{"id":2830,"date":"2023-05-18T17:13:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T21:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/?p=2830"},"modified":"2023-06-01T08:53:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T12:53:40","slug":"afro-spotlight-on-black-excellence-meet-the-maryland-legislators-who-got-their-start-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/2023\/05\/18\/afro-spotlight-on-black-excellence-meet-the-maryland-legislators-who-got-their-start-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: meet the Maryland legislators who got their start in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tashi McQueen,
\nAFRO Political Writer,
\ntmcqueen@afro.com<\/p>\n

Looking through biographies of state legislators, you\u2019ll see various paths and journeys to a career in policy-making. While some elected officials pursued careers as lawyers or became business owners prior to their time in office, others \u2013well before their titles as senators and delegates\u2013<\/p>\n

answered the call to serve the nation\u2019s youth as educators.<\/p>\n

This week, the AFRO spoke with state legislators who made a pitstop in the classroom before joining the state legislature.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation lays a foundation for our society and how we operate,\u201d Sen. Mary Washington (D-MD-45) told the AFRO.<\/p>\n

Del. Marlon D. Amprey (D-Md.-40), Del. Harry Bhandari (D-Md.-08), Del. Cheryl Pasteur (D-Md.11A) and Sen. Washington are just a few legislators who were teachers before they became legislators.<\/p>\n

Pasteur said she was 21 when she taught her first class at the then-new Lake Clifton High School, which has since closed. She began teaching in 1971 and retired in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had my students when they were in the ninth grade and I took them to 12th,\u201d she said. \u201cI always give them credit for [helping me] become the teacher that I am. No matter what I do\u2013 I\u2019m a teacher first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pasteur taught and served in administrative positions in Baltimore City and County Public Schools.<\/p>\n

She told the AFRO that she felt well-supported as a teacher throughout her career, with help and guidance from principals, administrators and superintendents of her time.<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Pasteur noted special education as a critical aspect of her education agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are mistakenly assuming [that] because a child needs certain support, they are not gifted,\u201d said Pasteur.<\/p>\n

Pasteur said she believes special education will see further investment in Maryland, stating that Blueprint for Maryland\u2019s future includes a special education pillar.<\/p>\n

The early childhood education pillar of the Blueprint for Maryland\u2019s Future includes direction for special needs education. The goal to increase funding for the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program will support special needs students.<\/p>\n

Pasteur said she\u2019s on board with the Blueprint initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that I like about Blueprint is that the money goes with the students\u2013not just a system or school. It is there to serve the needs of the students,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Washington was a kindergarten teacher in Philadelphia for a few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one year where I was a student teacher in a public school and then I had one full year as a kindergarten teacher on my own,\u201d said Washington. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a kindergarten teacher, you have to teach them everything from how to work with others to how to sit in a seat, hold a pencil and express themselves outside of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her experience, Washington recognizes the value of pre-k education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can get [students] as early as possible, that will guarantee their success,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Washington hopes instruction in Maryland will become more personalized, project-based and outcome-oriented and focus less on simply receiving a numerical grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of what we do can be automatic\u2013 not allowing us to exercise our brains, [which] is the source of our creativity and problem-solving,\u201d said Washington.<\/p>\n

Del. Amprey has been a state delegate for three years and first worked as a teacher in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a lot of learning in African American Studies and the thing that we learned the most about was educational gaps for Black and Brown children\u2013particularly Black children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Amprey got his master\u2019s in education at George Mason University for elementary instruction and curriculum. Amprey taught at Howard Road Academy Public Charter School through Teach For America in Washington, D.C., from 2009 to 2011. He then went on to teach sixth grade at The SEED School of Maryland from 2011 to 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to become a good teacher and do good work [by] connecting with my students,\u201d said Amprey. \u201cI always lived in the same zip code as my students. I lived on campus at the SEED School. I did home visits, went to games, hung out with the parents and went to their churches when invited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amprey said his work in the classroom helps him more accurately vote on legislation related to education in the state of Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teaching experience has allowed me to know what children need,\u201d Amprey told the AFRO. \u201cI\u2019m not voting [in the General Assembly] based on what I think is true. I\u2019m not voting based on an article someone wrote\u2013 I\u2019m voting based on my classroom experiences and working in schools where air conditioning wasn\u2019t working or where students had to learn in trailers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amprey said he hopes to introduce legislation or supplemental legislation in the coming session to ensure more Black men become educators in Maryland.<\/p>\n

