Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. with Sharif El-Mekki, organizer of the Black Men in Education Convening at the Loews Hotel on Friday. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN From left, Rachel Skerritt, Lisette Nieves, Tony Watlington, John King Jr., Kaya Henderson and Anthony Thurmond on stage Friday. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN Members of the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative came from Georgia for the conference. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. with Sharif El-Mekki, organizer of the Black Men in Education Convening at the Loews Hotel on Friday. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN From left, Rachel Skerritt, Lisette Nieves, Tony Watlington, John King Jr., Kaya Henderson and Anthony Thurmond on stage Friday. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN Conference attendees line the hallway inside the Loews Hotel on Friday. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN Members of the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative came from Georgia for the conference. —TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. recalled the positive impact that Black teachers had on his life during a Friday morning panel at the Black Men in Education Convening at the Loews Hotel in Center City. “My mom and I moved to North Carolina, and I remember when I was in middle school, my all-time-favorite teacher who made a big impact, her name was Mrs. Loris Love,” he said. “Evidently, what Dr. Maya Angelou once said about people, ‘people may forget what you said and what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel,’ is true.” Watlington shared these thoughts on the panel “Policy and Community: The Path Forward for a Healthy Black Teacher Pipeline” with other educators Kaya Henderson, John King, Jr., Lisette Nieves and Anthony Thurmond. The talk was moderated by Rachel Skerritt. “Mrs. Love on the first day of school, she knew something about our families, she respected us, and she expected great things out of us, and I like the way she used to do this proximity thing,” Watlington said. “When she was teaching, she’d come by and stand by your desk. She just looked at you like she was paying attention so absolutely.” The panel agreed that Black students are sometimes valued by other teachers but “only in the margins.” For example, a Black student who is a quarterback might be valued for his athleticism, but not for activism. Educator and author Roderick Carey said something happens when there is not one Black male teacher in the school. Black male students “need to see brothers who have been there — so that they can see that they can make it through,” he said. Carey said it is important to say, “I’m proud of you” to the straight-A kids, and sometimes, “I’m proud of you for what you overcame just to get here this morning.” The BMEC gathering is scheduled to end Saturday featuring City Council members and a closing interview between educators Chris Emdin and Lisa Delpit. Local high school seniors Maddox Gilding and Drew Holland from the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber High School in West Philadelphia, attended the conference and said they hope to become educators and mentors. “We like interacting with the kids, and seeing how kids can relate to us and how we can make the classroom become better,” Holland said. Stay informed and connected — subscribe to The Philadelphia Tribune NOW! Click Here Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/philly-schools-leader-joins-talk-on-black-teacher-pipeline-at-gathering-of-national-educators/article_c9051d1c-9297-4bc6-ba9a-9aa8ffa4a81f.html
Philly schools leader joins talk on Black teacher pipeline at gathering of national educators
