Saving Our African American Males....Why this topic?

I am an educator. I care about ALL students.....don't get me wrong. I am especially passionate about saving our African American males. This is the area in which I will be investigating for my dissertation. I don't know when exactly I became passionate about this topic but I am. I believe that they have so many things stacked up against them that a great number of them are set up to fail before they are even born. I am currently in school working on my doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Effective Schools. My name, "drnatasharachell" should not imply that I am a doctor...YET!!!! I will be in about three years! I am claiming it now as I know that I WILL reach my goal. I taught high school science for six years and currently work in the Office of Professional Development recruiting, training, and retaining middle school math and science teachers. I LOVE my current job, however I DO miss my students. I know that in my current position I am able to relay my knowledge to a larger group of educators (than if I were still in the classroom) that will in turn touch a larger number of students and thus have an impact on student achievement.

I am beginning this blog to hopefully allow me to voice my thoughts of different educational resources that I come across and hopefully begin some rich discussion and learn from who ever may read my posts. I believe that ALL students can learn and what I've come to find out, from my personal experience with African American male students is that the key is building relationships. Students simply want to know that you care and that their life is valued by someone else. I had so many "hallway homies" when I was teaching. These are the kids that hang in the hallways that I've never had as my students. I just knew them because they were in the hallways so much! Eventually I did indeed teach a great deal of my "hallway homies" and because that relationship had already been established (because I took the time to do this while they were in the halls even though I didn't know them) when they got to be my students, THEY WORKED!!!! I would hear so many complaints from other teachers about "these" students that they would be late to their classes or that they wouldn't do their work. I didn't have these issues out of them. And I firmly believe that it's because I took the time to build that relationship.

I am new to the blogging world but plan to challenge myself to make it be what I want it to be...whatever that may be!