The schooling of African-American male students: the role of male teachers and school administrators

Abstract

Drawing on interview and informal observation data collected from eight adolescent African-American boys residing in an urban community and attending an urban charter school, this paper describes and explores their relationships with African-American male school personnel. This paper highlights how adolescent African-American boys' experience and make sense of their interactions with teachers, school administrators and staff, as well as discusses the implications for school engagement and masculine identity development. The boys' narratives reveal relationships that are confrontational and strained, as well as respectful and caring. Furthermore, they highlight the ways in which masculinity is being shaped through the reciprocal-posturing of adult males.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• African-American boys
• African-American male teachers
• teacher–student relationships

Acknowledgements

The author is thankful to the participating young men and the school administrators for granting permission for the research to be conducted in their school.

Notes

Pseudonyms were used for all research participants.

The school was alternative in the sense that it is a public charter high school where students apply for admission, participate in externships one and a half days a week, and participate in group and individual counselling. ‘Alternative’ is not an indication of ‘problem students’ or receiving a non-college preparatory education.

One participant was not able to complete the final interview. He missed several days of school towards the end of the term, and I was not successful in rescheduling before the year ended.

In an effort to give back to the school, I volunteered as chaperone (on an overnight camping trip) and substitute teacher. I was cautious not to jeopardise my research relationship with the participants by limiting my volunteerism to classes where they were not enrolled and to chaperoning other students. However, I was still able to observe their behaviours, actions and interactions from afar.

Mr DeAngelo left the school before data collection began. He is rarely mentioned in the boys' narratives of male school personnel. He is only mentioned in the context of teachers who have left the school.

‘Standard of masculinity’ is not intended to imply a singular, one-dimensional, monolithic, nor hegemonic definition of masculinity. Rather, it represents a complex and unique masculine identity that is embodied by Mr Harold to which the boys are ascribing their own meanings and understanding in their construction of identity.