This past December, a former student, Jonathan, reached out to tell me how important it had been to him to have a Black male principal in elementary school. It was certainly a moment of joy to hear from Jonathan; however, a particular statement he made during our conversation made me pause. I learned he was now in his last year at a community college and was deciding what four-year university to transfer to and what major to declare. Considering Jonathan's many talents and knowing the need for more Black male educators, I suggested teaching. I would like to say his response was shocking but, unfortunately, it was an all-too familiar confirmation of the diversity challenges in education today. Jonathan was not sure teaching was for him. He thought he would feel isolated, considering the lack of representation among teachers he'd had as a student. He had also seen the stress on some of their faces, and he worried about not making enough money.

Creating Affirming Experiences

My conversation with Jonathan indicates that to build a more diverse teacher workforce, we need to expand our teacher recruitment focus beyond higher education institutions to include preK–12 schools. That starts with creating experiences for students of color that affirm a sense of belonging or connectedness to school and challenge perceptions that depict education as a nonviable career option. The process of drawing students of color into the teaching profession begins the very moment they start their education journey. Though many may not choose to become teachers, each experience and interaction within the school environment allows students of color to see and feel what the profession offers for themselves and others.

For 13 years, students of color are a captive audience for the teaching profession, and when school systems demonstrate that the experiences of these young learners matter, they are priming diverse pipelines of future teachers. Yet if students of color feel isolated from learning, experience harsher discipline, have their abilities go unrecognized, and consistently face unintentional microaggressions as part of their schooling, the next generation of teachers will never mirror the student population.

But schools can take steps to disrupt such negative experiences and invite students of color to see a future career in education. Here are some of those actions, stemming from my own experience as a student of color and time spent serving preK–12 schools as a teacher, a principal, and then an executive director of school support and higher learning.