Future Black educators at MSU carve out a career as education becomes politicized

Since 2021, 44 states have taken steps to restrict the teaching of critical race theory and the discussion of racism and sexism in classrooms, according to data from Education Weekly. Eighteen states have signed on to these restrictions or approved similar measures.

Black history education is being targeted in America, and teachers' positions are being affected nationwide. Students of color who aspire to become teachers are preparing to enter a field that is subject to social and legal pressures, and Black students are working to overcome this challenge.

MSU teacher education freshman Kylie Ferguson has always been drawn to teaching. In her childhood, she used to play pretend school with her friends and lead pretend lessons while making her friends sit and study.

Ferguson said these attacks on black history affect both her identity and her future profession. At the same time, she was able to further increase her desire to become a teacher.

“When things like black history are sidelined, it sends a message that black people, their history, doesn't matter,” Ferguson said. “As a biracial person, I know how important it is for students to see themselves reflected in the content they learn.”

Savannah Solano Mayfield, a senior teacher education major, said she wants her students to feel differently than she did when she was a student.

“I didn't really see myself reflected in the materials or the curriculum,” Solano-Mayfield says. “That's kind of why I wanted to be a teacher, because there are so many books, so many other sides and so many other aspects of history that we never know about as children. Because there is another story, and life in general.”

Curriculum restrictions could continue to spread ignorance among young people, she said.

“Kids are so young and impressionable, they're like sponges,” Solano-Mayfield said. “So they're collecting all the information. This guy, he's going to impose one idea on them…this master, he's going to impose a narrative on them, and that's all they're going to know.”

Solano Mayfield, who didn't really start learning about Black and Indigenous history in the classroom until she was in college, said that's part of what needs to change.

“So I started thinking, if I had learned this in higher education now, this would have helped me in high school,” Solano-Mayfield said. “So what can we do now to fix it?”

When Solano Mayfield is a teacher, she wants to spread the truth to her students by presenting different sides of any story and letting them form their own conclusions and opinions.

“We have to inform our children about the world around them, because the world is always changing,” she said. “Like when you teach both sides of a story, that's the whole point. Future generations have to be able to think for themselves.”

Jessica Williams, a senior teacher education major, serves on the advisory board of Future Teachers of Color, an MSU campus organization that began hosting events this year.

Being at a predominantly white educational institution (PWI), Williams sometimes feels like her voice is not heard. She said having a community like Future Teachers of Color can help alleviate this feeling of invisibility and isolation.

Williams said she wants to prepare students for the working world through instruction.

“(I) want to make them good citizens for the future. That's all the school does outside of learning,” Williams said.

For students like Solano-Mayfield, one way to overcome these obstacles is to find mentors through communities of color on campus. Before attending MSU, Solano-Maefield, who is also an advisory board member for Future Teachers of Color, did not feel there was a strong community at MSU.

“I was going through this alone because I had no idea if anyone felt the same way or if anyone could empathize with me,” Solano Mayfield said. said.

Now, she enjoys helping new students come to MSU with a stronger support system than before.

Ferguson said she found it difficult to interact with others in class, but having a black professor helped.

“When I speak in class, I feel like she somehow understands what I'm saying,” Ferguson said.

Similarly, Solano Mayfield felt a sense of relief when she met her first professor of color at MSU. This professor was also her first teacher of color throughout her education.

When students of color have teachers of color in front of them, there is an added level of support and understanding, she said.

“At least I know that my professor and I are on the same page. I'm not the only one who feels like they don't have anything to say,” Solano-Mayfield said. “I feel like I can deal with that… It's a little different when you have a teacher who looks like you and speaks like you.”

When Ferguson becomes a teacher herself, she hopes to give her students the same sense of security.

“I'm kind of an advocate and I want them to feel like if they don't have a good home life or whatever, they can come to me. And I can help with that,” Ferguson said.

Solano Mayfield said she wants to teach the truth and make a bigger difference in how she approaches education and its future. After becoming a teacher, she hopes to become an administrator and make decisions to fix the education system around her.

Solano Mayfield grew up in a bilingual household with a Spanish-speaking mother and an English-speaking father. Because of this, she had to take certain classes and her WIDA test every year to test her language abilities.

“As students of color, I know that many of the grades they give us are designed to make us fail,” she says.

She hopes to use her experience to make curriculum-level changes that benefit students of all types of learning abilities. She says there are other ways to gain student understanding beyond essays and tests.

“I want to teach in a way that promotes critical thinking and encourages students to do things on their own, rather than feeling like there's a textbook and this is the answer,” Ferguson said. Ta.

Solano Mayfield considers himself a multimodal learner and believes that adapting to changing landscapes such as technology and social media requires adopting this type of education.

“Kids need versatility in their lives. Technology is everywhere,” she said. “And as teachers, we have to be willing to change with the times or we will be left behind.”