Inspiration

Bramlette ES: Destined for Greatness

By NIKITA MUMPHREY-PRINCIPAL BRAMLETTE ES

Growing up in our household, my brother and I witnessed our father work a full-time job while our mother was the homemaker teaching and caring for us. Even though being a teacher was one of her dreams, she chose us, and we became her students with our father’s full support. My mother was kind-hearted, generous, passionate, intelligent, and loved children. I saw her live out her values of equity, honesty, and fairness during my childhood and that inspired me to want to want to impart the gift of knowledge and an excitement to learn; be a positive role model in the lives of students and influence them by cultivating a passion of discovery and the magic of an inquisitive mind the way she did. I worked in many fields before I embraced my destiny in which my parents had nurtured and prepared me for all my life. For me, education is a way of life rather than just a way to make a living. What I love the most about the students, teachers and campus is the heart and pride that is exhibited each day. At Bramlette, we are a family. We are a strong educational community that operates with unity, focus, and a culture of high expectations. Our students, parents, faculty, and staff are unique, resilient, and persistent. Committed, dependable, respectful, passionate, open-minded, and innovative are our core values that define our relentless pursuit of excellence yielding teacher growth and high student achievement. Our future is bright, certain, and foundationally sound. Together, we are Destined for Greatness!

Nikita Mumphrey

Education Chose Me

By CASSANDRA JAMES, HEAD OF SCHOOL, JL EVERHART ES

I did not choose education; education chose me. In fact, I feel like I was “born to teach”. Since I was old enough to play with my first desk set (at about age 5) I would get my older brother and sister to play school. Can you guess who played the role of the teacher? I even tried to escape what I knew God destined for my life by professing to everyone that I was going to be an engineer. Somehow, and it is still a blur, I never made it to the engineering building- I ended up in line for the School of Education and the rest is history.

My love for education stems from my love for children. Having the ability to touch, inspire, and even change lives for the better drives me to continue my path in education. Seeing children, especially ones others ‘count out’, thrive, excel, and ultimately succeed gives me a personal sense of fulfillment. Teaching allows me to lift the veil and uncover the greatness within each of the students whose lives I have been fortunate enough to touch.

Cassandra James, Head of School, JL Everhart ES

Chose to be an educator and impact the future

By JOSH WORSHAM, M.Ed. - PRINCIPAL, WARE EAST TEXAS MONTESSORI ACADEMY

I chose to be an educator to make a positive impact on the lives of our future generations. I was very fortunate to have teachers who pushed me to accomplish things I never thought possible, and this had a lasting impact on my life. I am passionate about educating our students in new and innovative ways that prepare them to make an impact on the world. Education has the power to change people’s lives for the better and I am very proud to call myself an educator. Especially in such an innovative charter network as East Texas Advanced Academies.

Our students at Ware are nothing short of amazing. We set very high expectations for them, and I have been impressed daily with their unique knowledge of our world and how hard they will work to accomplish their goals. They’re fearless risk takers, proud communicators, and always inquiring to learn more. At Ware, we know every student has the capacity to grow into a changer and we work every day to bring out what already exists within them. It’s an honor to watch them grow academically, socially, and emotionally each day.

Our teachers are an exciting group to work with. They are smart and innovative and most importantly, they are coachable. They want to grow and become better educators every day. They have embraced a family mentality and understand the importance of collaboration to accomplish our goals. They believe in our students and challenge them to achieve new heights. I love my job as Principal of Ware East Texas Montessori Academy as we have such a beautiful campus that is always bright, colorful, and very welcoming. It has an old building feel but is also full of modern technology and amenities. It’s a wonderful place for learning that students are excited to come to each day. This is going to be a big year for us, and we are very excited to get started.

Josh Worsham, M.Ed., Principal

The students provide my “Why”

By MEGAN BURNS, PRINCIPAL JOHNSTON MCQUEEN ES

As much as I enjoy working with the professionals on our campus who are passionate about and committed to our students, it's the students themselves who provide my "why" for this job. There is nothing more energizing or humbling than to connect with a student. In the principal's role, I have the ability to connect with hundreds of children each day. I relate with the saying "To teach is to touch the future." It is our duty to make certain that the future we help create for our children is done so with great reverence for the possibilities inherent in each one of them.

Megan Burns