Needed, not Wanted: Examining Black Male Educator Attrition.

Needed, Not Wanted: Black Male Educator Attrition

By: Shawn F. Brown, Ph.D.

We need more Black male educators! Let us unpack this statement to understand why there is a shortage. Research journals religiously discuss the lack of Black men in education (Whitfield, 2019). Several articles document the advantages of having Black male educators and how their presence improves academic performance for Black students (Ellis, 2023). For example, when Black children from low-income homes have Black male teachers, graduation rates improve significantly (Bose, 2022). However, less than two percent of educators are Black men. Why are there so few, and why do so many leave abruptly? Our collective narratives can provide insight on strategies to recruit and retain Black male educators. This article is both qualitative and auto-ethnographic. I discuss what it feels like to be needed, not wanted, in the educational system through informal interviews and my own experiences.

Needing Black men in education has hidden negative implications. Most Black men realize they are being used. We are no more than disposable tools used and tossed aside. This practice stems from a history of commodifying the Black male body. Muscular studs, fieldhands, athletes, entertainers, and music artists are hired to fulfill a role. These are stereotypes that people can easily digest through manipulation and control. Noam Chomsky's ideas of propaganda also permeate educational systems. He posits, "Mass media communicates messages to the general populace to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with beliefs and codes of behavior that integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society” (Chomsky, 1988).

Images of Joe Clark transforming Eastside High reside in the subconscious of most. Those unable to satiate expectations of immediately changing the most demanding schools, with few resources, are labeled ineffective. We feel the reluctance of colleagues forcing themselves to interact with us. Most of our colleagues muster the ability to speak when they need something. Black male teachers walk around schools, breaking up fights, talking with angry parents, and engaging students that everyone else fears. Colleagues begin assuming we are here at their disposal. These forced, needs-based interactions stress Black men out. Forced collegial work relationships lead to frustration and, eventually, failure. Professional relationships based on obligation are rarely positive or long-lasting. Treating anyone as a mere necessity is demoralizing. Working in an educational system constructed for our demise is painful. We die slow deaths by a thousand micro-aggressive, passive-aggressive, supremacist, nepotistic, and egotistical paper cuts daily. Regardless of our negative experiences while on the job, Black children strive. Districts are desperate for our services. The motive behind recruiting Black male teachers is purely results-based, not altruism. We are valued solely for what we produce, and the system takes its pound of our flesh.

Black male educators are in high demand to serve as disciplinarians, mentors, and sports coaches in the most challenging districts. However, we are highly scrutinized in these roles, which leads to burnout. Despite our impact, we are often excluded from discussions about curriculum, instruction, and leadership decisions. We quickly learn that our worth is tied to performance rather than our humanity. The few allowed to hold leadership positions must be cautious. Every step is measured thrice. Stereotypes that portray Black men as unintelligent, lazy, and irresponsible create unfair expectations. This internalized pressure causes many to leave or suffer silently. Nevertheless, we continue to persevere in the hope of being valued.

We become the new "John Henry," racing against a machine. Black men often use John Henryism to handle intense stress, causing lifelong physical and psychological trauma (James, 2021). Like John Henry, Black men repeatedly attempt to prove their value. We break up fights, coach, handle challenging students, become deans of behavior, change our teaching methods, join leadership programs, and pursue advanced degrees. Ultimately, our efforts are not enough to defeat the machine. If we defeat the machine, we lose everything in the process. Our sense of self, culture, dignity, health, connection to family, and, in extreme cases, our marriages. Why should we even try? How can districts recruit and keep these individuals? The answer is simple: Not only need us, want us.

We desire, care for, overlook the flaws, and spend time with the people we want. It is fun to spend time with people who bring us joy. When we have conflicts with people we like, we readily resolve them. We are patient and kind when we want to build healthy relationships. Compassion flows naturally. We do not need training to maintain relationships with people we like. The concepts of preference, wanting, liking, and enjoying someone’s presence cannot be prescribed. There is no professional development to get individuals to like Black men. We can smell when we are being tolerated and not celebrated. Microaggressions seep through the skin of our colleagues like beads of sweat. More Black men would become educators if respected as intelligent beings who could provide practical solutions. Why do Black men debate sports in barbershops or love card games? In those spaces, we are respected, valued, and seen. Our voices and opinions matter. We speak freely, make mistakes, learn, and can be our authentic selves. We want the same treatment in professional settings. "Our way" is just different, not better or worse. Give Black men space to be creative, involve us in decision-making, and have influence. If we are serious about making lasting educational changes, we can't just identify the need. The next time you hear someone say, "We need more Black male educators," ask if that "need" is also a "want."

Bibliography

Bose, D. (2022, November 23). Schools can’t afford to lose any more Black male educators. https://hechingerreport.org/schools-cant-afford-to-lose-any-more-black-male-educators/

Chomsky, N. (1988). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. https://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499

Ellis, N. T. (2023). More Black men are needed in the classroom, diversity advocates say | CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/19/us/black-male-teachers-needed-reaj/index.html

James, S. (2021, May 19). The Downside of ‘John Henryism.’ News. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/the-downside-of-john-henryism/

Whitfield, C. (2019, January 29). Only two percent of teachers are black men, yet research confirms they matter. KIPP Public Charter Schools. https://www.kipp.org/news/two-percent-teachers-black-men-yet-research-confirms-matter/