Updates/News
Louis Redd, an eighth-grade math teacher at Stuart Academy, is committed to being a source of positive change among his students at the school, so committed that he traveled over 2,000 miles to do so. His undergraduate degree is business administration, and he had originally thought he wanted to be an entrepreneur or possibly go to law school focusing on contract law.A professional experience during his undergrad in California changed his mind. “My first job was as a tutor through a program called Young Action Project. I had a cohort of 10-15 kids on my caseload. I made house visits; I called parents; I made sure that their grades were good. I was working in a low income-high risk school, San Bernardino High School. From that moment, I thought maybe I wanted to work as a teacher,” he says.Eventually, Louis was hired at a small private high school in California where he taught geometry and Advanced Placement Calculus which solidified his decision that teaching was truly a good fit for him. “I enjoy the AHA moment where [students] feel ‘This [concept] isn’t difficult,’” he says.He looked into several nonprofit programs that strive to help guide young adults into teaching careers. “I looked into Teach Kentucky, and it was very appealing. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to spread my wings 2,000 miles away from home,” he says. He is now getting to experience all the seasons, sometimes in one 24-hour period.Journey During 2020Louis’ experience coming to the state wasn’t the same as what other Teach Kentucky professionals have. Typically, Teach Kentucky cohort members come to Louisville, stay on Bellarmine University’s campus for several weeks, and are part of an immersive, in-person preparation that helps them get ready for their teaching role. Louis and other 2020 cohort recruits did everything online. In fact, nearly all of Louis’ first year of teaching in JCPS was online. “It was an interesting year to say the least,” he says.While most people look at the year of non-traditional instruction (NTI) during COVID as an unpleasant necessity given the rates of illness and death at the time, there was a distinct upside for Louis. “2020 helped me be a better teacher. I was able to focus on the curriculum. I was able to learn it and find a way that worked for my teaching style,” he says. When students and staff returned to classrooms in person in April 2021, Louis didn’t have to focus on curriculum; he could spend the majority of his time building relationships and helping students get used to the “new normal” of the time which included masking, social distancing, and staggered dismissals. Most new teachers spend their first year figuring out both curriculum and classroom management simultaneously.Role ModelThe data is clear: There are very few Black male teachers in America’s schools. The actual number is something like 2%, which means that America’s students aren’t getting the wealth of experience and insight that Black men can offer a classroom, especially a classroom that includes young, Black male students who would benefit from having more role models who look like them.An important aspect of what Louis models to the middle school students at Stuart Academy is motivation. Not only does he instruct students, he is also a football coach and one of the Anime Club sponsors. “I’m a very busy man; I have my hands in a lot of pots,’ he says. In addition to his school responsibilities, he is also pursuing a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Louisville.Louis has learned a number of things about himself during his first couple years in a Kentucky classroom. “I’m very resilient, and I like to make a lot of work for myself,” he says. “I can get through anything I put my mind to.” He hopes to help students learn that they, too, can do anything they set their sights on if they work hard and stay committed.
mr redd was by far my favorite math teacher ever. he goes above and beyond for kids, helping manage school work, being a helping hand, he even listened to me vent quite often. hes one of the best teachers in louisville, kentucky!