Black African Male Mathematics Teachers in the United States: Are They Preservice or In-Service Teachers?

• In Event: International Perspectives of Black Male Teachers

Abstract

In the United States (US), there has been a national call to recruit more Black males into the teaching profession, especially in subject areas like mathematics (Davis, Frank Jones, & Clark, 2013). The call for Black male mathematics teachers has failed to take into consideration research and the heterogeneity of Black male teachers (Clark, Johnson, & Chazan, 2010), in general, and more specifically, Black male mathematics teachers from international backgrounds. The research literature has provided very little insight into the experiences and perspectives of Black male mathematics teachers from international backgrounds who taught internationally before coming to the US and then had to complete a teacher education program before teaching in US classrooms.

Using African American Male Theory (AAMT; Bush & Bush, 2013) and Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST; Spencer, 2006; 2008), this study explores the experiences of three Black African male mathematics teachers who taught in Africa and are now enrolled in undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs to be eligible to teach in the US. AAMT and PVEST recognize that Black male mathematics teachers are connected to Africa and they have unique experiences that demonstrate their resilience.

The findings from this study provide insight into Black African male mathematics teachers’ resilience as they provide for their families while working full time jobs and completing a teacher education program. It also provides insight into their teaching experiences and perceptions of US and African schools. The findings provide insight into Black African male teachers’ experiences with Praxis II mathematics content and pedagogy exams. This study extends the conversation on the heterogeneity of Black male teachers, specifically, in mathematics, and the complexity of being a Black African male mathematics teacher who aspires to teach in the US.

Author

• Julius Davis, Bowie State University