Like Amprey, Del. Bhandari said his time in the classroom informs how he proposes and votes on legislation related to education. He currently works as a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m committed to working on legislation that will improve the quality of education for all Maryland students,\u201d said Bhandari. \u201cI have been teaching for 17 years. I\u2019m a lifelong educator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bhandari says that teaching peace resolution as a priority for youth right now\u2013 especially given violent crime statistics for teens and children.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids don\u2019t know how to resolve conflict,\u201d said Bhandari. \u201cI think that our school systems should teach conflict resolution to students. We can prevent future incidents of violence and promote a more peaceful and harmonious school community. So when students are outside of school, they are productive members of society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bhandari introduced HB 1110,<\/a> Peace and Conflict Studies- High School Course, but it did not reach a second reading. He said the bill may have failed because of the costs associated with the course.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would cost close to $22 million for the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bhandari said he plans to re-introduce HB 1110 next session.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy perspectives [about the needs of society] would not be the same if I had not been a teacher,\u201d said Bhandari. \u201cEvery day, I learn from my students. If I was not an educator \u2013 I don\u2019t think I would be serving as a legislator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tashi McQueen is a Report For America Corps Member.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: meet the Maryland legislators who got their start in the classroom<\/a> appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers <\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, the AFRO spoke with state legislators who made a pitstop in the classroom before joining the state legislature. \u201cEducation lays a foundation for our society and how we operate,\u201d Sen. Mary Washington (D-MD-45) told the AFRO. Del. Marlon D. Amprey (D-Md.-40), Del. Harry Bhandari (D-Md.-08), Del. Cheryl Pasteur (D-Md.11A) and Sen. Washington are just a few legislators who were teachers before they became legislators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1674,1419,1362,27,31,1638,576,1519,600,679,1832,312,39,203,3651,932,1102,1399],"tags":[5445,5799,6162,6213,6243,6225,263,3083,6212,4102,6236,2018,6238,6223,6222,6221,6217,6231,1828,79,6232,6242,6233,6228,6224,3081,606,719,6226,6218,1394,6229,6215,6230,4542,6227,6241,3517,6220,6216,2158,6068,6219,4543,6239,6234,301,1817,6235,6214,6240,6237,804],"class_list":["post-2830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nnpanewswire","category-america","category-children","category-community","category-education","category-featured","category-k-12-curriculum","category-k-12-education","category-k-12-public-schools","category-legislation","category-maryland","category-news","category-newswire","category-nnpa","category-nnpa-newswire","category-pathways","category-public-schools","category-teachers","category-the-afro","tag-administrators","tag-african-american-studies","tag-afro-american-newspapers","tag-afro-political-writer","tag-afro-spotlight-on-black-excellence-meet-the-maryland-legislators-who-got-their-start-in-the-classroom","tag-baltimore-city-and-county-public-schools","tag-black-children","tag-business-owners","tag-by-tashi-mcqueen","tag-career","tag-churches","tag-classroom","tag-classroom-experiences","tag-del-cheryl-pasteur-d-md-11a","tag-del-harry-bhandari-d-md-08","tag-del-marlon-d-amprey-d-md-40","tag-delegates","tag-educational-gaps-for-black-and-brown-children","tag-educators","tag-featured","tag-george-mason-university","tag-hb-1110","tag-howard-road-academy-public-charter-school","tag-kindergarten-teacher","tag-lake-clifton-high-school","tag-lawyers","tag-legislation","tag-maryland","tag-maryland-infants-and-toddlers-program","tag-nations-youth","tag-parents","tag-philadelphia","tag-policy-making","tag-pre-k-education","tag-principals","tag-school","tag-school-community","tag-school-systems","tag-sen-mary-washington-d-md-45","tag-senators","tag-special-education","tag-state-legislators","tag-state-legislature","tag-superintendents","tag-supplemental-legislation","tag-teach-for-america","tag-teachers","tag-the-afro","tag-the-seed-school-of-maryland","tag-tmcqueenafro-com","tag-violent-crime-statistics-for-teens-and-children","tag-vote","tag-washington-d-c"],"yoast_head":"\nAFRO spotlight on Black excellence: meet the Maryland legislators who got their start in the classroom - NNPA Education Public Awareness Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nnpa.org\/education\/2023\/05\/18\/afro-spotlight-on-black-excellence-meet-the-maryland-legislators-who-got-their-start-in-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: meet the Maryland legislators who got their start in the classroom - NNPA Education Public Awareness Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week, the AFRO spoke with state legislators who made a pitstop in the classroom before joining the state legislature. \u201cEducation lays a foundation for our society and how we operate,\u201d Sen. 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