Suffolk University Alumni Magazine 2008/2009 - (Page 27) “Students need to see themselves in their teachers,” dr. Szachowicz says. “They need to see the faces of the world.” Like Szachowicz, educational activists and researchers have decried the shortage of minority teachers for decades. According to the National education Association (NeA), 40 percent of the nation’s students belong to minority groups, compared to only 16 percent of teachers in grades k-12. In the eyes of many experts, this disparity represents a crisis. What is at stake? NeA research shows that “when teachers of color are missing, minority students land more frequently in special education classes, have higher absentee rates, and tend to be less involved in school activities.” “Teachers of color have a unique vantage point in terms of the critical intersections that affect how students perceive themselves, the world, and their lived reality,” says Professor Carmen veloria of Suffolk University’s department of education and human Services. EARLY ROLE mODELs Greg hazelwood understands his complex mission as a teacher of history and a member of a diverse community. he credits his parents and the Suffolk University professors who took the time to mentor him, inside the classroom and out, with giving him the sense of purpose that fires his teaching. Growing up in Mattapan, the son of an African American father and a haitian mother, hazelwood appreciated the value of education from an early age. his father, the oldest of 10 children, left school early to help support his family in rural virginia. Moving north for economic opportunity, he met Greg’s mother, whose family immigrated to New york and Boston from haiti. Working for the MBTA and Blue Cross, respectively, hazelwood’s father and mother provided a Catholic school education for their two children. “We want you to be in a better position than we are in,” they said. “education is vital.” “My parents made sure to have encyclopedias in the house. At the same time, they demonstrated an Below: Family pride: Hazelwood sits between his mother Marie and father Willie B. Hazelwood at his parents’ home in Mattapan, Massachusetts. www.suffolk.edu SUFFOLKARTS+SCIENCES//2008/2009 [27] http://www.suffolk.edu
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.