The first years of teaching can be scary, lonely times, and with the public education system consistently changing, it can often be hard to navigate.
Teachers will have the herculean task of engaging students starting the school year already behind, learning loss, dealing with emotional and mental traumas, and other costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes without enough guidance.
For Ocie Miles Jr., a two-year educator at Aldine ISD, the decision to become an educator was deeply rooted in his desire to empower and inspire the next generation. As an educator, he aimed to “expand student’s knowledge, give them opportunities, and prepare them for life after graduation.”
However, Miles quickly discovered that teaching was far more complex than anticipated.
“Some of the barriers Black educators encounter in the education system [is that] our voices are barely heard or considered,” he said. “We cannot teach the way we want to; extra micro-managing; and the lack of freedom to be yourself in and outside of the classroom.”
Navigating the intricacies of classroom management, addressing the diverse needs of his students, and balancing the demands of the classroom are challenging. Still, Miles said he is privileged to work with an excellent department and school administrator eager to support teachers’ professional development.
“I’ve asked for the help of Black educators, and the replies have had a significant influence,” he said. “Having a group of people who can offer advice on teaching has been beneficial to me because not everyone is suited to be a teacher. This is not an easy career path.”
Jordan Victorian, a 26-year-old educator in Spring ISD, found himself drawn to the history subjects in school and learning about different historical events that have shaped our society. The transplant from Louisiana grew up in a small area called Opelousas, where the only examples of stable professions were in healthcare or Offshore oil industry-related jobs. There weren’t many people he grew up with that had people they looked up to. And he wanted to be that person for other Black and brown youth.
The challenges he’s learned in his short time as a teacher are the lack of accountability students with poor behaviors have in school and the strict nature of the curriculum.
“I’m not saying every parent is terrible. Some parents are very involved, but my expectations in my classroom will always be second place to what is being taught to a child at home, and sometimes it conflicts,” he said. “In the school system, certain rules are supposed to be in place, but there is no way to give those proper consequences, and it will be a very different ball game when they enter the real world, and I worry about that for students.”
As for the curriculum, he said students have different learning styles, and schools need to be places where students are excited to show up and learn new things.
“I love history, but I get bored even during lectures. So, I never want to give my students that kind of experience,” he said. “The students I work with have so much energy, and we have to reach out in the ways that they understand, and redesigning the curriculum would help.”
Victorian credits his support to his student teaching program and his advisors for helping him prepare for the workforce. However, he said that even though he attended school for education, he continuously learned something new.
LeKeisha Washington is an esteemed education leader and lead assistant principal within Galena ISD. For the last 18 years, she has dedicated her career to uplifting youth who are often “counted out.” As the first Black female administrator for her campus, achieving such a milestone came with a lot of self-teaching.
“To be honest, I didn’t get that mentorship in the beginning. That first year is so demanding and overwhelming. I learned as I went, and I wasn’t scared to think outside of the box,” she said. “There are so many resources to do certain things because there is no perfect way. You can get all the advice, but you have to filter out what works for you and your students.”
One of the most significant changes in the education landscape that Washington advises young educators to be aware of is how to be culturally responsive, how schools measure accountability ratings, and how allocating resources for teachers provides a high-quality learning experience.
Research suggests that culturally responsive teaching allows educators to address social barriers that cause disparities in student achievement. The accountability rating system measures what students learn in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade.
“There were times when if a kid didn’t pass, you were in fear of losing your job, and many educators operated in fear; now, the priority is growth and teaching to the potential of the students and at the level we know they can achieve, and if the teacher has the capacity and the right tools to do that. We have to be realistic about what success looks like for every student.”
Jewel Kinchen has been an educator for more than 25 years. She also agreed that the lack of creative control for teachers in the classroom and campuses not taking enough action to “implement consequences” for unruly students had made the experience of veteran and young educators.
“Students aren’t being held accountable for their actions by the campus [leadership],” she said. “This has caused many issues to academic learning and instruction.”
When she first started as an educator, she found it difficult “getting into the groove.” She thought everything was by the textbook, not knowing that educators are responsible for their pace in the field.
“As educators, many can’t do it, but others try. Be authentic and express your concerns. You cannot teach in an unstructured environment. That is not something that has to be acknowledged in a written statement; it has to be learned with experience,” she said. “If it is for you, it is for you, but you put your best foot forward, make personal and professional growth decisions, yet follow your desires. Don’t stress over something you cannot change, but if you want to educate, it just doesn’t stop in the classroom.”
