Like most in her field, Sandra DeLaney didn’t become a teacher because of the pay. The average salary for elementary and secondary educators is $40,574, which at first glance seems like a decent bit of change. That is until you consider that the average is tens of thousands of dollars less per year than professionals in other fields are paid, according to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Factor in the hours spent in and outside the classroom, the physical and emotional exertion required to handle two children, let alone 25, and the stress associated with shaping one’s future, and you quickly come to the conclusion that teachers are underpaid.

“If you’re entering the field for monetary rewards, you’re in the wrong profession," says DeLaney, a seventh-grade teacher at Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida. “Teaching, however, is filled with many other intangible rewards. When you have the opportunity to see your students become productive members of society or prosper in lucrative careers, their accomplishments are compensation for the pay you’re lacking.”

In her 20 years of teaching countless seventh graders, and at one time eighth graders, the long-time educator has been enriched by the many success stories that once sat in her classroom. Terrence Crawford, a young man whom she recalls having big deer eyes and a kind smile, recently graduated from dental school and was featured in an article in the local newspaper. Sonya Thompson is a lawyer.  Professional football player William Floyd, her most notable pupil, won a Super Bowl ring during his stint with the 49ers. And there are others, doctors, educators (four of whom work with her at Bay Point), etc.

“Sometimes you’re not aware of the impact you have on their lives,” says DeLaney, who was shocked to learn a few years back that Clara Beckford, one of her quieter students, had nominated her in the teacher’s category of Who’s Who in America.

Making a difference in the lives of the Beckfords' of the world is what attracted her to the profession two decades ago. What has kept her coming back year after year—even though many of her colleagues have left to pursue more profitable endeavors—is the fact that she is one of a lopsided percentage of African-American teachers in her district. Today, roughly 30 percent of the educators in her school are minorities. According to an annual study, Bay Point Middle School is not the only institution lacking in teachers of color. The “1998 Digest of Educational Statistics” reported that out of a public school teaching population of 2,561,294 teachers, 2,216,605 were White; 188,371 Black; 108,744 Hispanic; 27,510 Asian or Pacific Islander; and 20,064 American Indian or Alaskan, indicating that the teaching profession is becoming more racially homogeneous due to the influx of more white educators and the decline of educators of color.

The statistics are troubling to DeLaney and other educators such as Nicole Rose, an art teacher at Fishback Creek Public Academy, Indianapolis, Indiana. “A school climate is created by the individuals that make up that school,” she says. “A homogeneous teaching staff creates a school climate that is substandard, especially if the student population is multicultural. Lack of diversity cripples learning opportunities for students and repeatedly presents education from a single perspective.  “Typically, the rest of our lives are homogeneous and a culturally balanced school is one opportunity to interact with adults of different backgrounds.”

Cheryl Snorgrass (right), a public school teacher in the Kansas City area prior to becoming an augmentative and alternative communication specialist, concurs. “A teaching cadre composed primarily of white females can be very limiting,” she says. “Teachers from this population come from a cultural background that is diametrically opposed to African-American students. There are so many cultural issues and differences that are never acknowledged or studied that they can’t possibly understand what it means to grow up as an African American in this country, in this day and time.

“Failure to recognize and accept that differences do exist, and the inability to rise above this by taking the time to understand these differences, sets up the situation for failure. If what is being taught and the strategies for teaching don’t align with my background and experiences as a young, developing African American, it will be difficult for me to see the value in what’s being taught.” The imbalance of minorities in the classroom, attributed by many to low salaries and the lackluster prestige of the profession, is troubling to African-American professionals who believe their presence is crucial to the development and success of African-American youth, particularly those in grades 5-8, a critical stage in which students can either be turned on to learning or turned off.

“During the elementary and secondary years, a child is going through the process of shaping the person he or she will be,” says Dr. Kate Conway-Turner (left), the chairperson of the Department of Individual and Family Studies at the University of Delaware. “All the foundation is laid there—not just the academic foundation, but the child’s sense of self. That’s why it’s so important for kids to see models of people like themselves in the school system. It’s very difficult, but not impossible, when you’re trying to figure out who you are and the kinds of things that you aspire to do when you don’t see reflections of yourself.”

