Working as a teacher in a school may have been the worst job I ever had. And I’ve worked some really bad jobs. If you work at any of the following jobs, this is not a personal shot, just my personal experience.
I worked at McDonald’s in the Macy’s on 34th street. I worked in the kitchen and had to take out the garbage. It was a very small room that accumulated all of the days trash. I had to go in there, organize it, and then take it down to the cellar. It was truly disgusting. I worked there for 6 months during the summer of my junior year into the winter of my senior year in high school.
I also worked for New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG)…for 4 days. I was not politically motivated when it came to applying for this job. I’m not sure how I even got this job. As I remember it, the goal was to solicit donations from people in the community to advocate on their behalf. A team of people would go out to different parts of the city with a clipboard of information and you would knock on doors with the hope of getting people to donate. It wasn’t a scheme (in case you are wondering). The organization really cared about advocating for people. Knocking on doors just made me uncomfortable. Many of the neighborhoods I went to in Brooklyn were affluent. I couldn’t get over my own insecurity of thinking many of these folks won’t open the door for me because I’m black. I spent most of those 4 days in awe of the neighborhoods, working up my own courage and just walking up and down the streets until it was time to get back in the car and head back to the main office. I did, however, get one check for $15.
I never looked at those two jobs as a future career, but when it came to teaching, it was something I really wrestled with. I genuinely wanted to be a teacher. I am and have always been really passionate about working with kids. In fact, I believe it to be the greatest honor to play a part in encouraging, equipping, and inspiring the next generation of leaders. But I felt I could impact the students more by being outside of the school. And I have.
Flashback to 2002:
I was a freshman at Benjamin Banneker Academy for Community Development. Fancy name but it was just a public high school with teachers that really cared. This school was different from my previous school. I now had 8 class periods in the day, 45 minutes each. My previous school had 4 class periods in the day, each 90 minutes.
First and Second period I had advanced math with Ms. Haywood, she was great (I’ll talk about her in another post). The other periods are blurry at this point. But 8th period I had english with Mr. Turner…I’ll never forget that.
At that time he was the 5th male teacher I had ever had. Prior to him, all four of my previous male teachers were in middle school. I had none in elementary school. Mr. Turner met us all outside of his classroom and said, “What’s your name?” and he welcomed us to his class. Seems normal, but where I grew up it was very different. He began talking about his background…he’s from Montclair, NJ…graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta and did a domestic exchange at Stanford in California. I was fascinated…not at the places he mentioned, but that he shared more than just the topic of the class.
He was such a contrast to what I had experienced that I became even more observant to the way he carried himself. He would often say things like, “Whatever you do, don’t peak in high school” or “The fun you’re having now will not compare to the fun you’ll have later in life” and “Don’t have kids before you’re ready.”
He introduced us to books like Animal Farm, The Richest Man in Babylon, Ishmael, Siddhartha and the Celestine Prophesy. I didn’t read much back then but I actually read those books. Up until then, the required reading was Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. Great books, but none of them got me to think locally, nationally, and globally like the books Mr. Turner recommended while taking his class.
What was my role in society? I had no idea. I didn’t know I needed to think like that.
One day I said to him, “You seem very different than the other teachers I’ve had in the past.” He said “What do you mean?” I said, “Every other teacher I’ve had, without a doubt loves their jobs, but they seem stressed and constantly looking for the next thing.” He laughed. He told a bunch of stuff that I do not remember, but I do remember him saying, “My money works for me.” I was intrigued. I asked what he meant by that. He said “Do you have time after school? I will explain it to you then” I agreed to come back after school, and that day he became my unofficial mentor. (I say unofficial because I never asked if he wanted to be my mentor.)
In those after school sessions I learned about Roth IRA’s, stock market trading, real estate and living below your means regardless of how much you make. He even took it a step further and hired me to work at the school’s writing center. The writing center was a resource Mr. Turner brought to the school to help students with a variety of needs related to writing and SAT Prep. There I helped my fellow classmates with college essays. I essentially got paid to learn. It was great.
Hands down the best thing he did for me was getting me into Morehouse College. I applied and had the grades to get in. He was friends with the Dean of Admissions and less than four weeks later I got the phone call that I was accepted to Morehouse College, followed by a letter in the mail. My parents didn’t have the money for me to attend any college. I told Mr. Turner and he took time to meet with me outside of school to work on applying for scholarships. We applied for the JP Morgan Scholarship and the Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Scholarship. Mr. Turner was a recipient of the Bonner scholarship while at Morehouse. I applied and presented myself as the best candidate I could, but I later found out he had put a call into the coordinator of the scholarship at Morehouse and I was awarded The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Scholarship. I’m not saying I couldn’t have attained any of this without his help, but he definitely locked in my future at Morehouse. Attending Morehouse changed my trajectory and introduced me to a world I didn’t know existed.
Back to today…
Mr. Turner was a huge influence on my life and I’m grateful God decided to bring him into my life. He was so influential to me that I thought I wanted to be a teacher like him to help the youth in the same way he helped me. However, I’ve taken a slightly different path. I lead an organization, EDGE, that is geared towards improving the lives of young men in NYC through mentorship. E.D.G.E. is an acronym for Empower, Develop, Grow, and Educate. Twice a month on Saturdays a group of mentors work with approximately 30 amazing young middle school aged boys on character building. We refer to all young men in our program as EDGE Scholars. We develop the scholars through 3 phases over the course of an academic school year: Creating Your Own Narrative, Power of Choice & Leadership. Each phase has 3-4 lessons that are designed to drive discussion and enable scholars to become active participants in the learning process. In addition, we offer Electives, Guest Speakers and Community Based Service Projects to ensure our scholars are receiving a well-rounded experience. I look forward to seeing the men they will become and the lives they will impact.
Who knows where I would be had I not met Mr. Turner.
5 Things Mr. Turner did well that translates into being a great mentor:
He continued to develop as a person.
He was/is comfortable in who he is.
He encouraged me to think critically.
He provided unique resources and opportunities.
He was/is trustworthy.
Teaching didn’t work out for me but I didn’t let that deter me from working with kids. What Mr. Turner was able to do for me I hope to do for someone else. Can I encourage you to fill a need in your local community? Can I encourage you to allow yourself to be mentored by someone? Mr. Turner did this for not just me, but many others at my school. That’s a huge impact in a small time period, as he only taught at my school for 5 years. But the ripple effect of what he did for us will carry through generations of change.
All these years later, Mr. Turner is still a part of my life. We keep in touch regularly. I didn’t know I was gaining a life long friend in my high school english teacher when I walked into that classroom many years ago.
Imagine the impact you could have on a life. Imagine being an integral part in directing a young person full of potential down the right path. Do not ignore your influence or ability to be used for good in another persons life.