Legacy 2017 Miami: Top Black Educators Issue | Page 13

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017
By Aisha Mannings
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD
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High School Math Teacher Multiplies Student Achievement
Horace Buddoo is more than just a high
school math teacher at West Broward High
School. Based on the responses from his
students, he represents a model of what an
effec�ve educator should be--a mentor, a
community service organizer, and an
advocate for educa�on reform.
“My passion about educa�ng students
stems from my quest to live my most
purposeful and impac�ul life,” said
Buddoo. ”I recognize that my purpose as a
teacher isn't just to teach them math, but it
is to use my �me in the classroom to build
the character, self-esteem, and mindset of
my students.”
Buddoo has le� a profound effect on
students such as Aime Kalangwa, a former
refugee from the Democra�c Republic of
Congo, who witnessed the brutal killings of
his family. Kalangwa was eventually brought
to South Florida with the help of foreign aid.
“It’s really hard to believe that I could be
human again a�er losing all of my family,”
said Kalangwa, reflec�ng on the impact
Buddoo has had on his life. “I lost trust and
love. I became an animal a�er seeing my
en�re family killed. Mr. Buddoo showed me
how to trust again.”
Kalangwa said Buddoo schooled him how
to func�on and grow up the way most
American boys his age do.
“I didn’t even know how to use
de odorant and he showed me how,” said
Kalangwa. “All my classmates started talking
about how horrible I smelled, but Mr.
Buddoo, my mathema�cs teacher, became
my mentor in my life and I thank him so
much for that.”
CYBER SECURITY
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Since gradua�ng high school, Kalangwa
received a bachelor degree from FAU and
formed a founda�on called The Future is
Today, which helps refugee orphaned
children in Africa.
“I remember having to communicate
with Aime in class via google translate and
spending hours a�er school tutoring him,”
said Buddoo. “He failed many of his tests
the first semester, but he never gave up and
became one of my top math students.”
Beyond the classroom, Buddoo helps his
students learn the value of community
service. For example, Buddoo’s students fed
the hungry in South Florida, packing over
100,000 meals to send to needy families and
children. It happened through the local
chapter of the na�onal non-profit
organiza�on called Do Something Club.
In April, Buddoo spent his spring break in
Finland to study its top-rated educa�on
system. He said he hopes to incorporate
effec�ve teaching strategies locally.
“From Finland’s educa�on system I
learned less is more,” said Buddoo. ”There
was less �me devoted to tes�ng so that
more �me can be devoted to learning.”
In Finland, Buddoo said students are
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
EDUCATION
COMMUNICATION
required to complete fewer homework
assignments. This way, more �me is spent
with families. Class sizes are smaller,
allowing instructors to spend more �me on
students’ individualized needs.
“The Fins pride themselves on ensuring
that every child gets the quality educa�on
they deserve no ma�er where they live or
their economic status, and this is why I
con�nue to advocate for educa�on reform
in the US,” said Buddoo.
Buddoo is currently collabora�ng with
the University of Michigan's Graduate
School of Educa�on in its Teaching Works
program. This project aims to improve
teacher training by researching and
modeling highly impac�ul and effec�ve
teaching.
“I think our public educa�onal system
needs more empathy for the students they
serve; from the policymakers and
legislators who pass laws that cripple school
districts' ability to effec�vely address the
needs of their students to the teachers who
try to educate kids without knowing who
they are as individuals,” said Buddoo.