Fewer people of color in the classroom also signals to students that teaching is not a viable career option for them, added Rose. “We need to make sure that the minority adults in the building are not just café workers, maintenance staff and teacher’s aides,” she says. “African-American professionals in our school buildings counteract illusions presented by the mass media.”

Initiatives for Better Incentives

Although teaching has never been classified as a lucrative field, school districts across the country are making an effort to beef up their incentive packages to attract qualified teachers. In states such as California and North Carolina, educators receive financial incentives to successfully achieve certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, reports the AFT. Baltimore officials pay many new teachers a $5,000 housing allowance. And just recently, Vice President Al Gore urged the federal government to work with the states to come up with the funding necessary to entice veteran teachers to work in poor urban and rural communities.

While pleased with these initiatives, Conway-Turner, also a professor, stresses to students that their decision to teach should not be solely based on income. “Students,” she says, “should take a serious look at what they want to do with their lives and consider what they have to contribute. It’s not just about the money. Unfortunately, in life you’re not going to get paid for every worthwhile thing that you do. If you have the gift to teach, you should really think about the kind of impact you can have on a child’s life.”

The Roles They Play

Sometimes viewed as surrogate mothers and fathers, teachers—particularly African-American educators—assume many important roles in the public school system and have numerous opportunities during a typical nine-month school year to shape, and even redirect their students’ futures. As educators, they play a pivotal role in helping children, especially first generation students, thrive in academic settings and acquire the social capital necessary to attend and graduate from college. And as mentors, they instill in students a sense of pride as well as the capacity to be good learners.

“Teaching is a field that has rippling effects,” says Conway-Turner. It gives you an opportunity to enhance the lives of several children—children who will one day themselves influence other generations.

What’s most appealing to secondary teachers like Nicole Rose is the daily interaction and give-and-take with creative, open minds. “Incredible personal relationships develop between Black students and teachers,” she says, adding that her students are very inquisitive about the path that led her into their lives. "They ask me ‘Ms. Rose, when did you decide to be an artist? How did you become a teacher? Did you like the same things that I did as a child?"

Assistant Principal Diana Hanks, also can attest to how sharing one’s life and personal achievements can help influence information- hungry youth. “Telling my own story of how teachers helped me to be an academic success influences a lot of students,” says Hanks, who works at Tri North Middle School in Bloomington, Indiana. “I have through my teaching and later administration career been able to give back and nurture students today.”

According to Hanks and Rose, African-American teachers also play the role of boundary spanner, an individual who is able to share concerns with different constituents while interacting with different groups.

This is a role that is much appreciated by African-American parents whose children attend predominately white schools, says Rose, who has observed firsthand how minority parents tend to seek out minority teachers for help and advice. “I have a lot of parents, who call me with questions instead of their classroom teacher,” she says. “I serve as an informal trainer of the way a school society works and give them a vocabulary that they don’t have. I tell them what to do to help their child, how to communicate their concerns to white teachers and how to ask the right questions to get the information they need.”

Service to the Community

Educator, mentor and liaison between parents and schools are just three of the roles African-American educators play in the public school system. There are also encourager, supporter, guidance counselor and too many others to name. All of them amount to a strong argument for why teachers like Rose bothered to pursue such a career in the first place and continue to return to the classroom each school year.  “Teaching is a great job,” reiterates Rose. “I spend my whole day sharing and then I collect a paycheck. It’s spiritual, creative and emotional. There are paperwork and E-mail, and there are great days and bad days. It challenges me completely and engages me intellectually in a way that making sculptures and paintings does not.” 

A Beginning Teacher’s Salary and Benefits

The American Federation of Teachers data reports the average beginning teacher salary of $26,639 in 1998-99 rose 3.6 percent from the previous year with a high of $32,884 in Alaska to a low of $19,136 in North Dakota. The benefits of teaching in most states include a 10-month contract, personal and sick leave days, retirement and healthcare packages, holiday and summer vacation time, professional development and family medical leave. When you evaluate career choices, consider the rewards of the entire benefit's package for teachers, not just the salary.

Dr. Gilbert O. Brown is the assistant dean for the University Division and adjunct assistant professor in Higher Education at Indiana University-Bloomington.  He is the author of the publications' Helping African-American Children Attend and Graduate from College and Debunking the Myth: Stories about African-American College Students.