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I have long felt that it is extremely important for you and me to encourage young people to become teachers. I will even take it a step further and say that I feel that it is critical that we encourage young black men to enter the profession.
I recently had the opportunity to interview a young black American male education student. His answers to my questions are presented below and are the first of a series of interviews which I plan to conduct with him over the course of his unversity experience. Timothy Clay Alston is 30 years old and is a freshman education student at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. We will check in with Tim regularly over this year and see how he is doing. - Rob Kennedy
Tim Alston
Why do you want to teach?
Our children today need to be properly
educated academically and socially while still being nurtured and loved.
There are children being neglected and do not have the advantages and resources
to be able to get ahead.
What kind of education courses
are you taking in your freshman year first semester?
In the first semester of my freshman
year I’m taking Children and Adolescent Development, Foundations of Education,
PRAXIS Reading and Math.
Have you identified a grade level
which you wish to teach? If so, why that level?
I have not yet decided on a grade
level and still may want to teach several levels from 3rd grade to being
a Professor. It's a difficult decision at this stage but I would like to
have it figured out by my sophmore year.
What do you feel are the most
important qualities a student must possess to be a good teacher?
Professionalism, a good sense of
humor, and the ability to make a difference in a students’ life.
After a month of classes, are
you encouraged or discouraged by the work and expectations being made of
you?
I would have to say that I’m encouraged
because of the understanding of the profession and the excitement of doing
what one dreams of being. I would have to admit that the academic work
is a bit overwhelming. I say this because I have been out of an academic
environment for many years. Getting back into the swing of things is difficult
and often frustrating.
Do you have any ideas about how we can attract young men of color to the teaching profession? Please express yourself in the Private Schools Forum.
--Rob Kennedy, Private Schools Guide
