Hamilton County struggles toward goal of teacher diversity

Recruiting male and minority teachers not easy, local school officials say

Teacher Quincy Harris talks with Sacia Willis, center, and Ja'mes Johnson in his Bible History class at Brainerd High School on Tuesday.
Teacher Quincy Harris talks with Sacia Willis, center, and Ja'mes Johnson in his Bible History class at Brainerd High School on Tuesday.

A lot of principals say they want their staff to reflect their student body.

It's more than race that makes first-year teacher Quincy Harris relatable to his students at Brainerd High School.

"It's also my hair," Harris said, patting his dreadlocks.

Harris believes the physical resemblance he shares with many of the students in his Bible history classes is important. But he thinks the most valuable thing for them is having relationships with teachers and being exposed to diversity.

New teacher demographics

Demographics of Hamilton County’s new teachers:› White: 86 percent› Black/Latino/Asian/two or more races: 14 percent› Female: 78 percent› Male: 22 percent› Average age: 32 years oldSource: Hamilton County Department of Education, as of Sept. 25, 2015

The number of students filling Hamilton County's public schools is increasingly diverse - more than 45 percent of students in schools here do not identify as white - but school officials say recruiting male and minority teachers is not easy. It's always been a problem.

This year, about 86 percent of the new teachers hired to work in Hamilton County are white, and only 21 percent of the new teachers are males.

According to national data, these statistics are not abnormal. The teaching profession is dominated by white females - and has been for decades.

"The teaching pool is saturated in this way," said Dorinda Carter Andrews, associate professor of race, culture and equity in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. "It's imbalanced, and it's a national issue."

Eighty percent of the teachers nationwide are white females, Andrews said. This reality is "perpetuating a lack of cultural competency," she added.

Andrews said cultural diversity is good for all kids - not just kids of color.

Andrews said many school districts are not explicit or strategic in how they recruit a diverse batch of teachers, saying it takes targeted recruitment efforts.

Hamilton County's recruitment coordinator, Lesa Johnson, said the school district is intentionally working to recruit diverse teachers, but not many apply for jobs here.

This year, Johnson will travel to schools with more diverse teacher prep programs like Alabama A&M, Tennessee Tech and Bennett College, which is a historically black university. At these schools, she hopes to meet a diverse group of students who want to teach in Hamilton County.

"A lot of principals say they want their staff to reflect their student body," Johnson said. "I think the district has done a good job in hiring, and now we're doing a little extra push to go places we haven't gone."

Johnson said her No. 1 priority remains recruiting the "best and brightest," and those teachers may be local - or states away. She said it is her job to provide principals with a strong pool of candidates from which to hire, and she hopes there is diversity within those candidates.

Charles Mitchell, an assistant principal at Brainerd High School, said that when hiring teachers Brainerd considers the candidates' pedagogy - method of teaching - content knowledge and ability to build relationships.

"If you can build a relationship, race doesn't matter," Mitchell said. "But we want to make an effort to give students teachers that are reflective of society."

At East Brainerd Elementary, first-grade teacher Benjamin Bernier said being a male teacher adds to the school's diverse workforce. It's his first year teaching, but he can already tell he brings additional perspective to his class and to conversations with fellow teachers.

"Diversity is more than race," Bernier said. "It's good for kids to see me, a man, in the classroom."

Just a hall away, Kayla Mayeur is also in the midst of her first year of teaching. Her class of second-graders is racially mixed, and she said the diversity of cultures inside her classroom provides a valuable learning experience for everyone.

Tyrone Howard, associate dean for equity and inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles' school of education, said a child's exposure in school to a diversity of teachers is fundamental to eliminating prejudice.

"It's important for all students - and not just students of color - to see individuals who come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds," Howard said. "Diversifying our teaching population does not sacrifice quality. If anything it enhances it."

Sitting behind his desk after the dismissal bell rang Tuesday, Harris said it is common for him to talk about stereotypes with students. As a black man, he said he can relate directly to many of the kids, especially the boys, and hopes he can show them what they can accomplish.

He also believes he'd be an asset at a school where the students didn't resemble him, because exposure to diversity, whether it be age, gender or race, is important.

"We need more diversity in our teachers," he said. "Every school here needs it."

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.

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