Men have always been rare in the classroom. Let’s face it, teaching is a female dominated field. But that’s changing because of educators like Shamar Knight.
Only 2 percent of educators in the United States are Black men. That means that millions of Americans have never had a Black male teacher. That includes teachers, counselors, deans, principals, paraprofessionals, special education interventionists, P.E. teachers and anyone else that influences kids has never had a Black male educator.
Not having experienced a Black male teacher drew me to the profession. I wanted to lead my own classroom, develop meaningful relationships with students and inspire other Black males to enter the profession.
And now that I have a son, I’m so happy for young men like Shamar leading the way. Watch his video here.
