Amid Teacher Shortage, Black Male Educators Point to Why There Aren’t More of Them
Marvin Burton, Jr. poses for a photo this year with his wife and three sons. Courtesy of Marvin Burton Jr.
This article originally appeared on ABC News.
Educator Marvin Burton Jr. is a self-described renaissance man.
“You have to be that type of teacher now,” Burton Jr. told ABC News, adding, “It’s never a dull moment. I don’t know of a teacher that’s not tired when they leave from just the daily work — the daily grind.”
The advanced, professionally-certified vocal music instructor has taught everything from special education to English language arts over the past three school years because he said a nationwide teacher shortage has forced him in different directions. Burton Jr. said he’s “totally exhausted” most evenings when leaving Drew-Freeman Middle School in Suitland, Maryland, driving to pick up his three sons in Temple Hills before commuting another half an hour home to Brandywine.