Book excerpt: All Black males are born with dreams and aspirations. However, Black male dreams are often deferred when they leave the classroom at the end of the day. Mindful Teaching Practices for Black Male Achievement was created to be a survival guide for new teachers, with short and to-the-point content and structured reflective exercises for professional development as well as learning communities. This resource contains both research-based and classroom-based content that includes practical resources including: -Expository real-world vignettes to ground each chapter and to set the tone for reflective practice. -Reflective exercises for individual or group collaboration that facilitate positive internal shifts. -Prolepsis approaches that help the reader plan for future success utilizing personal goal setting. -Extended activities that build on and support positive educational outcomes with Black males in a way that affirms Black male identity are found in the toolkit. Also in the toolkit, the reader will find sample letter templates to advocate for Black males, intervention plans, student efficacy surveys, and user-friendly best-practices for closing achievement gaps for Black males by grade level.