From the 'hood' to college? PB assistant principal once thought it impossible

Black history is American history, said Poplar Bluff High School (PBHS) Assistant Principal Sheldon Tyler, who, despite his humble beginnings, attributes family and education to his success as an educator.

"I was born and raised in St. Louis, at Delmar and Kingshighway. That's kind of where I lived, right on the edge of that Forest Park area, Barnes Hospital, STLCOP (St. Louis College of Pharmacy)," Tyler said. "Sometimes the kids at STLCOP will say they can hear shootings because they're not far from the hood."

Tyler, who is now 55, grew up in the 1960s and '70s with five siblings. His father worked day in and day out while his mother remained in the home, raising the children. Tyler said a two-parent household was unique to his neighborhood and that he often shared his father with friends whose home lives were less stable than his own.

While education seemed a lofty endeavor to his siblings, and to his parents, neither of whom finished high school, Tyler said an influential teacher named Gary Glasscock at Washington Elementary School first opened his eyes to the possibility. He also said Glasscock was the first white teacher Tyler and his friends ever had.

"What he did was he showed us something different," Tyler said. "We knew we were intelligent, but nobody ever told us there were things available, like grants and scholarships and all these different things, so we didn't really know much about it. So, in eighth grade, he shows us a different light."

Tyler attended three different high schools in four years, but earned his diploma at the predominantly white Clayton High School in 1980. He said he was able to attend because his father was an employee of the district, and that of the 700 students, only 10 were black.

"I can name them all, if you want," he added, with a laugh.

After high school, Tyler left for college at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau where the first-generation college student earned his bachelor's degree in American History. He went on to earn two more advanced degrees, one in administration and the other a specialist in superintendency. He is currently pursing a doctorate. Tyler said his goal as an educator is to show others that, despite where they came from, they can achieve.

"I've always been a learner, but I think that at some point in my life and my children's lives, I can be an example of somebody from the St. Louis hood who now has his doctorate," Tyler said. "I'll never be famous, but I can say to somebody, 'No matter where you came from you can achieve whatever you want to.'"

Tyler said during the course of his life, he has been fortunate not to have been an obvious victim of racism, though, he said, he's experienced it in a more subdued way.

"It's been subtle," he said. "They'll follow you in the store, or women grab their purse when they're around you. I always think, 'Lady, I'll beat somebody up for taking your purse from you before I'd take it,' but whatever."

Tyler said black history's importance applies not only to people who share his skin color, but to everyone. He said currently he's seeing elements from the Civil Rights Movement play out in today's society among various other minority groups.

"For example, black history plays a role in what is going on today with the LGBT community," Tyler said. "People are starting to realize the way to get things fixed is to silently protest."

Ultimately, though, Tyler said the experiences he's had help him relate to every student at PBHS, despite the color of their skin. From growing up in "the hood" and watching his friends who came from single-parent homes, to understanding struggle in the face of adversity, no matter what it is, Tyler said he hopes he can be an example for students at Poplar Bluff.