Black Teachers on Teaching: A Collection of Oral Histories

By Michele Foster

Education is something that should be treasured, since most people would hardly listen to an uneducated man no matter how wise he sounds. I think that this was the mind set of blacks that led them to fight long and hard in order to receive an education. Before emancipation blacks were determined to educate themselves, and most of them were prevented from reading. If the were found learning to read they were severely punished, however, blacks valued literacy and many learned to read. Some Blacks were taught to read by sympathetic whites, while others learned alongside their master’s children and a significant number of blacks were taught to read by freed Blacks or by slaves who were educated.

Blacks began becoming educated and some to them were going into the teaching profession, these teachers were faced with many hardships.  They were only hired to teach black students. In the event that they were hired to teach they could only teach in segregated schools where they were restricted to teaching mostly in the elementary grades. Their positions were never permanent and they were prohibited from teaching white children.

After reading this article I recognize that black teachers have come a long way in how teaching is being carried out in this country however a lot of work still needs to be done.  I look at schools and see teachers that are no longer caring for students but only for the pay check that they receive.  Our schools are failing and no one seems to have the answer. We definitely need to re-evaluate how our schools are run in we want to compete in the world in regards to education.