GRAMBLING, La. (KARD/KTVE)- Grambling’s Black Male Teacher Initiative joined forces with Clemson University’s nationally-known Call Me MiSTER® program in an effort to develop and recruit more black men into the teaching profession.
According to a press release, the program is designed to bring academic support and mentorship for future K-12 black male educators.
Participants in the program will receive scholarships, preferred housing, individual advising, mentors from participating or retired professionals, recognition at school activities, professional development opportunities and more.
President of the Call Me MiSTER® program at GSU, Ja’Deric Talbert, a sophomore says he did not set out to become an educator at first.
“In my senior year of high school, I served as a reading interventionist at Crawford Elementary School. After working with my students for over six months, and seeing them grow academically and socially, I knew education was my passion,” he said.
Talbert went on to say the teacher mentoring program at Grambling, “offers the extra support that other teacher education programs just cannot offer. The MISTERs have similar classes, study together, eat together, and stay together,” he said. “We are all one big family.”
Dr. George Noflin, Jr., director at GSU says, a MiSTER who completes his area of study and becomes certified to teach will assume a teaching position in a public school; and teach one year for each year they received financial support from the Call Me MiSTER® Program.
“College student participants with high academic potential, a demonstrated commitment to teach and a servant-leadership orientation are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities,” he said. “As graduates, students are expected to have an impact by returning to critical need schools and communities to pursue their professional careers.”
The application deadline for the program is May 28, 2021.
For additional information or to apply, visit gram.edu/callmemister or contact Dr. George Noflin, Jr., director, at (318) 805-6225 or nofling@gram.edu. You can also contact Milton Jackson, assistant director, at (318) 274-2742 or email jacksonmil@gram.edu.