Alright – so, if you live in Minnesota or follow education laws and policies then you know we have a horrible and shameful education disparity record. There are many reasons for this; one of is not enough teachers of color who reflect our kids. Another reason is often teachers of color are the last hired and first fired even when are are fantastic and win teacher of year. Why? two words Education Minnesota aka Teacher’s Union.
Minnesota House of Representatives
Education Finance Committee
Chair – Rep. Davnie
February 3, 2021
Mr. Chair and Members, Good Morning.
Many thanks for the opportunity to testify and speak for my son and so many others like him. My name is Idil Abdull.
I would like to take a moment and thank the author of this bill Rep. Hassan – thanks much for wanting to ensure our kids succeed in school. I am in full support of HF 217.
Students are like blank pages. What fills those pages is what their teacher writes on it. Therefore, it is crucial we have teachers who are in this profession for the right reasons; that is to foster, care and mold young impressionable minds.
As I have so many times stated in this committee and other education committees in the house and senate, my son was suspended on Thursday May 3rd at 5:18pm in 2018 by a white female teacher Kelly Morris and principal Jaysen Anderson from Jefferson high school in Bloomington Public Schools. I often wonder if Kelly and Jaysen reflected my kid, would the outcome have been different. If Kelly were a teacher of color, would my son who is autistic and had a behavior due to his disability be so eager to call the principal and security on him.
Due to this traumatizing experience, I have taken my child to a charter school in Minneapolis where most of my son’s teachers are minorities and I cannot tell you how relaxing and stress-free it has been for our family. I no longer worry my child being punished for his disability. My son’s current teacher is Somali, and I know she will not only teach him, but nurture and care for him. If I knew what I know today, I would have never taken my child to Jefferson or any other educational environment where teachers and administrators did not reflect him.
Clearly given the sheer number of written and oral support for this bill, it is much needed and necessary if we want our children to do well not just in school but in life. I want to emphasize the ability to hire and retain teachers based on performance not mere seniority. It is extremely essential and imperative to keep effective teachers in the classroom.
Helpful research and articles for your reading pleasure.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-importance-of-a-diverse-teaching-force/
As always, I thank you for your time. Idil – Somali Autism Mom