ADVICE FROM EDUCATORS

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School will look a little different this year, but we’re still counting on teachers to motivate us. We asked some folks in education what advice from their own teachers most inspired them.

—Melissa Howsam

An early exchange with my An ear a ly y exc cha ang ge wi first-grade teacher, Mrs. Gwyn at J.J. Jones Elementary in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, stands out for me. ‘Why do I have to lay my head down on the desk and take a nap? I’m not tired or sleepy?’ I asked. She told me, ‘You have to lay your head down and nap so all that you have learned will stay in your head, otherwise you will have to learn the same stuff over and over again every day.’”

w th t my y first-grade teacher, Mrs. Gwyn at J.J. Jones Elementary in Mt t. Airy,

No N rt th h Ca Caro r lina, st tan a ds d out t for me. ‘Why do I have to lay my head d down on n the e desk and take a nap? p I’ m not tired or sl leep py?’ I I asked. She told me, ‘You have to lay your

—Dr. Paulette Dillard

president of Shaw University

The best French instructor I’ve ever seen teach told me I needed to be authentic with students, that students would know if I was not authentic. And that if caring about the students as individuals was not authentic, nothing I taught would ever matter.” —Cathy Moore

superintendent of the Wake County Public School System

Early in my professional career, a wise educator—my mother Laura Duncan, who worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for 40 years—told me to always show special appreciation for the school office manager and maintenance engineer, for they oversee the school and have keys to every door. That advice has kept me mindful and appreciative of the real heroes in every school. It’s true in life, too: you never know what door you may need opened or what bit of information may be essential to your career.” —James Sanders

director of career and technical education partnerships at North Wake College & Career Academy, Wake Tech Community College

The best advice an educator ever The be est advi ic ce an a educator ev e er e gave me was to prioritize connecgave me was to prioritize c connection over content in the classtion over r con ntent in the classroom. Our students need to see, to room m. Ou O r r st tud den e ts ts need to t see, to t know and to believe that we are know and to believe that we are their greatest champions. When their gr g eatest champ pions. When you put relationships first, the inyou put rela ationships first, the instruction is more effective because struction is more effective because students believe the teacher will support them through the entire learning process.” —Lindsey Evans

social studies department chair at Apex Friendship Middle School and Wake County Teacher of the Year 2019-2020

My tenth grade English teacher told me, ‘Finding reading difficult isn’t a reason not to do it— just find something you actually want to read.’ That permission to publicly struggle changed everything for me.” —Jeff Reaser

professor of English at North Carolina State University