Black educators series: Montessori’s Mariel Blake
In honor of Black History Month, BluePrints is featuring Black educators in Clarke County School District in this series of brief stories.
One thing that inspires Athens Montessori educator Mariel Blake above all: seeing her students finally conquer their struggles and unlock their potential.
“The number one thing that’s the best about being a teacher is just being able to work with kids and see kids who are struggling have that moment of just getting it,” Blake said.
An assistant elementary school teacher at Athens Montessori, Blake has been in the education field since 1997. Her career choice was heavily influenced by her family.
“Teaching is my family business,” Blake said. “I didn’t think I would ever be a teacher, and then this opportunity came up and I thought that I really liked it.”
Blake grew up in Athens and participated in many gifted and college-prep classes throughout her education in Clarke County. Because of her experience often being one of the only Black students in her classes, she recognizes the impact of Black students having Black teachers.
“I can remember every Black teacher I had,” Blake said. “They just carried themselves with a certain air of grace and dignity and accomplishment that gave me something to look up to, and I wanted to be that for somebody else.”
Blake incorporates parts of Black culture in her outfits outside of Black History Month, such as wearing an African print mask, and believes that it’s important for the curriculum about Black history to extend beyond February as well.
“I think it needs to be more incorporated throughout the year,” Blake said. “I just feel like one thing that can be improved not just in Clarke County, but in all school districts, is just having those bigger conversations and understanding that anytime you’re talking about American history, you have to include Black people, you have to include indigenous people, you have to include all of these groups that are part of this story. This story is our story.”
Having been in the education field for 25 years, Blake often sees the fruits of her labor as her students grow up. Her students have become doctors, entrepreneurs and artists. According to Blake, seeing her students grow up and begin their own careers is one of her biggest achievements.
“I’m really proud of teaching long enough that I see the accomplishments of my students,” she said. “It’s the best field in the world. You go home every day knowing that you accomplished something and that you did something that day that was going to help make somebody’s life better and maybe change somebody’s life. There’s not a lot of jobs where you can go home every day and feel like you did something that was worthwhile.”
