When you walk into Memory's classroom, you can tell she loves teaching. Brightly decorated walls, a beaming smile, and joyful noises are all evidence of that. But dig a little deeper into her own story, and you're even more convinced that nothing can keep her from her calling as a teacher.
Memory has always dreamed of teaching children. She enrolled in a local college to see that dream come true, but unfortunately she had to drop out after just a few months because her parents weren't able to pay the tuition fees.
But instead of giving up, Memory pressed on to follow her heart. She found herself at Joy Grace Christian School where she asked if she could volunteer. Recognizing her passion and their own need for more hands to help the hundreds of students, they brought her on and began to train her on the job.
It's common for community school teachers to not have any official training. But what makes Memory stand out is her own desire to learn. She began to observe the other teachers at the school who had been trained by Impact One, and was intrigued by their techniques. She was really surprised to see so many children reading, especially in the 1st and 2nd grade class. So she asked Teacher Tryness, the school's literacy expert, to show her how to teach reading.
This month, Memory had the opportunity to attend her first literacy training with Impact One. She admits she was nervous because she didn't know what the training would be about, and she didn't know anyone else who would be there. But she was excited about the chance to learn something new.
When arriving at the session, she settled in to our outdoor gazebo and waited anxiously for what was next. The topic for this event was decodable texts… something Memory had never even heard of. But with our interactive session, she began to understand key skills for helping children learn new vocabulary, read a text fluently, and comprehend what they’ve read. She said she felt like she was back in college again! After the training, she was so excited that she raced to Tryness' house so she could tell her all she learned.
By the following week, Memory was already implementing some of what she had learned. She has created a vocabulary chart for her classroom so that students can practice new words every morning. And she has committed to 30 minutes of reading time every day so the students can practice reading fluently and comprehending texts. Memory will receive follow up mentoring from our Education Coordinator and be equipped with more skills to use in her classroom.
She’s already asking when the next training will be!
This is the heart of Impact One. We come alongside individuals who are passionate about teaching and equip them with the skills they need to do it well. Because when a teacher is equipped, she will impact the life of every student who ever sets foot in her classroom.
Memory is going to become a phenomenal teacher who is changing the world one child at a time!