Wisdom From Above

By: Valarie S. Nichols

Teaching was not my first choice.  However, it was my purpose in life to educate, mentor, coach, nurture, and entertain my students.  I believed that God's plan for me was to become a psychiatrist; yet, that was to be an unfulfilled dream, as well as an entertainer.  Because of my father, my life would take a different path which would lead me to teaching. 

I had dreams of fame and fortune, but God knew my fame and fortune would come from the love of my students and the wisdom and knowledge imparted would be the riches that I reap.  Each step that I took, after earning a degree in Radio Television and Film (RTVF), directed me to closed doors and missteps of failure. 

When my father suggested that I become a substitute teacher, I fought him every step of the way with concerns and issues.  His faith in me would lead me on the road not taken.  The journey as a substitute teacher for the first five years would open a door fashioned with impending questions of what was I going to do with my life. 

Dr. Carol François had the answer.  She would be the next person leading me on the path to fulfilling my purpose in life.  Her encouraging words and willingness to let me work and attend school at the same time allowed the next door to be opened.  Finally, an unknown dream was realized. 

The first year was challenging and exciting, but the students that I encountered would one day show me that this was my destiny. I was to meet and be the angel in disguise when one was embroiled in an abusive relationship.  Another, debated having an abortion, and one called me Mom; not to far removed from psychiatry.  One day, I had an epiphany and realized that my life had come full circle, and I was meant to be a teacher. 

Not just a teacher, but a teacher at Sunset.  "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, than peaceable." James 3:17.  God had placed me at Sunset to do my student teaching. He then placed people in my life to keep me there as a permanent teacher.  God has continually shown me favor and love throughout the 20 years of my teaching experience.  He has kept me through adversities that have been both personal and professional. 

Through it all, God has had His way for better or worse. My path had been chosen. Never feeling anxious or regret, my life has been filled with peace.  Reflecting on the individuals who urged me to take this certain course of action, I know God was the Director in every step that I took.  His continual influence keeps me grounded and believing that my purpose, my profession was inevitable. Twenty years later, I say humbly and proudly, I am forever and educator!

Forever an Educator By: LaKisha Merritt

The great philosopher Socrates once said, “Know Thyself.”  I believe that who I am is a collection of the many puzzle pieces that have been shaped by those that have had an effect on my life.  

As a child, my family instilled in me the value of an education.  Like many of the students that I serve, I too grew up in an impoverished community. Fortunately, the love and calculated direction of my family, I was taught that my environment would not define who I would become.  

At an early age, I knew my destiny was to become an educator.  When people ask me how long I have been teaching, my usual response is since I was eight years old.  I have been a teacher and served in other capacities in Dallas ISD.  

This journey has nurtured my learning, as well as, a time of preparation.  I say, preparation, because all that I am and all that I have become has prepared me for the responsibilities that I have today. 

As an Assistant Principal, I have the privilege of affecting the lives of students on a greater scale.  I have a greater view of the lives of the students’ world as it relates to the whole child.  With the view of all the complexities of the whole child made apparent, I can still utter the words, “I will accept nothing less than Excellence.”

I view my work as a calling for who can do such a work that requires hours beyond the normal 8 to 5.  You can’t put a time limit when it comes to affecting lives.  Whether it is during the school day, at lunch in the cafeteria, or an after-school event, the lives I am able to touch and be touched by is an addition to an unfinished puzzle. 

I think the greatest challenge of my life’s unfinished puzzle is ensuring that each piece added is a positive characteristic that I can share as I influence the lives of others.  I think serving as an educator is the most noblest of all career fields for who can fulfill their life’s destiny without the guidance of a teacher?