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Black male teachers on riseChristina Elmore

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Sep 29 2011 12:01 am Mar 23 9:28 pm

Thomas Savage, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Rollings School of the Arts,discusses the Gullah culture with students. /

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Young black males have a better chance of being taught by someone who looks like themnow that the ��rst two graduates of the College of Charleston's Call Me MISTER program areteaching in area schools.

And more are in training.

Call Me MISTER is increasing the number of black male teachers in South Carolina byproviding a support system for black men pursuing degrees in education, program leaderssay.

Participants also are o��ered a ��nancial packagethat includes loan forgiveness in proportion tothe years spent in the program and given back toschools.

The mission of the Call Me MISTER (MentorsInstructing Students Toward E��ective RoleModels) Initiative is "to increase the pool ofavailable teachers from a broader more diversebackground," the program website says.

Jimmy Freeman, one of the program's graduates,is a fourth-grade English and language arts teacher at Sedge��eld Intermediate School inGoose Creek.

Freeman said he didn't have a black male teacher until he got to college, but he hopes toinspire children as much as he was inspired by a female educator growing up.

"I had an older female African-American teacher, Mrs. Dawson. She pushed us. It was the factthat she wouldn't let me slide through. She was not going to just give me a grade in her class.I had to earn it. I didn't understand it at the time, but looking back I really admire that," hesaid.

Freeman said that in school there was a tendency for teachers to just write up black maleswhen they misbehaved. But Dawson took a more caring approach when dealing with herstudents.

"She was patient, especially with the black males in my class. She had her own special way ofdealing with us. So the passion that I have for my students, I believe that I got that from her,"Freeman said.

Freeman said.

Thomas Savage graduated from Call Me MISTER with Freeman and teaches eighth-gradesocial studies at Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Summerville. He credits the programwith giving him the con��dence to pursue a career in what he's passionate about.

"I knew I wanted to teach, but sometimes I tried to get out of it. I was a��ected by what otherpeople thought about it. It mostly came down to the whole money thing, but I never foundanything else that interested me as much as teaching did, so I stayed with it," Savage said.

While the ��nancial package that comes with staying in the program was a bonus, Savage saidit was not the reason he chose to be part of it.

"On the surface, it looks really good that there is this monetary incentive, but at the sametime, having more African-American males in the classroom really struck me. Having apositive male in uence leaves a lasting impact," he said.

Spreading a legacy

Call Me MISTER was developed at Clemson University and, according to its website, has sincespread to ��ve states and 13 universities in S.C., reaching the College of Charleston in 2007.

Twenty black male students are involved in the C of C program. The branch's director is FloydBreeland, a retired school administrator and state representative.

He said he ��rst heard of Call Me MISTER when the program was presented to the BlackCaucus in 2000.

"I remember I was very impressed with the idea because I voted for it. I'm a victim of nothaving young male teachers. The only male I knew in school when I came up was theprincipal," Breeland said.

Though Breeland didn't have a teacher who looked like him growing up, he said he recognizesthe bene��ts that today's young people could gain if black men had a larger presence in SouthCarolina schools.

"Male teachers can serve as role models, as someone who encourages young people, maleand females, too, in a positive direction. Encourage them to become leaders, and encouragethem to encourage other young people to better their lives in certain ways as well," Breelandsaid.

"This is important because if you don't have a father ��gure in the home, a male elementaryteacher could help bridge that gap," Breeland said.

One of Call Me MISTER's members, Jared Gambrell, said he also never had a black-maleteacher in school.

Gambrell said he hopes the program can decrease the number of young black males who cansay that. "It's really hard to even put into words what this program really means. It's just agreat opportunity. It's a privilege more so than anything else to be an African-American maleeducator when there are so few of them," Gambrell said.

As a 30-year-old junior at the College of Charleston, Gambrell said he has worked in a numberof jobs, but he plans to make a career out of teaching.

"My mother was a teacher for Charleston County for over 25 years. She always pushed meinto education, but it was something that I shied away from for a long time. After I worked ata treatment facility for juveniles, I realized how rewarding it (teaching) could be. It's the abilityto give back," he said.

"It's about communicating with the black male youth. ... I believe the only thing I would wantto say to each and every one of them is to do your best. Don't allow things to get in the way oftaking care of school. School is important. No matter what your situation is, it will pass ifyou're willing to work."

What students think

Madelyne Paulk, a 13-year-old student in Savage's class, said that in her experience maleteachers can be stricter than their female counterparts.

Madelyne's classmate, Mitchell Cook, 14, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they can be stricter,but that helps me focus," Mitchell said.

Devon Smith, 13, agreed with his classmates, but said he enjoyed Savage's class because itgives him a chance to laugh.

"Sometimes male teachers have more of a sense of humor. It's just social studies, but thathelps me enjoy it more," Devon said.

Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5908.