The Secret to Success (16 page)

University of Louisville and Michigan State University

I was able to distinguish very early in my speaking career that different institutions had different intentions for inviting me to their campus. Some institutions invited me to their campus to motivate their students, nothing more nothing less. Then there were institutions like U of L and MSU that had a much broader vision. The late Dr. Joseph McMillan of U of L founded the Black Family Conference, which began in 1978. Rodney Patterson and Murray Edwards founded the Black Male Conference at Michigan State. Both conferences drew education personnel, parents, community leaders and researchers from around the country to discuss issues affecting African American families and communities.

I presented every year until both conferences were eventually discontinued because of funding issues. I was disappointed that the conferences had come to an end. However, because of the strong relationship I built at MSU with Rodney and Murray, they offered me the opportunity to finish my 4-year degree at MSU, or to attend graduate school there if I finished my undergraduate elsewhere.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen –
Hebrew 11:1

I was driving through campus one day during my lunch break and I noticed the president of the university, Delbert Baker, standing on the curb by the Physical Plant building. I pulled over and asked him if everything was okay. He said that his car was in the shop and he needed a ride to the mechanic. What were the chances that the President of the university is standing on the corner needing a ride just as I am passing by? I knew God had placed me in Miracle Territory again. He told me his wife had been telling him about the impact I had on their youngest son Jonathan. Jonathan was deep into the Bible but struggled with the content of certain textbooks. I decided to use some of the religious materials he enjoyed to teach him the lessons as opposed to asking him to learn it in the traditional way. Not only was his interest in school rekindled, our relationship grew. As we drove on President Baker asked me why I hadn't finished my degree and I responded that it was because of financial struggles. A few minutes later, he made a phone call and I had a full, all expense paid scholarship to finish the rest of my degree. He hooked me up with a workstudy position in the office of Recruitment. My job was to travel to high schools throughout the country and recruit students to Oakwood. I was truly in Miracle Territory, and this time I had no plans on leaving.

The thing I love about Miracle Territory is that it is always so random. It usually happens when you least expect it. One day I was in church enjoying service when Mrs. Pressely walked up beside me and asked, “Eric, can I talk to you after church? The school is interested in having you speak to the student body sometime next week?” I didn't have any other commitments so I told her I would love to do it. The session went very well and the following week I met with the principal, Mrs. Fryson about taking a position as a substitute teacher. She explained to me that the English teacher had broken her ankle and they needed a replacement until she recovered. I was originally told the teacher would be out for about five to six weeks. Two months had passed and she still hadn't returned. Mrs. Fryson eventually hired a new English teacher and offered me a fulltime position as the speech and drama teacher for the remainder of the year and the following year. I gladly accepted.

Oakwood Academy

I am a firm believer that good things do happen to good people; it's just a matter of timing. Those four years in the projects helping high school dropouts get their G.E.D. paid off in a major way. It gave me over five years of experience in the classroom. Even though I didn't have my college degree at the time I was still hired by Mrs. Fryson because of that experience. She told me when she reviewed resume that she based her decision on several factors. One factor was the impact I had on students. In less than half a year I was able to help a number of failing and borderline students regain the confidence in their academic abilities as well as get them excited about learning. Another was that fact that I was back in school and only a few semesters from completing my degree. After all those years of working primarily for free, I could finally tell De that I had my first real job with benefits!

Those few years at the academy were huge. For one, Mrs. Fryson's decision to hire me elevated my confidence in a major way. Oakwood was a small community so it was no secret that some of the more influential members of the school board disapproved of her decision to hire me. That made me work that much harder for her. She pushed me professionally and personally but she never tried to box me in. Instead, she created a structure that harnessed my creativity and supported my unconventional teaching style. I will always be indebted to her for believing in me and giving me a chance when others were not willing to do so.

The love and support I received from my students also helped shape me as an educator. They trusted me enough to embrace my untraditional instructional style and respected me to the point that they made every attempt possible to reach the standards I set. We cried together, we traveled together, we laughed together, and more importantly we grew and matured together.

It would be impossible to share my entire teaching experience in this book. But there are some specific reasons I was able to experience a high level of success working with my students.

Tip 1: Build a relationship

After struggling early with some of the more challenging students in my class, I sought advice from a mentor who had been working with troubled youth for a number of years. The advice was simple yet game changing: “They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” It's not uncommon for these students to be abandoned by one or more parents, and that often leads to a mistrust of adults. I decided to take a personal interest in my student's life. I stayed after school a day or two a week and got to know them. Sometimes we would play a little basketball or I would simply ask questions about their life at home. How are your siblings doing? How did your basketball game go the other day? Simple questions like that allowed the student to see that I cared about them not only academically but personally as well. I saw how demonstrating that type of interest went a long way not only in my relationship with the students but its affect on their academics.

