Alfred 鈥淪hivy鈥� Brooks II, an economics and government teacher at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Ga., turns 40 March 9.
On the cusp of middle age, Brooks already has worn far more professional hats than most people do in a lifetime. Some of his many jobs have included swim instructor, legislative aide, rapper, entrepreneur, and, most recently, the first active teacher to win a seat on the Atlanta Board of Education in its 150-year history. While each of his experiences has informed his teaching career in some way, Brooks suggests that his relatives who鈥檝e proudly served as teachers before him鈥攊ncluding several aunts and, most importantly, his father鈥攈ave been an even bigger influence.
This may come as no surprise. Historically, teaching among family members tends to be a multi-generational affair, according to both and anecdotal evidence. But that tradition seems precarious right now. In an October 2023 national survey of K-12 teachers conducted by the EdWeek Research Center, an overwhelming 79 percent of respondents agreed that they were not likely to advise their own children, or those of close friends or family members, to pursue a career in K-12 teaching.
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澳门跑狗论坛 spoke to Brooks about his foray into teaching, his father鈥檚 influence on his career, whether he would recommend the profession to his 7-year-old son, and more.
The conversation, told below in his own words, was edited for length and clarity.
Growing up around educators
Growing up, I was surrounded by a family of educators. My dad taught at the high school I attended, Montclair High School in New Jersey. For me, I think it made the decision to teach more organic and innate than anything else. It was less of an 鈥業 want to be like them鈥� thing and more like, 鈥榶ou鈥檙e nurtured and raised by these people who do this work,鈥� so the thought to do it becomes more normalized.
My father never lets me live down the criticisms I used to make, things I鈥檇 say to him like: I don鈥檛 know if I ever want to be a teacher because you don鈥檛 make enough money. Then, sure enough, I ended up going into the field.
My dad was the proverbial cool teacher. He was well respected by all the popular kids. He came to school driving a Jaguar, wearing nice suits. He was an inspirational person in the community. My dad made teaching look cool and look different, and that was a big influence in how I show up in the classroom.
Authenticity on display
I鈥檓 always wearing sneakers. Some folks would say I probably dress more like a rapper than a teacher. The irony is that I was a rapper in my past, past life. I was on a show called 鈥�106 & Park鈥� on BET; I was a freestyle Friday Hall of Famer. I had a large reputation, coming from that field, before I did other things. The hip hop culture is innately who I am and has a lot to do with how I show up in the classroom, and why I鈥檓 so impassioned about culturally responsive pedagogy.
I鈥檓 my own person. My students know me. They鈥檙e like: There鈥檚 my teacher who鈥檚 an elected official, he knows all of these people. To my students, I鈥檓 an aspirational person because of my successes as an entrepreneur and in the education space. To them, I鈥檓 the teacher riding a one-wheel electric board through the school and who wears hats all the time and is breaking the rules. To them, I feed authenticity, and I think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 appreciated.
That鈥檚 who my dad was to his students; my dad was authentic to who he was. That high level of authenticity is the thing that kids value and respect the most about their teachers, no matter who you are. If you鈥檙e a professional clog dancer, and that鈥檚 genuinely who you are, and you bring the clogs in the classroom and get clickety-clacking with the clogs, the kids are going to love you for being excellent in what makes you who you are.
On the future of multi-generational teaching families
Last year in January, I had an opportunity to interview Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Also at the event was a mom, who was a teacher. Her son was about to graduate from college and was aspiring to be a teacher. She was in tears talking to Secretary Cardona about how her son wanted to be a teacher and how she did not want that life for him. You would have thought she was talking about a son who was about to be drafted to go into the military and step into an active war.
My surviving son is 7 years old. (Brooks鈥� 16-year-old son, Bryce, drowned last spring while attempting to rescue struggling swimmers caught in strong currents off the Florida Panhandle). A few weeks ago, he told me that he wants to be a teacher when he grows up.
That came as a shock to me.
It was something that I was proud of, but I also know that when he thinks about what a teacher looks like or what a teacher is, he鈥檚 seeing it from the perspective of being my son. My teacher life is not the average teacher鈥檚 life. I think for him, the perception of being a teacher is not synonymous with financial hardship, or struggle.
The economic feasibility question of teaching
For a lot of teachers, to make teaching work, you almost have to have a side hustle. From the male perspective, it鈥檚 even tougher because you think about: How can I be a man, a husband, a father, a breadwinner, and a teacher all at the same time? That proposition in itself makes it more challenging for us to commit to the field.
I have lots of side hustles. I own a clothing line that focuses on teacher advocacy statements, alfredslaundry.com. I sell a lot of merch, especially to teachers. I do keynote speaking around the country with Getyourteachon.com. I do consultation with schools and districts around the country on school branding, social media, marketing. I鈥檓 on the school board here in Atlanta.
Teachers in Atlanta were barred from being on the school board and in the classroom at the same time. That鈥檚 how the Atlanta public schools鈥� charter was set up. We advocated at the state legislature to change the charter. We got the charter changed last year. Then I entered the race and won. I was just elected in December, sworn in in January. I have had several educators around the country in places where they鈥檙e not blocked from serving on school boards say: You have inspired me to want to run.
It鈥檚 about growth and impact
So far, I鈥檝e been able to redefine what it looks like to be a teacher. I think that鈥檚 the most important thing I could ever do. Less than 1.3 percent of all public school teachers are Black males. For students to see a Black man show up in the classroom, and also in the community, run for office, win the seat, still show up in the classroom, go through hardships like losing my 16-year-old son last year and still show up to teach鈥攆or them to see that resilience, I think, is the greatest impact I鈥檝e had on my students.
I just signed my contract with my school to return next year. I鈥檓 looking forward to being back in the classroom. I鈥檓 going to stay as long as I can.
When your impact is stymied by your commitments, that鈥檚 when you have to start making adjustments. For me, it鈥檚 always about growth and impact. So long as I can continue to do both, I will. But if I get the opportunity to be more impactful outside of the classroom, at that point I鈥檒l make the decision.
