‘Endangered Species’: Black Male Librarian

Julius Jefferson, a researcher at the Library of Congress, wants to recruit and retain more black men as librarians. The Bryant Park Project, June 27, 2008 · We’re used to hearing about racial and gender disparities in many professions, but here’s one instance of it you probably haven’t heard about before:Of the roughly 110,000 credentialed librarians in the United States, only about 600 are black men. That’s about 0.5 percent of all librarians.

Put another way, if they all got together for a meeting, they could probably hold it comfortably in your local library.  Full story at NPR   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91955374&ft=1&f=1013

New Beginnings in Education

I just got my first teaching job due to start in the fall of 2008.  To say the least I am both excited and scared to death.  I took parenting my only child very seriously.  Her educational needs were important to me too.  I never had a problem speaking out if I felt like she was not getting something she needed in school.  Back to school night was so important to me.  I can’t remember a time that I didn’t attend.  When my daughter started middle school we lived very close to my grandmother.  She attended almost every back to school nite us.  She and I took turns dropping my daughter off at school and picking her up.  I have been a single mother most of my daughter’s life. I would not have made it if it hadn’t been for the loving support of my grandmother.  It was fun having her there as support.  My daughter and I have had a difficult time adjusting to her absence since her death in 2002.

In those days what was important to me was that my daughter’s teachers knew I cared about her education.  I think back then I though that if I didn’t show I was involved that they would ignore her.  After all I was trusting my child’s care and keeping to a stranger, some randomly changing adult figure that I had to start all over with every school year.  Some individual that I “didn’t know from Adam” as my grandmother would say. 

I rely on my experiences as a parent to help me as a teacher.  I decided after many years in business that I wanted a change.  Several years ago I had worked with disabled children as a respite care worker in the early 90’s. I had even worked for a time as a group counselor, but in regards to teaching, unlike those who have taught since graduating from college, I am flying by the seat of my pants. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  I am enrolled in a teacher training program, and I am working towards a Master’s degree in Special Education, but the real test is in the classroom.  That is where teachers are born….in the trenches.  I think my biggest fear is not creating appropriate lesson plans, it’s classroom management….getting my students to listen to me and take instruction from me.

Fortunately, I did get an opportunity to work as an instructional aide or teacher’s assistant (some call them paraprofessionals) for a few months this year.  That was a lot fun.  I worked in a special day class with elementary school age children dealing with moderate to severe disabilities and conduct problems.  It was a rewarding experience.  I fell in love with those kids right away.  All children are special and no matter what their circumstances are they deserve love, and a chance to succeed.  I keep in mind too that the trust I put in my daughter’s teachers some other mama is putting in me and I don’t want to let her or her baby down.  For me teaching is a privilege.  I am being given a great responsibility, and therefore a lot to live up to and look forward to it.

Disproportionate number of minorities and the poor in Special Education

Special Education is my passion. For so long there have been so many injustices in how students are referred to and placed in special education programs.  There is a higher number of minority and low income students in special education programs.  What is really alarming is that there are very low numbers of these same students in gifted and talented programs.  That sterotype needs to be eliminated and the real issue addressed.  My father grew up in a single parent home in the 40’s and 50’s in the segregated south.  He went on to earn his master’s degree in ethnic studies and music and worked as a college professor until his death in 1990.  Today in our so-called “integrated schools” based on his family arrangement the chances of him being placed in a special education program would have been high.  As an educator I have a real problem with this….I found an interesting article I wanted to share from http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/060208/met_285279469.shtml