Why Teach? "The Boys of Baraka"

I could sit here and brainstorm this topic for hours and hours. Why do people choose to teach? Why do I choose to teach? There are many reasons as to why, but I think the main reasons why people, including me, want to teach is because of their own experiences and passion. I have experienced a lot when it comes to teaching, coaching, etc., but there are only a few crucial moments and a handful of people who have really driven me to want to work in the education field. Now considering other cultures, and having the same needs we all have, what drives people to teach?

This is Richard and he is one of my inspirations.

Now I have mentioned a few of my major experiences on a few occasions in this class, but I would like to talk about a documentary that I have seen that will ALWAYS stick with me. This documentary is called “The Boys of Baraka”. This documentary is about a group of 7^th and 8^th grade African American boys who live in Baltimore, Maryland and they were a few of the handpicked 20 at-risk students that were sent to Kenya, Africa to attend boarding school. 61% of the African American boys who live in Baltimore do not graduate high school, and 50% end up going jail. A lot of their parents are addicts and the streets are filled with drugs and crime. This boarding school provides them an opportunity to escape their harsh lifestyle and to see that there is a better life out there for them as long as they stay in school and receive an education. All of the boys that they follow in Maryland, and then in Africa have all different stories and reasons why they want to leave, but there was one boy that really stuck out to me and his name is Richard. He actually starts off talking in the documentary saying how the streets he lives on are filled with drugs, and he says “I can’t wait to go to Baraka. I know I’m smart, if I’m not allowing stupid and dumb people, but see I can’t let them get in here (points to his head), I have to let them stay out there (points to the streets away from him)”. This boy is only 13 years old, and he has seen and experienced more deaths, drugs, and crimes in his first 13 years than most people in their entire lives. For a boy his age to say this who has been surrounded by this his entire life is so powerful. He wants an education to be able to provide a better life for his self.




Below is a 3 minute video on YouTube of Richard talking in the documentary. I recommend every person in this class to watch this full documentary. It is a little over an hour and I promise you, you will never forget it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwNAPbX7gM4
“The Boys of Baraka”

The teachers in Kenya, Africa are teachers who are really understanding, passionate, patient, and strict in just the right ways. These teachers are viewed as professionals and have dedicated their lives to teaching these boys in Africa to make a difference so these young and innocent boys don't go back to their harsh lives back home. They want to send them home as more mature, strong, and educated young men so they will not fall into the drugs or crime, and they will finish high school to get a degree. These teachers are encouraging them to beat all odds, and not only are they teachers, but they are mentors as well. Teaching them to control their anger and to resort to other options besides physical and mental abuse.Also, these teachers are able to be professional and natural because this school provides a setting for the boys to be "boys" in. They exercise every morning, play sports, go on hikes, do group activities, etc. No distractions, and no one telling them they they won't amount to anything. They have all the support in the world here, and I think it is amazing to see. 

Now, unfortunately not all of these students went back to Baltimore and had better lives. Some fell back into old habits, some were in jail, and some were even murdered on the streets. The Baraka School was shut down in 2003 because of certain things happening in Kenya, but some students used this opportunity to excel and make sure that they would have a better life.

I think a lot of people have different views and reasons of why they want to teach. Personally, children like them, who are strong and powerful even when they have all odds against them are the reasons why I want to teach, and why I want to make a difference. You can learn so much from these students, and we as teachers can be the reason of why they succeed in life, in and out of the U.S. Some people might feel differently, and want to teach for other reasons, and that is perfectly fine, but for me, these children are the reason I want to teach.