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SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 1995—THE CAROLINA TlMES-3 A Rarity in the Classroom, A Black Male Teacher By C J Clemmons The Charlotte Observer CHARLOl’TE (AP) - A few days graduation, Victor Mack was alone in his classroom, picking up L remnants of his first year as a jiath teacher at Providence High jt's been a tumultuous year, said Idack, tired from an early morning "close-out" meeting for teachers. Il's been a yeai' rife with paper work and deadlines, long days and short pay checks and a few mo- „,cnts when iie wanted to give it ail ^^'Many days I walked in and swore 1 was going to the principal’s office and say T QUIT,’ " said Mack, 23, who came to Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools after gradu ating from N.C. A&T State Univer sity in May 1994. "1 burned myself out in the begin- jjoo. When you deal with 100 stu dent a day, it can get to you. Eventually, I learned how to manage my time better. It takes patience and commitment to be an effective educator." Looking relaxed in jeans, a baseball cap and a siriped rugby shirt, Mack quickly lidied the tiny trailer where he taught algebra, geometry and in tegrated mathematics to 11th- He was eager to finish so he could pick up the sheet music for his wedding Friday to college sweetheart Lori Smith, 23, a kin dergarten teacher at Crown Point Elementary School. The ever meticulous Mack stacked textbooks in precise rows, swept the floor and pushed papers into his briefcase, including a card given to him by a student on the last day of class. "Thank you for all you’ve done," read the inscription. "I wish you all the happiness in the world." Mack made such a good impression that he was asked to teach math to mid dle school students at UNC Char lotte this summer. In education, Mack is a rarity: a black man. Blacks make up about 23 percent of the more than 4,000 CMS teachers. African-Americans stu dents account for 40 percent of the school district’s 84,000 students. North Carolina is losing minority teachers at an alarming rate, and the pool of prospective minority teachers is shrinking, according to a 1994 report from the North Caro lina Association of Educators. The state would need at least 15,000 new minority teachers to even the ratio with minority stu dents. ''.INTRODUCING , A GROuNrKqor .Opportunity fHAr'S1)i|TS-.yoy.AT The Top. - OWN A BUSINESS OF YOUR OWN DISTRIBUTORSHIPS AVAILABLE An expanding African American-owned manufacturer of Hair and Personal Care products is seeking distributors to sell to and service Hair Care salons in this area. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious, and goal oriented person to own and operate their own business and gain financial independence. A sales or safes rnanagement background would be a definite Plus - butts not required. All interested candidates must: A. Be willing to invest $5,000 for start-up inventory B. Participate in a two (2) day orientation and training session C. Have available a van, station wagon, or suitable delivery type vehicle. D. Be willing to set up a Business entity E. Have a clean driving record For a personal interview or for more information please call: (910) 996-2244 between the hours of 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday - Friday City of Durham Weekly Calendar WEEKLY CALENDAR: JUNE 26,1995 - JUNE 30, 1995 COUNCIL holds its regular meetings on the FIRST and THIRD MONDAYS OF EACH MONTH at 7:30 p.m. in me City Council Chamber, located on the first floor of City Hall I nese meetings are open to the public. City Government meetings scheduled during the next week in clude the following: MONDAY. June 26, 1995 CENTRAL SAFETY COMMITTEE TiicorvAi/ , „ (Committee Room/2nd Floor) njESDAY. June 27 1995 8:00 a.rfi7HTDRHAMTijSTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION (Committee Room/2nd Floor) BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT (Council Chamber/1 St Floor) TAXICAB STUDY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Committee Room/2nd Floor) DURH.AM CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS) (101 E. Morgan St.) HOUSING APPEALS BOARD (Committee Room/2nd Floor) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of the HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION . (Theatre Room/1 St Floor) MDNESDAY. June 28. 1995 Technical coordinating committee . .nn (Committee Room/2nd Floor) ' P-'F'- CELLULAR TELEPHONE TOWER location WORKSHOP TuiiorrA.,, . (Committee Room/2nd Floor) UjURSDAY. June 29. 1995 FRinav I NO MEETINGS SCHEDULED fflIDAY, June .3(1, iga.t 8:3!rirm: DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD All , (Committee Room/2nd Floor) City Hail Plaza, unless * is suhiSe^a'f^’ msetirigs may be scheduled after this CouL!i M A®'* '?'■ P^l’i'cahon. Free parking is available during the ara available bv lafephone 560-4130 o'r "I Cable Channe: 23 eve,, .'