Men's Stories

The substitute teacher in Room 216 was pacing, searching for the right touchstone to help an eighth-grade social studies class in this mostly white, affluent community comprehend the sting of racial discrimination.
"O.K., have any of you ever seen the TV show ‘All in the Family?' " he asked.

Some of the Abercrombie-clad 12- and 13-year-olds looked up from their dog-eared three-ring binders. Some studied their cuticles. One girl tentatively raised her hand.

In a school district like Pittsburgh's where African-American males account for just .39 percent of the teachers, Brandon George is an anomaly.
   
But then with three master's degrees, a principal's certificate, and three successful outside businesses, the 34-year-old from Duquesne would be an anomaly just about anywhere.
  

Distinguished African American educator, "Professor" John Henry Jackson was born May 1, 1903, in Wilkes County, Georgia, to Charlie and Hattie Bonner Jackson, a school teacher at Third Shiloh Academy. After attending and graduating from the schools of Washington, he successfully earned a bachelors of science degree in education from Morehouse College of Atlanta in 1927, during the presidency of the eminent educator and scholar, Dr. John Hope.

They are a group of men who work in an overwhelmingly female world.

They are used to children forgetting and calling them "Mrs.," they know to check the men's room to make sure no women happen to be in there, and as one put it, "I probably know more about pregnancy than a man should know."

These men also say they have one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs in the world: teaching elementary school.

What factors or career paths lead you to work with infants/toddlers? I was looking for a way to get involved in social service. An opening occurred for the local Head Start program as a volunteer coordinator/in-kind solicitor. I applied, was hired, and found out I loved 4-year-olds. The next year they added 3-year-olds, and I was totally hooked. After almost 2 years, I was at work one day when a psychologist who had done some staff development for us called me and asked, "How would you like to play with kids all day and get paid for it?" The rest is history.