I have always loved science, and now, having the opportunity to teach it, I can’t imagine how I ever could have done anything else but be an educator. I love giving my middle school students an introduction to science in an exciting, interesting way – and giving them an opportunity to learn how to work with their hands, collaborate with others and think about science and learning differently.
I didn’t always think I would be a teacher. When I graduated from Claflin University in 2007, I thought I would find a job using my degree in science Biochemistry in the corporate world, but an administrator asked me to come to talk to her about teaching high school science in Calhoun County, and I took the job. I struggled a bit at first, especially passing the certification exams. But I had a great mentor, Michiko McClary, who encouraged me and helped me develop good teaching skills, how to engage students and provided me with opportunities to grow.
Throughout my career, good mentors have helped me in my high school and middle school science teaching positions, now in Orangeburg, S.C., located about halfway between Columbia and Charleston, in a relatively low-income urban school.
Sherry East, The SCEA President of South Carolina got me interested in the work of the union. I became active in the Orangeburg County Education Association, my local, and now I serve as president. I’ve had a great opportunity to help build the union, work with educators on the problems they face and negotiate with the district about fair wages and working conditions. We’ve collaborated to work hard with the district on new ways to attract and retain teachers – and retention bonuses are an issue critical to me now at a time when there are so many positions to fill.
At the state level, I’ve been active with the South Carolina Education Association and pleased to meet with legislators and discuss issues like teacher pay and adequate school funding so our students can thrive. It has been very interesting to me to talk with legislators and learn about issues and their positions – and let them know mine. I enjoy having them know about what a teacher from Orangeburg, N.C. is thinking.
As a teacher, I have now moved into a position at my school as a curriculum facilitator, where I support teachers with team teaching, the development of professional learning communities and building the curriculum to provide exciting, valuable learning opportunities for the students here. I hope to potentially grow into a position as an administrator, but know I’ll retain my interest in teachers and their interaction with students.
As I said, I wasn’t always interested in being a teacher. But I soon found that in my science classes, I could create a spark with students that would build their interest in science and give them a love of learning. Students and parents from the past often come up to me to thank me for giving them that gift.
