“I’m at the right place at the right time”
Mark Comesañas, Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark, leads discussion in class at his alma mater, St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark.
MBKN Executive Director seeks to inspire the next generation of educators
Newark, New Jersey — “Education is one of the only sectors where the customer (students) have the least say in the quality of service they are provided,” said Mark Comesañas, Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark (MBKN), an initiative of Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN).
But Comesañas hopes to change that through teaching a new elective course entitled, “I Hate School,” at his alma mater St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark. The four-week course was designed to give young men of color the language to critically examine their education, reflect on their experiences, and hopefully even feel inspired to take a role in education in the future.
“If we are going to positively impact outcomes for boys and young men of color, we must see them as assets in solving their own problems, rather than the problems to be solved. And this means them taking their place as teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators in our schools,” Comesañas said.
A 2018 report from the Learning Policy Institute found that teachers of color boost students’ academic performance, improve reading and math test scores, improve graduation rates and increase student’s desire to attend college. Non-POC students also benefit from teacher diversity, as many reported feeling cared for and challenged academically.
However, teachers of color make up only 20 percent of the education workforce, and it’s even less for male teachers of color. Teachers of color also experience a turnover rate nearly 50 percent higher than their white counterparts. So while the country continues to grow more and more diverse, the teaching landscape is not changing in lock-step. But Comesañas hopes to change that with his course.
Young men at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark take notes during their “I Hate School” class, taught by Mark Comesañas, Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark. His course is designed to inspire boys of color to pursue careers in education.
“The work of My Brother’s Keeper Newark within NOYN is focused on data-driven solutions to disconnection,” said Robert Clark, Chief Executive Officer of NOYN. “We know that students of color experience fewer unexcused absences, curbed chronic absenteeism and less suspensions, just by having a teacher of color in the classroom. We’re proud to see this partnership with St. Benedict’s Preparatory address one of the root causes of student disconnection by encouraging more boys of color to become the educators and administrators of tomorrow.”
The “I Hate School” course material includes writings from James Baldwin, W.E.B. Debois, bell hooks and other writers who center the stories of people of color who’ve been traditionally underserved in education spaces. Comesañas said he was proud to bring this course to his alma mater, the place that helped grow his passion for education and teaching.
“We’re proud to have Mark back home at St. Benedict’s,” said Headmaster Fr. Edwin Leahy, O.S.B. “I’m looking forward to having him work with us here at school and while he is in his role with My Brother’s Keeper Newark.”
This class is Comesañas first time teaching in nearly 10 years, and he said being back in the classroom has felt like divine intervention.
“I was blessed to know early in my life that teaching was my calling. This is what I was born to do, to sow knowledge into young people, specifically men of color who look like me and came from the city like me,” Comesañas said. “This class has re-grounded me in the ‘why’ of everything: why I became an administrator, why I wanted to take on this new role with MBKN. It re-grounded me in the ‘why’ of all of it. I’m at the right place at the right time.”
Mark Comesañas, Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper Newark, leads discussion in class at his alma mater, St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark.