RICHMOND, Va, – Richmond Public Schools created the RVA Men Teachprogram to help attract male minority teachers since that group accounts for less than five percent of all educators in the country.
The program held its first-ever conference on Saturday to highlight the impact of male minority teachers in the district.
Mayor Levar Stoney and state Sen. Lamont Bagby were both keynote speakers during the event.
There were discussionsabout the impact of the COVID pandemic on Richmond students and teachers as well as insights into the future of education.
Rodney Robinson, the 2019 National Teacher Of The Year, is one of the organizers of the conference.
“The best way to change the world is being educated,” Robinson said. “Tupac once said, 'I may not change the world, but I might spark the mind that one day will.' And as an educator, with those classrooms full of kids, you never know who might go on to discover a cure for cancer, who might be the next person to walk on the moon. And it may go all go back to that one spark that you had and that one lesson.”
FULL INTERVIEW: All about 1st-ever RVA Men Teach Conference
RPS also held a teacher hiring fair with on-site interviews during the conference.
The school system is offering hiring bonuses of up to $12,000.
Candidates can apply at RVASchools.net.
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