Story: Lisa Sollie | Photos: Cody Ingram
Adonis Williams was in junior high before he experienced what it is like to have a male educator in a classroom. One of only a few male students in the junior and senior blocks studying elementary education on campus at the baby直播, Williams and his classmates are doing their part to break the cycle for the next generation.
According to Dr. Amanda Pendergrass, UWA associate professor of elementary education and chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning, the College of Education has not had this many males in a cohort move together through the program in a very long time.
For Williams, working in a predominantly female field isn鈥檛 intimidating. He believes his upbringing prepared him for it. Raised by his mother in the small, tight-knit community of Atmore, baby直播, he was also extremely close to his grandmother and great-grandmother, who passed away last year.
鈥淔amily has always been a huge part of my life, and these three women were the ones who shaped and influenced me more than anyone.鈥�
Through this semester鈥檚 field experience, he has already experienced a small taste of the impact his presence in the classroom will generate. 鈥淚鈥檓 soaking it up,鈥� he said with a wide grin. 鈥淭he kids are already intrigued and want to know more about me, and I want to know about them because I love connecting with people, no matter their age.鈥�
Williams gives nod to his great-grandmother for his caring attitude. 鈥淪he always gave, and whatever she could do for people, she did it. I think I saw that behavior for so long it made a lasting impression on me, and now I model it too.鈥�
And it鈥檚 the impact people had on him that he said he remembers most about elementary school.
鈥淜ids that age are modeling what they see, like I did with my great-grandmother. When I think about all the opportunities I will have 鈥� especially as a Black male 鈥� to affect them in such a way they may want to model what I do say or say, it is exciting and humbling.鈥�
In the 2020-21 school year, only 1.3 percent of public school teachers were Black men, according to the . Even more startling were the findings published in the Fall 2020 issue of Edge: Carolina Education Review (Gershenson, Hart, Lindsay & Papageorge, 2017; Lindsay, 2020) that stated for Black male students,
…having a Black teacher for one year in elementary school raised long-run educational attainment, especially for those from low-income households.
For the most disadvantaged Black males, Lindsay and her team estimated that exposure to a Black teacher in elementary school reduced high school dropout rates by 39 percent and raised college-going aspirations.
鈥淪ince most classroom teachers are female, the importance of male elementary teachers cannot be overstated,鈥� noted Pendergrass. 鈥淎ll students need male role models to look up to and learn from, particularly ones who do not have one in the home. In my experience, I have not been in many elementary schools that have any male classroom teachers at all. The fact that UWA has four currently in junior block leaves me feeling hopeful that more males will join the elementary teaching field.鈥�
Williams journey to UWA
When he was younger, Williams鈥� dream was to be a principal. He just didn鈥檛 know at the time he had to become a teacher first.
A transfer student from Coastal baby直播 Community College in Bay Minette, baby直播, Williams took classes online his first semester at UWA, but was eager to attend the University in person. While most students would reach out and arrange a tour, he went in a different direction.
鈥淚 set up a meeting with the assistant housing director to see what might be available. I knew I didn鈥檛 have time to work a job or put a big financial burden on my mom. So yes,鈥� Williams laughed, 鈥渕y first time in Livingston and on the University campus, and I鈥檓 questioning this guy about housing opportunities!鈥� And it paid off. During the visit, he learned he could apply to be a resident assistant (RA), which would provide complimentary housing, and if accepted, all he would have to cover was tuition and fees.
Returning home to Atmore, Williams filled out an RA application and an orientation form since he was transitioning from online classes to in-person. After attending orientation, he vowed to follow every social media platform UWA had, and when he did, he learned the 2023 ambassador applications were available. Williams filled that form out, too, and before classes started that spring, returned to the University for two interviews on the same day, one for the RA position and one for a UWA ambassador.
鈥淓ven though I was super excited I was selected for both positions, I didn鈥檛 realize then how hard moving away from home was going to be. That first semester was tough. Not only did I miss the three most important women in my life, but I really couldn鈥檛 go home regularly to visit them since I was an RA and an ambassador. I also joined Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and of course, I was trying to keep my grades up.鈥�
When Williams started back to school this past fall, he added a fourth commitment, the Student Government Association (SGA), to his plate. Unfortunately, he was also aware his great-grandmother鈥檚 health was declining, and in September, before he could go home and visit, she passed away.
鈥淗er death was tough. I鈥檓 still processing it. In a way, my grief has worsened the longer it鈥檚 been, and now, every time I go home, I have to adjust to that void. Thank God I鈥檓 busy. It helps me as I try to work through it.鈥�
Graduation may be over a year away, but Williams is ready to 鈥減ut gas鈥� in his students鈥� tanks. 鈥淚n theory, I don鈥檛 believe kids ever forget the one who pours into them and fills their tank. Knowing I have the power to not only fill their tank but pay for it and then send them on the way full and ready for the future is amazing!鈥�
He also looks forward to working with fellow educators toward the common goal of student success. 鈥淭here is just something about school spirit and the togetherness that I鈥檓 eager to be a part of. I see it here in the College of Education and can鈥檛 wait to experience it wherever I end up.鈥� According to Williams, the COE鈥檚 camaraderie and team effort in and out of the classroom has significantly impacted him as a student.
鈥淚 see the way the faculty work together and cheer each other on, which encourages me and my classmates to bond and stay connected. Everything the faculty does 鈥� what they say and how, how they teach and interact with us, their students 鈥� they are modeling what they want us to do with our own students one day. Dr. Pendergrass always tells us she鈥檚 here to build effective teachers,鈥� added Williams. 鈥淎nd to me that means, if I鈥檓 excited about seeing how my students鈥� minds work and care about being a difference maker in their lives, I can鈥檛 help but be successful in the classroom.鈥