BVH U.S. History, Ethnic Studies and Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies teacher Don Dumas recently announced his new job at the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD). He will be starting at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year leading the Ethnic Studies program and curriculum.
“I will be a teacher on special assignment meaning I will be helping to coordinate the district’s offering of Ethnic Studies. I will also help develop professional development training for teachers. I will be attending conferences and bringing back information about how to best teach Ethnic Studies [for] teachers,” Dumas said.
Prior to Dumas obtaining the position, he received lots of encouragement and recommendations from colleagues, Ethnic Studies teachers and SUHSD office leaders to apply for this position. Dumas explains how encouragement wasn’t the only reason he decided to apply.
“When the position was announced in February, I started to consider it. There was a similar position offered in years past, which I thought I might be a good fit for, but I wasn’t ready to leave the classroom. This time around, I was like, ‘I think now’s a good time for me to pursue this other position’,” Dumas said.
Dumas has been a part of the BVH community for ten years and has become involved not only in academics, but also different extracurriculars and sports as he serves as the Black Student Union (BSU) Advisor and also the boys’ varsity basketball Head coach. Through this, he has gotten to build connections with students and staff members on campus. Even though he will be leaving, BVH Principal Lee Romero explains that he will continue to be part of the BVH community.
“It’s a huge impact [that he is leaving] and is going to be a huge loss. You can’t replace a quality teacher like Dumas. I’ve learned in my career as a principal that you never try to replace somebody. There’s people like Dumas who can’t be replaced, but people from other areas can fill in,” Romero said.
While his current position will be divided up to different teachers next year at BVH, Dumas is anticipating the new environment filled with different experiences. His first official day starts on June 22, along with the rest of the SUHSD staff.
“I’m looking forward to working with principals, counselors and other teachers about making this Ethnic Studies program as effective as possible. There’s so much positive that comes out of that class. I’m really looking forward to helping people teach and see the way that it can transform the relationship students [have] at school and their community,” Dumas said.
BVH Social Studies Department Chair and teacher Cody Betts expresses his excitement towards Dumas leading the Ethnic Studies Department for SUHSD. Taking the Ethnic Studies course will become a California mandate for high school students beginning for the class of 2030. In order to have a successful program, Betts shares how there is no one better in the district than Dumas to run it.
“Dumas has been the main force on campus here promoting it. Now that it’s going to be a state requirement for students, it’s exciting seeing a new area of knowledge expand and get the opportunity to study it and teach it,” Betts said. “Dumas is a fantastic teacher and we’re going to miss him. Not being here is a loss for us, but it’s a huge gain for the district. [He’s] an incredible teacher, a great colleague and a good friend.”
Similar to Betts, BSU President and senior Braylon Jenkins feels Dumas will be effective working at the SUHSD office. He’s known Dumas for two years through basketball and BSU. Jenkins shares how Dumas has personally encouraged him by further helping him succeed.
“Dumas is a great guy. He’s impacted not only me, but the community in this school. He has great morals, supports you in anything you do and keeps you honest and disciplined,” Jenkins said. “He allowed me to gradually film more and more of the [boys’ basketball] practices and games and [he’s] helped me expand my business.”
Jenkins has grown his photography business with the help of Dumas. He is one of the many students on campus that Dumas is able to mentor. Now that Dumas will be reporting for work at the district next year, Romero expresses understanding the difficult transition he’ll face. Romero shares his experience transitioning between work environments.
“When you’re a teacher and you see kids every single day, it is nice [and] reassuring, but, when you’re in the district office, you don’t have that. It’s a little bit of a shock and I know he’s going to have a hard time not being around students. [Although] he’s going to have influence on the entire district by teaching a subject that he’s very passionate about. That’s important,” Romero said.
Additionally, Dumas shares the same view as Romero regarding his transition from working in a school environment, to working in a district office. Although it wasn’t an easy decision, the job allows Dumas to move forward and continue his passions in education.
“The hardest part about hitting submit on the application was that I had to get over not seeing students every day. Working with students on a daily basis is different because they give you energy [and] daily gratification,” Dumas said. “Sometimes you get signs that you’re making a difference in a student’s life, helping them understand the world. I won’t get that every day in my next position and I have to be okay with that. [With] this new job I can affect more students, [but] don’t get to see the results every day.”
