A Talk to Teachers

Mahatma Ghandi once made the statement, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” If one wants to bring about a positive change, they must be aware of the problems and take action. Similarly this is what Baldwin tried to get teachers to understand in his Talk to Teachers. In order to teach effectively and to be able to affect students, teachers must first begin with themselves. Baldwin employs to teachers to change the way they see black children and to improve their education.
Baldwin makes this address to all teachers in the early 1960’s. This is significant because this was during the civil rights’ movement for African Americans and schools had just begun to integrate student into previously segregated districts. Previously, there had been racial inequality in the education system. African Americans had not held the same level of education as White people did but now integration allowed them to use the same facilities to get an education. Integration did not automatically mean an equal education because that would be up to the teachers. The teachers had become used to the institution of segregation due to the racist society that had permitted it. Most likely these teachers held their own preconceptions of black students and were not happy with this change. This caused the education of these students to be stunted and no one benefitted. If progress was to be made, teacher needed to get past these preconceptions of students and actually teach. Although this took place in 1963, similar problems are faced in today’s world.
Teachers take on many roles in the community. They serve as role models, guides and, of course, teachers to the youth. They bring up the next generation of leaders for this country. They are some of the most influential and life-changing people in a student’s life. With that, teachers are given a great responsibility, but if they are not able to complete their tasks, students will never aspire for more in their lives. Teachers may accept this because of how they feel towards students but their preconceptions may be based off of more than just race. This influences how a teacher teaches. When teachers are like this, these are “dangerous times” because a student is lost in the classroom and it is not their fault. If the teacher does not execute their job then, the student may not feel motivated to do theirs either. Teachers must get over this because education is too important to be discarded over how a teacher perceives a student.
If students are to be gained instead of lost in the classroom there are many things a teacher can do. In classes there are things that teachers do that are unacceptable. Many classrooms have teachers that exhibit favoritism, intimidation and a lack of sympathy. These can distract from a decent education. They also make students feel inferior. To fix this, teachers must work on being considerate of all students. All students go through different things that cannot be compared to other students, so to openly reveal a preference of another student is unfair. A teacher can instead treat all students equally. Also trying to be more be more understanding of a student’s pitfalls will help them to want to advance in their education instead of falling behind. If a student is not comfortable in a classroom, this can often cause confusion and promote contentions. A teacher must also work on being more open and approachable. They can be more receptive to questions and not make one feel incompetent for clarifying on a matter. A teacher should try to implement this in the classroom and even though these tasks may be difficult, teachers should not allow a prejudice or partial spirit to permeate the classroom.
Teachers must learn not take this lightly. They are educated persons and they must change the society we live in. These simple suggestions could help them to really reach their students. When this happens, teachers become instruments in creating enlightened individuals. They will further go on to positively contribute to society. This is beneficial to future generations because they will get an education without teachers treating them differently or partially.