Tip 2: Remember each student is different

While it is important as educators to use our past experiences to deal with future situations, remember that no two students are the same. Early in my career I was guilty of placing certain expectations on a student because I recognized similar behavioral patterns from previous students that I struggled to reach. For example, if I had two students with anger issues that failed to thrive in my class the previous year, the next year I automatically assumed that there was no possible way to reach the student who demonstrated similar personality characteristics. By making that assumption, I often failed to make a legitimate attempt at maximizing the students learning potential, instead choosing to focus on the students who “had a chance to succeed.” My thought processes were quickly redirected through a number of “success stories” (including my own), and from that day forward, I treated each and every student as a unique individual.

Tip 3: Find a balance

Like so many new teachers, I made a critical error. That error was trying to be the “Cool Teacher.” Being young and naïve I figured I would waltz in the classroom with my hiphop approach and the students would automatically respond to me because of my swag (although back then it wasn't swag, it was…fresh). While it was true that the students loved being in my class, it wasn't because of my depth of knowledge and intellectual creativity, it was because I was a pushover. By refusing to discipline students in fear that they may not think I was a cool teacher, the students ran circles around me. However, I observed teachers with the exact opposite style, yelling and screaming at the students, writing referrals and sending students to the office, and they too failed to positively impact their students academically. By the second semester, I discovered a balance that is still effective to this day. I set the tone in the class. I was the teacher and they were the students. I made the rules and they followed the rules. I set high expectations and they did their best to reach them. I acknowledged their accomplishments and affirmed them every opportunity I had. There were some casual moments in the classroom but I also made sure there were tough and focused moments.

Tip 4: Create an energetic learning environment

One of the most difficult tasks when dealing with grade school students is figuring out a way to harness the massive amount of energy that accompanies children under the age of 12 years. I often found myself dreaming of a classroom where I was able to execute my lesson plan without interruptions; the kids sat down the entire day, remained on task and didn't have to use the bathroom every 30 seconds. I quickly realized that these thoughts were just a fantasy and soon discovered a way to use their energy to my advantage. By creating an energetic learning environment where students were encouraged to use their energy for problem solving and learning, my student's performance quickly accelerated. Using a balance of collaborative learning and individualized learning methods with icebreakers, quiz bowls and jeopardy games, all while keeping the energy high pace and fun, my students began to gravitate towards learning and quickly went from a “Do we have to?” attitude to a “Can we please?” attitude. I also incorporated a heavy culturally relevant pedagogy to make their learning experience more engaging. In short, a culturally relevant pedagogy uses “the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning more relevant and effective for students. It teaches through and to the strengths of these students. It is culturally validating and affirming.” Therefore, create the environment that challenges and allows your students to be creative and critical in their thinking, trust me you'll thank yourself later.

Tip 5: Involve the parents as much as possible

One of the most difficult challenges I faced while working in a low-income school was trying to get the parents involved in their student's academic life. As I stated earlier, many of these students come from a single parent home (usually mom) and the parent often does not have the time to check on his or her child during school hours. One of the ways I was able to combat this issue was by making positive phone calls home. I realized that the only time I ever made a call home was when a student was failing or had poor classroom behavior. It never dawned on me that positive calls could have a positive impact on student improvement. Not once in my first year of teaching did I call home to tell a parent that their child did an excellent job in class and that I wanted them to acknowledge the child the first chance they had. As it turns out, parents are much more likely to have a conversation with you when their child is doing well than when their child is doing poorly. By taking small steps like making positive calls home, I was able to build a rapport with the parents. As a result, when it was time to make the “your child is struggling call” they were much more willing to listen and take action.

Tip 6: Be a Life Long Learner

I had to come to the conclusion that professional development was the missing link and the key to my success as a teacher. Once the school year ended, I read every book I could get my hands on about best practices for good teachers.
The Marva Collins Way
was the first book I researched. Her works highlighted the practical yet innovative strategies teachers can use to bring the best out in all students despite their academic background. When I wasn't reading, I was watching every film out about success in the classroom. I had an unusual ability to use films (like most people used workshops or other professional development sessions) and apply them to my practice. The two films that resonated most were
Lean on Me, Stand
and
Deliver Jamie Escalante
. Both films demonstrated how educators could serve as real change agents by using aggressive, proactive and innovative strategies for school improvement. In addition to what I learned from outside research, I learned a great deal from my own students. I quickly learned that students have a wealth of knowledge about what works and what doesn't work in the classroom. I eventually pulled a few interested students to the side and involved them in the creative process of designing the lesson plan and other related issues.

Tip 7: Give students a sense of purpose

One of the things that concerned me was the lack of interest a number of my students had in the learning process as a whole. I always believed that there was a direct connection between student performance and student interest. A number of my students who had academic challenges were more than capable of excelling. The problem was that they didn't see the benefits of school. I made it my business to help students make the connection. I brought guest presenters from different professional backgrounds to share their story. Mason West and I also created a theatrical group called
Act'in Up
that traveled with me during my college tours. On the academic side, I started a reading initiative for upperclassmen called the
Billion Dollar Book Club
, which encouraged students and rewarded them for reading. These small initiatives ignited the school's spirit and created a bond between the school's staff and the students. Once students made the connection to how school could have a positive impact on their lives, their whole approach to learning changed for the better.