Mr. Chuhran has been teaching social studies classes at Tuscarora High School for 16 years, and has been teaching Black and African-American Studies for all three years it’s been offered here. I decided to interview him on a variety of aspects on this course, along with his thoughts and opinions on it.
The first question I asked Chuhran was what made him want to start teaching the course-and here’s what he had to say about it.
Firstly, he recounts his own experiences in school, growing up in a rural part of Michigan where Black and African-American history is something that’s not really taught in depth. The first topic he mentioned was the subject matter. “Growing up in Michigan schools you don’t learn a tremendous amount of Black African-American history in ways that I knew personally[…]there were some gaps of knowledge and gaps of understanding.” He goes on to later explain, in response to another question, that he was only really taught a few of the major figures, such as Dr. King and Rosa Parks.
Continuing his reasons on why he wants to teach the course, Chuhran notes, “Every time you have an opportunity to start a new course […] to have the chance to figure out what pieces to include and what to omit, how to tell the narrative and tell the story was something that was very different than I’d ever had an opportunity to experience or be a part of.” In response to my question of what challenges he faced with teaching the class, he said it was hard to know what should be included in the course and what, begrudgingly, needed to be removed because of how densely packed the history is.
I also asked him what he believes the strengths of the course were and where he thinks there could be improvement in it. He stated that one of the weaknesses in the curriculum of the course is that the unique experience of African-American women isn’t talked about enough.
When asked about the strengths of the course, he said the following, “Too many students walk out of Frederick County Public Schools […] only looking at the major figure heads, the major names, major events. This course allows for us to kinda dig deeper into places you might not have had an opportunity to explore […] I think we’ve done a pretty solid job of making sure that there’s a wide range of diverse voices that are brought into the discussion that are exposed to students so that they walk out with a pretty well-rounded understanding of both the trials and tribulations that exist within the African-American experience […] within the United States.”
In addition to this, I asked him, “Of all the parts of you teaching Black and African American Studies […] what’s your favorite part about teaching this course? Is it the history, the way the students are engaged?” He says the following to be true, “I think it’s elements of both.” He then goes on to explain how the class has affected him, including his own education. He also stated, “[…] looking at a group that is often marginalized and left out of that history has been a joy.” He goes on to explain that students themselves have taught him a lot throughout his years of teaching the course, saying, “[…] they bring their own understanding of their own history into the classroom.” He says teaching Black and African-American Studies is the highlight of his day.
Lasty, we finished off with some reflection on his teaching. I asked him if he could go back three years when he first started teaching this course, what would he tell his former self, and why? He said that as a white male, he found that he had to earn the trust and respect of the students, especially given the first class he had was 100% African-American students and students of color. He said that given his race, he felt they [the students] did not trust him to teach the history accurately. He said that the one thing he would tell his former self is, “[..] respect needs to be earned [from students] […] they have to trust me to not shy away from the honest history and to not, y’know, do a disservice to the immense depth that the history has and the trauma that has been generationally inflicted on black people in this country since its founding.”
Chuhran does an amazing job at teaching this class, and if you ever find yourself given the opportunity to take Black and African American studies at Tuscarora High School, I highly recommend the class-it is both engaging and an eye-opening course for all demographics.
I would like to give a special thank you to Chuhran for allowing me to interview him and giving very thoughtful and detailed responses.
