In the relatively short period of time since Dr. Reginald Bess, PhD ’26, joined Gallaudet’s faculty in 2022, he’s quickly become a popular math teacher and, most recently, a PhD graduate in the Education program.
Despite his scholarly strengths, Bess says academics were rarely his priority when he was younger: “Honestly, I never cared about academics. I wanted to have a good time. That’s it.” It wasn’t an overnight shift from nonstop parties to inspiring students, but his experiences make his teaching and research accessible and practical, grounded in lived experience and in Bess’ own observations.
Focusing on Black deaf students
Bess didn’t immediately see the value of a PhD until he was pulling together his own evidence-based research, which he’s now excited to share.
“My reason behind the PhD is to uplift Black students. I want to help non-Black teachers understand how to work with Black students. [Some students] have experienced a lot of negativity, and teachers don’t know how to engage with that. They don’t realize that they can unintentionally cause harm, and I want to make sure we can repair that harm,” he says.
Bess’ dissertation is based on over 15 years of experience teaching, during which he regularly observed misunderstandings between teachers and Black Deaf students. “I saw Black Deaf students missing opportunities to truly excel in math. I wanted to figure out how I could remove barriers to their success,” he says. Though Bess’ research topic on Black Deaf students and math is uncommon, his work strongly resonates with members of the Black Deaf community. After his dissertation defense, he was surprised that rather than fielding questions about his work, audience members were eager to share their own similar experiences in school, saying his findings connected with them on a personal level.
“Black Deaf students may have different cultures, Black language styles, and use BASL (Black American Sign Language), but that does not mean they cannot learn math. Teachers should be open-minded and develop better relationships with students to understand where they come from and why they communicate the way they do,” he says.
For instance, he recently worked with an undergraduate who initially felt her math skills were poor, but with support, she changed her minor to math and even won a recent math competition. Fueled by her example, and others like it, he says, “I want to spread the message to the math world about how to be a great cheerleader for students and let them know they can succeed. Instead of telling students to change their major because their math skills need improvement, educators should give them tools to improve and help them discover joy and love for mathematics,” he says.
No match for a mother with a plan
Bess grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and was mainstreamed in public schools. He says his mother didn’t let him stay at home and become isolated; instead pushing him out the door to play pickup games at the park with the hearing kids. Bess threw himself into these games and got recruited to play for Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) travel teams. “I used to get bullied a lot for being deaf, and I felt embarrassed,” he says. In high school, his stellar basketball skills shut down those bullies, and over time, his self-confidence grew. “People were shocked that I was a 9th grader playing on the varsity team – over one hundred students tried out and only three deaf or hard of hearing kids made the team. They were really amazed at my skills,” he says.
Although he loved basketball, he didn’t enjoy the academic side of high school. “I hung out with the wrong crowd, and all I really cared about was having a good time … I hung out with friends who didn’t care about education, and I internalized that. I chose not to care about school either,” he explains.
His mother knew better. Without his knowledge, she submitted an application to Clark Atlanta University on his behalf. Bess was accepted, but says he only attended for his mother’s sake and because she would have kicked him out of their home if he hadn’t. After Bess graduated with majors in accounting and math, his mother still didn’t let him off the hook. “I told her, ‘OK, Mom, I’m done. Let me party!’ But she just told me to go find a job,” he laughs.
Practice what you preach
Bess didn’t realize how rare Black Deaf men teaching math were until he applied to be a long-term substitute teacher at the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf (AASD) to the amazement of the hiring committee.
“That day changed my life forever. I started teaching in a class that other teachers had historically avoided because they couldn’t control it. But it was a great day for me. I had no problems connecting with the students,” he says. In addition to teaching, Bess eventually became the school’s head boys basketball coach and athletic director.
As much as he enjoyed his responsibilities, he freely admits it should not have taken him 12 years in total to become fully qualified as a teacher. “Like I said, I liked to party. Not study. I didn’t have much money at the time, and my provisional teaching certificate was expiring, which meant I’d be demoted to an assistant teacher. I couldn’t accept that, so I left,” he says.
But Bess missed his roles at the AASD and returned a few years later. Since he couldn’t teach, he volunteered as the head coach of the boys basketball team, when he had a realization: “How can I tell these players to never give up, and here I am, giving up on myself? That was the first time in my life I secretly studied and passed all the requirements to become fully qualified as a high school teacher,” he says.
Bess’ secret sauce
Bess initially came to work at Gallaudet out of curiosity. “I wanted to see what all the hype was about,” he says. He recognized a divide between Gallaudet and non-Gallaudet communities, fueled by misunderstandings and assumptions, and wanted to better understand the university. “I used to feel excluded and wanted to feel accepted by the Deaf community. Once I came to Gallaudet, my perspective changed. I realized that we are already accepted,” he explains.
After a few short years at Gallaudet, Bess is already well known on campus. He draws on his own experience when advising his students, and he doesn’t minimize the importance of a good time. “My advice to students is to work hard first, then play hard later. In the beginning, it can be boring, but once you reach your goal, the hard work pays off and gives you a great opportunity to play hard,” he says.
Bess is also a strong supporter of the VEE program program. He taught the core introductory foundation courses, VEE 101 and 102, to new and transfer students for four years. During the annual VEETank competitions, in which each VEE class pitches a business idea, he led his classes to victory, regularly winning first and second place.
This past academic year, Bess went from teaching to serving as the VEE Coordinator, saying, “It’s so fascinating to be able to zoom out and see how the university operates and how much collaboration is necessary. That experience really helped me understand how Gallaudet functions, especially on the staff and admin side.” The interdisciplinary nature of the VEE program put him in contact with almost every academic program across campus, allowing him to collaborate widely through course content, events, and instruction.
He says his secret to juggling everything is using time wisely. “I have zero patience for waiting. For instance, if I’m waiting for a plane, I pull out my laptop and get my work done. Then, time goes by fast, and it’s time to board,” he says. The same goes for his plane ride – you won’t catch Bess watching a movie; he says by the time his flight is over, he’s already ahead of the game.
Complaining about not having time or being too busy to do things never helps, which he says is a key lesson for him. Instead, self-discipline, combined with his natural determination, helps him get things done quickly. “I’m not chill anymore,” he laughs.
Figure out if Gallaudet’s Mathematics program fits into your undergraduate plans, or continue your education by exploring a Graduate degree.
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