From Kelly to King

After spending ten years as a teacher at John B. Kelly Elementary School, I made the very difficult decision to leave. The decision to site-select out was just as hard for me to do as it was for me to articulate and for many of the Kelly community (and family and friends who know me best) to accept. I am looking forward to reuniting with some of my former students and to the new experiences that teaching at Martin Luther King High School will bring.

Words cannot express my gratitude to my first principal, Dr. Hackman, for taking a chance on a brother. I remember sitting before a panel of educators, who would later become my colleagues, and in front of Dr. Hackman while fielding questions about curriculum and discipline. I remember saying, "Listen, I don't know the curriculum, but I do know discipline. You teach me the curriculum because I have the discipline!" (I think I lived up to that, lol) I remember driving back to work in West Philly from that interview in Germantown and receiving a call that John B. Kelly wanted me, the next day. Ha! Nice! I remember being excited while also informing the administrator on the other end that I was honored, but felt it necessary to give my current job two weeks. She understood. That didn't stop me from going back to Kelly the next day to retrieve curriculum materials and previewing them during those next two weeks. While there, I took a little tour, and peeked my head into the classroom of the teacher who would be my partner teacher for nearly the next decade (with whom I worked until the end) and into room 105. 105, where there sat about 30 or so 6th graders; a group that would be my new homeroom. I remember a young lady asking, "Is he our new teacher?" "Yes," was the response from the Administrative Liaison. "Yes, and we're going to have a great year, aren't we," was the response from the new teacher. We did.

One of the students with whom I worked that school year, would keep in contact with me over the years. He'd come to visit us at Kelly. We'd see each other in the neighborhood every now and then. That same young man who was a student my first year at Kelly would be a colleague during my last year at Kelly. Mr. Maurice! What are the odds? Times sure changed from year 1 to year 10. {insert heavy sigh *here*}. Maybe I'll share those changing times in another post.

To the district principal who recommended me to Dr. Hackman back then, thank you! You also took a chance on me, knowing that your reputation was on the line, but fully confident that this match would work. You know who you are :-)

I've formed many bonds and relationships that I will not soon forget! The rapport that I have with the kids, my old kids, their families, my colleagues, and the community are priceless! These bonds were the constant in times of uncertainty. These and the 'feel-good' moments that I haven't tweeted, the tears shed for the kids that I've not shared with the world, the prayers I've prayed, the heart-felt words over the years from parents, former students, my colleagues, and from people I didn't even know were watching, they all are a part of the fabric of the me that King is getting. At King, I'm looking forward to learning and to growing as an educator! I'm looking forward to making a positive impact wherever I can! I'm looking forward to...wait...that's it! I'm looking forward.

Here's to the next decade in education; rooted in Kelly, continuing at King, and forward.