Black Teacher Who Let Students Braid Hair Needs Guidance, Not Punishment

There has already been so much conversation about this teacher, who ended up getting fired (allegedly) for live-streaming his students unbraiding his hair.

For the record, I believe there’s more to the alleged firing than just this one incident, but I don’t have the full context to speak about that. My focus now is on what we all saw in the video.

I see a Black male teacher with a strong rapport with his students. He’s approachable, engaging, and invested in his students. It's also worth noting that disciplinary issues are a hot topic for black teachers and students, and discrimination and double standards aren't uncommon. 

I see a teacher bonding with his students during their free time and having a beautiful moment. In a profession where it’s a struggle for many districts to recruit and retain quality Black male teachers, it’s disappointing that this teacher could potentially lose his job over this situation.  

Guidance and mentorship would be a better option than punishment in this situation. (I don’t know if similar situations had already happened with this teacher or if there were past infractions.) I think a warning, disciplinary letter, or suspension would have been more appropriate.

Also, many people commenting on the video questioned the teacher’s professional conduct. I want to explore this idea for a bit. I find it interesting how a teacher can get fired for live-streaming his students unbraiding his hair. Although the teacher made a poor decision by posting the video (and his response to backlash is questionable), that one moment shouldn’t define his character or credibility as an educator.  

His use of social media is a double-edged sword. While I believe that social media can be a powerful tool to show the incredible work that teachers do in schools, I also think that the images and videos that teachers post can sometimes lead some people (especially those who have never taught or worked in a classroom a day in their lives) to assume the worst of teachers.

As a teacher, discernment is key when determining whether to post classroom moments on social media. Districts have child protection and safeguarding policies regarding social media, so any video or image you post publicly will be subject to public opinion and potential termination from your job.

With that in mind, I would ask questions such as, “Did he get signed media release forms for all the students who appeared in his hair-braiding video?” and “Has this teacher posted videos like this in the past?”

I would have advised him not to post the livestream video of him getting his hair unbraided. Certain moments we have with our students are meant to be sacred and should be kept offline.

As a young Black male teacher who was closer in age to my middle school students than most of my colleagues, I knew I needed to be very careful about how I interacted with my students, especially the girls.

I didn’t want to give my colleagues or administrators the license to wonder if I was being inappropriate with students. Whenever I was in a classroom with a group of girls, for instance, I always made sure to have a colleague as an eyewitness to protect myself from allegations.  

In general, Black male teachers don’t have the privilege of having ‘nine lives’ like our non-melanated counterparts. We’re always expected to be flawless and on top of our game, which are unfair expectations.

The thought of losing my job or jeopardizing my professional reputation terrified me enough to be mindful of my physical boundaries around students. In the case of the young teacher in the live-stream video, he allowed students to braid his hair, which was his choice. Even though he didn’t do anything sexually inappropriate, we live in a world where too many people’s perceptions of what they see on social media are their reality. You don’t want to be in a position to defend your actions in the video.

Ultimately, I hope this teacher can keep his job and continue his teaching career.  I also hope this situation is not the dark cloud that hovers over him for the rest of his career. School districts say they are serious about recruiting and retaining Black male teachers who are passionate and dedicated to this work. Situations like this should be teachable moments rather than professional death sentences.

Based on the student letters that he read, it’s evident that he has their love and respect. He understands the value of building relationships in a culturally responsive way. That’s a solid foundation to build on. Shouldn’t that be enough for him to keep his job? I believe so.