For this blog, we wanted to celebrate Black teachers that show excellence and mastery of their craft, as well as the underappreciated skill of creating a welcoming and nurturing environment for kids in school. These educators are dominating on and offline.
1. @theylovebellac
@buttabella This is for all the kids that were told the classroom isn’t a beauty salon. My classroom is whatever my students need it to be.
Dancer, teacher, and outright fashionista, Bella’s Instagram and TikTok are filled with her experience as a high school dance teacher. What makes Bella such an entertaining influencer is her ability to connect with her students using humor, music, and trendy internet culture. Being young and inexperienced is often perceived as a teaching obstacle, but Bella shows young teachers can capitalize on their youth to make deeper connections with their students.
2. @theartoffunology
Keanna is a 4th-grade math, science, and social studies teacher who brings classroom education to social media. But the education she brings encompasses more than the simple math tutoring videos she posts on her feed. It also encompasses activities and strategies that can be utilized by other teachers to improve their in-class teaching. While sometimes school can be frustrating, Keanna makes it more fun for her students.
3. @cool.missp
Miss. Phillips is a mother and teacher who educates her kids about cultivating black pride, self-confidence, and humility for their peers. Given that mainstream media doesn’t prioritize talking about black heroes, one might be inclined to think they don’t exist. Miss. Phillips takes it upon herself to show her kids that black excellence has always been present, whether it be teaching her kids about Osborn Dorsey, inventor of the doorbell, or Madam CJ. Walker, a self-made millionaire.
Beyond that, Miss. Phillips has an interesting, yet successful, approach that uses music, dance, and rhyme structures to help her students remember important lessons ranging from the alphabet to history.
4. @ms.m_closet
Ms. M’s TikTok page is full of comedic bits that showcase the tough nature of being a teacher. Many fellow teachers can relate to the ubiquitous joys and frustrations of being a teacher. Sometimes, being composed in stressful situations is the biggest challenge. Behind all that humor, Ms. M sheds light on the struggles teachers face daily as well as the strength to work through them.
5. @alyssagtyghter
Alyssa Tyghter is a teacher, doctoral student, and mother. Much of her impact in the classroom is rooted in her emphasis on social justice and awareness of the historic and contemporary struggles of both black men and women. If you want to know more about how this teacher thinks and how her work relationships impact her career, check out her podcast Teachers Like Us.
6. @robigotsoles
@robigotsoles The little dance on day 5 😂😂😂 This video has me WEAK! I love my school leader he’s a W school leader fr fr. He knows how to have fun and how to get results. I appreciate him and the work he does. I also love getting on his nerves with fit checks 😂😂😂 #principalsoftiktok #schoolleaders #leadership #fitcheck #weeklyfitcheck #ootd #schoolfitcheck #comedy
Robi is a nonbinary sixth-grade teacher. Their videos often take place in the heat and chaos of the classroom and showcase verbal and behavioral tools that teachers can employ to calm their students down in preparation for study time and/or lunch. But not all of their videos revolve around teaching techniques. In some of their videos, they make a concerted effort to showcase the school spirit, with all its odd handshakes and teacher fashion. Robi also does a good job showcasing their ability to engage with TikTok trends with their younger student audience.
If you liked our curation of inspirational Black teachers, check out our article on the top 15 African American Influencers You Should Be following here!
7. @thecoolteacher.msjj
Ms. Johnson is a 1st-grade teacher, and, in her bio, she states, “NOT YOUR AVERAGE EDUCATOR.” Ms. Johnson means what she says. She does a good job of connecting with her student’s learning styles by incorporating music into learning phonetics, for example. Beyond this, she shows a generous level of compassion for her students. This may come about as gifting chocolates on Valentine’s Day, letting her students choose her nail style, or simply giving her kids a hug every day before class starts.
If you liked our curation of inspirational Black teachers, check out our article on the top 10 Black YouTubers here!
8. @ur_kids_favorite_prek_teacher
This pre-k teacher captures all the best moments in his class and provides stories to go along with them. He excels in turning the mundane into something exciting. In one video, he used shaving cream foam to get his kids to write their names. In another, he sets the expectations for playtime behavior by playing toy cars with them and acting as he wants them to act.
A lot of what Mr. Jay espouses is acting in the manner you want the kids to replicate, and in that sense, it is no wonder Mr. Jay is “your kid’s favorite pre-k teacher.” Also, we can’t deny that Mr. Jay also has a nice sense of style too, always dressing his best and maybe to even impress.
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9. @Ryanbookermu
Ryan Booker is both a musician and a teacher. While some may only see him as just a music teacher, his reels demonstrate how music can be used to educate through the content of their lyrics and the emotions of the melody in a way that connects people to events long since passed. If you want to see someone play Earth, Wind and Fire with an amazing student choir, be sure to check this teacher out.
This article was written by Benjamin Byun
