Mebane mom teaches Black history lessons to students around the world

For teacher Amber Logan, virtual learning is nothing new. "The last several years, I’ve been teaching only online," said Logan. She says the number of her students has grown since the school shutdowns began in March.

Teaching from home allows her to stay close to her 83-year-old mother. From there, she can reach and teach students from around the world.

"I started teaching English to Chinese students several years ago," she said.

Logan sees herself as a historian. Her specialty is social studies from a Black history perspective. That topic is not reserved for one month alone.

"The idea is that Black history should be studied year round and then highlighted in February," explained Logan.

She says more home-school and traditional school families are hungry to learn about the history of racism in the U.S. along with the civil rights struggles of yesterday and today.

Logan understands the topic can grow a bit dark for some students, so she helps her Outschool learners get doses of the positives.

"I created the ‘Black Excellence’ class as a yang to the ying," said Logan, adding some students want to study about Black excellence in art.

"In yesterday’s lesson, we talked about Mardi Gras and Carnaval, and we looked at how the arts, the music and the costumes really reflect that aesthetic," Logan said.

She never assumes her students have heard even the most well-known moments in Black history, like the role of Dr. Martin Luther King and others like Rosa Parks in advancing civil rights.

"The 8-year-old or 10-year-old and 12-year-old might not know, so there is still a square-one that has to happen there as well," she explained.

Logan says aside from teaching young Chinese students how to speak English, she mainly works with students starting in fifth grade and up through high school.