/e,. - 8:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Minority students make up 34.3 percent of the school-age popula tion in North Carolina, but the number of minority teachers declined from 21.6 percent in 1974- 75 to 16.7 percent in 1993-94, the NCAE report said. "There aren’t enough role models for the kids there," said Mack, the sole black among the 14 math teachers at Providence. "It doesn’t send a good message to our kids when they see- an all-black custodial staff but few black teachers." Many blacks who be came teachers 20 or 30 years ago when few other careers were open to them are now retiring, said NCAE President Cecil Banks. "Ail of the high-caliber people are leaving and not enough are coming in," Banks said. Why is it so difficult to find black teachers? Even though North Caro lina has several predominantly black colleges to recruit from in cluding N.C. Central in Durham, N.C. A&T in Greensboro and Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, Banks said young people simply aren’t interested in the profession. Charlotte-Meckienburg Schools recruiter Oscar Bidgood travels to teacher fairs and universities all over the Southeast looking for suitable candidates. The starting salary in Charlotte is $22,000. Bidgood said that’s com petitive with comparable Southern cities, but teachers can move eight hours away to Fairfax, Va., or Washington and add about $10,000 to their salaries. The average teacher’s salary in North Carolina is $29,000, 38th in the country. Banks said more incentives are needed to attract young teachers, starting in high school. Teachers must also do their part to encourage their best students to enter the profession. "We’ve got to deal with the real world." Banks said. "The profes sion must make itself moic attrac tive to young people. High schools Douglas Wilder To Sue RDu RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Vonner Gov. L. Douglas 'Vildcr has !‘>iud $5 million lawsuu ajainsl llv security guard he Sc.\assauliud him in March at Raleigh f>ii'ham International Airport, th” airport director said last Thursday. Wilder allegedly was assaulted March 7 by the guard at the North Carolina airport after his suspender clips set off a metal detector as he prepared to board a USAir flight for Richmond. . Wilder was in northern Virginia last Thursday night, rehearsing for the televised version of his radio talk show. Telephone messages left at his home and office by The A.s- sociated Press were not immediate ly returned. Paul Turk, a spokesman for USAir in Crystal City, Va., said he was not aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. Airport Director John Brantley told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that copies of the lawsuit arrived last Thursday at the airport. "He named 'four defendants; the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, USAir, Globe Security and the for mer security checkpoint attendant," Brantley said. The guard was fired the day of the incident. "There are a number of allega tions,” Brantley said. "Assault and battery, false imprisonment and negligence." Brantley said Wilder is seeking $3 million in com pensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages. Wilder has said the fracas was sparked by the guard’s surly man- I went to look at the guard’s name, because his tone and his manner alone were worthy of being reported," Wilder said later that day. "He grabbed me and said, T just don’t like you’ and shoved me up against the wall and started choking me." Brantley said the air port should not be a defendant. Ac cording to federal aviation regula tions, he said, the screening of pas sengers before boarding is the re sponsibility of the airlines, not the airport. "We don’t belong in the lawsuit," Brantley said. "Our attorneys will take steps to gain our dismissal from the entire action." Brantley sard the yn-port authority had not Up the suit with USAir or C,7r!he thought they pi' : b,. W’l a'M w to have the suit Ji* ic aNcftthCiL^olinacourt. enMed'ScMirfoAuslt ^oods and Essence Magazine conducted a luncheon and seminar Edna Mae Robinson, the aerobics instructor s the HrrfemBraTch"’’ ^ must offer challenging programs and a nurturing environment." The state’s Teaching Fellows Program and Project Teach are among the state’s efforts to bring students - both black and white - into teach ing. The Teaching Fellows program gives students $5,000 a year for four years if they agree to teach for four years. For the past five years, at least 20 percent of the participants have been minorities, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Project Teach is designed to raise the expectations of young black students so they will consider themselves college material. The lack of respect for teaching angers Mack, who said many col lege graduates take the job as a last resort. "1 know people who have trouble in their careers and say, ‘Well, I can always go back to teaching’,"’ said Mack. That’s not getting our kids a qualify education. If we take teaching for what it is * preparing young people for the future - then maybe it will finally get tiie respect it deserves." While Mack is torn about making teaching a career, he will return to Providence High School for at least another .year. "I like to think I’m giving some thing back," he said. "At least I’m trying to. I won’t be at this level torever. I have high expectations for my future." SUPBi SCIENCE BiimUAY imiES! Spend that special day at gne of your child’s favorite places. Parties include invitations, Museum admission, hands-on science program with make ’n’ take party favors and decorated space for party festivities. Choose from Butterflies, Bugs & Beetles, Digging Those Dinosaurs, Space Explorers and more. Topics designed for kids 4-11. MUSEOM OF LIFE AMO SCIENCE 433 MURRAY AVE. « DURHAM, NC « 919-220-5429 pgyPONI; GOUPON^COUTOfTC^PON COUPON C6uPON"COUPON:Scoupon" €he CarSiii Cimes PLEASE ENTER MY SUBSCRIPTION FOR 1 year - Durham Counly - $19.08 1 year - North Carolina - $22.32 1 year - Out of Slate - $22.00 Mr. Mrs. Ms. Address City State Zip Code Check or Money Order Enclosed Bill me within thirty days MAIL TO: THE CAROLINA TIMES P. O. Box 3825 Durham, North Carolina 27702
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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June 24, 1995, edition 1
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