The other day at the School Reform Town Hall Meeting at Bus Boys and Poets, one of the panelist shared a statistic that is still shocking every time that I hear it:  of all US teachers, only 1.9% are black males. This measure does not show that black males have no desire to teach because if you take a closer look at the data, you will see that the #1 profession for black males with a bachelor’s degree is Primary Teacher, #3 Secondary Teacher, #9 Administrator, and the #10 profession is Counselor.  The issue really was found in looking at the number of black males that actually earn a college degree, which is 15% (a bachelor’s degree is typically a requirement for teacher certification).

I share these numbers not to paint a negative image, but rather to motivate and encourage others towards college and possibly the teaching profession.  Contrary to popular belief, teaching can be a lucrative career, but even more than that, it provides people with an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our future leaders!  As I complete my graduate degree in education, I have the pleasure of learning and teaching alongside a few distinguished gentleman.  Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph one of these men in a portrait session at a local elementary school.  Below are images of “Mr. O,” and by the way, if you see something that you like, feel free to post a comment!