We Rise Over Run: Exploring Life Histories of Black Women Secondary Mathematics Teachers

Abstract

Examining issues of recruiting and retaining Black teachers in secondary mathematics is of particular importance given that they only represent 6% of the high school mathematics teaching force, and an even smaller percentage of these Black high school mathematics teachers are women. The aim of my dissertation study is to explore life histories of Black women mathematics teachers through a gender-sensitive framework utilizing a Black Feminist perspective. Such inquiry is important for addressing a major gap in mathematics education literature, in that the scholarship does not fully attend to the unique complexities of Black women’s experiences in relation to the nature of mathematics and mathematics teaching and learning. Interviews will be conducted and artifacts will be collected through a life history methodological approach that (1) acknowledges the intersectional nuances of racialized and gendered experiences in mathematics, (2) provides insight into the challenges, triumphs, and unique perspectives that Black women secondary mathematics teachers (BWSMTs) encounter and develop in pursuing thriving careers as mathematics teachers, and (3) describes BWSMTs’ hopes for future Black girls in mathematics and the Black mathematics teacher pipeline.