and encourage others to learn more about and propagate the H.B.C.U. for future generations. Because it is truly a different world from where you come from.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

 

 

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Congratulations HBCU Graduates: The World Is Yours!!!!!!

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Let’s be honest about leadership. Great leaders should be servants to those who have placed their trust in them. Make no mistake about it, leaders rarely receive even a morsel of the applause they are due. Most citizens believe that they are merely doing their jobs.

If the above can be said about leadership in general, only the Lord knows how frustrated the U.S. President must feel at times. Quite possibly the only thing that could make things more pressure packed for an American President is if he were a person of color. Just ask Barack Hussein Obama.

A great argument could be made that the only President who rivals Obama in his polarizing affect on the nation is Lincoln whose administration was front-loaded with the myriad issues flowing from chattel slavery. To the chagrin of opponents, Barack Hussein Obama handled their disrespect and opposition with the style, class, and grace that our people have exhibited for centuries.

During the recent commencement address delivered to nearly 30,000 students called “Show Me Your Walk H.B.C.U. Edition” this past Saturday, the still embattled, yet always smooth former President touched on the fact that Black America always receives a double-portion of misery and suffering from a nation that would not exist without their crucial contributions.

I expected Obama to touch on the Coronavirus and the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery during the address; he did not disappoint me in that regard. While addressing the global pandemic, the former President poignantly highlights that

A disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.

I am sure that I have much company in being unmoved by a recitation of the problems facing Black America. At this moment in time, I expect Black leaders to be ready to articulate a reasonable action plan to address the matters that afflict us.

So, I was extremely pleased to hear Obama issue a call to action for the next generation of Black leaders. The former President shared the following with the graduates.

Injustice like this isn’t new. What is new is that so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing; that the old ways of doing things don’t work.

I hope that Barack Hussein Obama is correct in his summation that the current generation “has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing.” We need their help in this battle to uplift the Race and bring a semblance of common sense to the nation in general.

As an educator, I tip my hat with pride to graduating students and offer congratulations regarding their accomplishments and truly believe that “the best is yet to come” for each of them.

I will leave the graduates with the poignant question of rap emcee Nassir Jones (Nas).

Who’s world is this?

 The world is yours!!!! The world is yours!!!!!

Graduates, I plead with you to go forth with courage, common sense, and love for yourself and your fellow human.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

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How A Bigoted TikTok Video Provides White Americans an Opportunity to Differentiate Themselves from the Bigots that Surround Them

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I am sure that by this time you have seen the TikTok video of two high school students from Georgia making a “Nigger.” This dimwitted duo taped themselves in front of a bathroom mirror mixing a potion that included derisive stereotypes such as:

  • Doesn’t have a Dad.
  • Robs White people.
  • Goes to jail.

These were the crucial ingredients involved in the making of a “Nigger.” Apparently, this is what passes for cute and entertaining during this moment of self-quarantine.

If only I had a penny for each moment that someone oversimplified the voluminous problems occurring within Black America to cultural dysfunction, the lack of a moral compass and dearth of impulse control, I would be a rich man.

The alluded to derisive commentary is offered with such authority that it leads one to believe that White America is devoid of cultural dysfunction or myriad inter-locking illiteracies (historical, cultural, political, etc.) that render many of its members to the scarp-heap of intellectual feebleness.

For decades I have watched many Whites from their thrones of privilege pass judgment on Black America due to the actions of a idiotic roguish few in our community. As a person who has always asked for consistency out of others in their actions and thought, I must apply the same rules to myself and state that I am left with no choice but to follow Whites lead of jumping to conclusions and using a broad paint brush to denigrate an entire Race due to the actions of an idiotic few; in this case two yet to be identified teenagers. The idiotic pseudo-scientists have been expelled from the highly-diverse majority minority Carrollton High School, located 50 miles west of Atlanta. In many ways, the expulsion of this duo is in-direct punishment for the entire nation as it ensures that they will continue to wallow in their pervasive ignorance.

In all seriousness, I find it impossible to allow this dynamic-duo of idiocy to serve as the representatives of a highly-diverse White America. I understand that they are neither representative of White America nor indicative of the progressivism of many of my White colleagues. I will tell you that I find much hope in the fact that prominent members of that community immediately stepped-forward to not only rebuke the deplorable message but also to take decisive action against this public expression of racial bigotry.

Mark Albertus, the superintendent of the Carrollton School District immediately launched an investigation after terming the footage “unacceptable…and not representative of the district’s respect for all people.” Mr. Albertus displayed what I can only term an uncommon bold leadership by countering these two nitwits actions by publicly stating,

We are very proud of our diversity and so is our entire community. We don’t need to lose sight of this important attribute because of the actions of a few.   

Albertus’ position was bolstered by David Brooks, the principal of Carrollton High School, who related that these actions, whenever they were conducted, went against the standard of behavior he expects his students to uphold. According to Brooks,

It is our priority to keep our schools safe, and there is no doubt this incident has caused significant tension at Carrollton High School, across the district, state and nation – even the world.

Although rarely discussed in front of “mixed company” (a gentile way of saying ‘White folk’), there is consensual agreement that although all Whites may not fall into the category of racial bigots, we must remain cautious when in their presence; at least until they prove that they are different from their peers.

Make no mistake about it, the historical record indicates that for Blacks dealing with Whites, the stakes can be as high as life or death. Hence, there is a desperate need for Blacks, regardless of age, to be sure of who they are dealing with. Unfortunately for Whites, Blacks do not possess a supernatural insight that allows them to differentiate between good Whites and bad Whites through physical appearance. For well-meaning Whites not afflicted by full-blown racial bigotry, the onus is on them to publicly demonstrate on a consistent basis that they are cut from a much-different cloth than their bigoted brethren.   

Much like the way that bigoted Whites seize MLK’s words regarding “the content of our character” to denigrate Blacks, as mentioned above, I demand consistency from all around me. Hence, it should be easy to understand that I use these same words in my evaluation of Whites. Few meet my standard of definitively  denouncing racial bigotry in a crisis such as the recent one at Carrollton High School. If I had one wish in this matter, it would be that more Whites follow the lead of Superintendent Albertus and Principal Brooks and jump into the fray with an uncommon eagerness that leaves no room regarding where they stand on such matters. Failure to mimic those actions leaves Black America with no other choice than to leave them in a murky swamp filled with their less civilized countrymen.  

Just as you are watching Black America and making judgments regarding what you see, we are watching you and making similar judgments.   

TikTok!

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2020.

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