The Black Informant

A program that is doing its part

This is from the education blog of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Another note from my visit to Jolly Elementary School in Clarkston: all three fifth-grade teachers were men and two of the three fouth-grade teachers were, as well as one third-grade teacher. Five of the six men were African-American.

I have heard about the dearth of men in the elementary school teacher ranks, so I asked Principal Euna McGruder where she found them. “I just recruited them,” she said. “They’re out there.”

She said she made hiring men a priority after working as an assistant principal in a high school. McGruder saw problems in her students that seemed to be the result, at least in part, of an absence of male role models.

Surfing around, I found this program, Call Me Mister, which attempts to get more black men in South Carolina classrooms.

This is from the Call Me Mister website:

The program seeks to recruit, train, certify and secure employment for 200 black males as elementary teachers in South Carolina ’s public schools. The project combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with individualized instructional programs offered by three small, private, historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College, Morris College and Claflin University. The Call Me MISTER project will be expanding to include the following new college partners in 2004-05: South Carolina State University, a four-year senior institution, as well as four two-year institutions, Midlands Technical College, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, Tri-County Technical College and Trident Technical College. The Call Me MISTER program provides:

*Tuition assistance to young men enrolled in elementary education at the three collaborating colleges.
*An academic support system to help assure their success.
*A cohort system for social and cultural support.

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I agree with one of the commenters on this piece on the AJC blog:

“More men yes. As an added bonus, how about married black men that have children fathered by them. Get the total package if you want them as role models.”

or better yet, men that take care of their children AND ENJOY DOING SO! The “being married” part would be great, but shouldn’t hinder a single dad from getting involved.

Bottom line, you got to start from somewhere and I think this program is a good start!