Moving Students From Potential To Performance

I wish to dedicate this book to every student who has ever crossed my path, whether in a small or large setting; whether we had a conversation or not; whether I glanced at you or not; perhaps we laughed or cried together, but your life has strengthened my life and I hope my life has strengthened yours!

I am grateful to recognize those around me who have continuously encouraged and challenged me to write this book. I would like to thank Dr. Robert Pavlik from the Institute for Transformation of Learning at Marquette University for his wisdom and perspective. I am grateful to Necci Cooper for her editorial services and labor of love as I finished these writings. To the many staff members who have helped me along this journey, I say thank you. To my school parents, I humbly bow in admiration to you, for without you this journey would have been incomplete. To my family, my husband and my children who weathered the storm with me, know that I am truly blessed God chose you to be connected to me.

Moving Students from Potential to Performance

Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Dorothy Travis Moore

Published in the United States of America

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Table of Contents

Introduction

PART ONE

Chapter One: What I Walked Away From, I Walked Into

Chapter Two: The Journey Begins

Chapter Three: Where There Is A Will There Is A Way

Chapter Four: A Gentle Push

Chapter Five: Mama Don’t Allow No Guns Around Here

Chapter Six: Eyes Wide Open

Chapter Seven: Through The Fire

Chapter Eight: Reality Checkmate For Two

Chapter Nine: It Is Not About Me, But Maybe This Time It Is

Chapter Ten: The Trumpet Sounded

PART TWO

Chapter Eleven: Stepping Out On Faith

Chapter Twelve: A Place Of Our Own

Chapter Thirteen: The High School Road

Chapter Fourteen: An Angry View

Chapter Fifteen: One Accord

Chapter Sixteen: Determined To Graduate

Chapter Seventeen: The God Mother

Chapter Eighteen: 360 Degrees Of Service

Chapter Nineteen: An Unforunate Turn

Chapter Twenty: The Lord Is My Shepher

PART THREE

Twenty-One: Finished But Not Finished

Guide Questions: Think It Through

Poem: I Woke Up This Morning

About The Author

INTRODUCTION

Many years ago, I started my career in education. I feel like I should start at the end because trouble rolled in like a flood. I want to tell you everything about the good, bad and ugly. But, that is impossible. Let me ask, who can fully understand life? You see a person dressed up wearing a beautiful suit looking smashing until you notice a button is missing. People usually will not say, Oh you look gorgeous. They will say, What happened to your button? I am grateful for many things in my career, but a button was missing. What do I mean? There are no perfect people in an imperfect world. We do our best to step in the destiny given to us. It is not for judgement or focus on the missing button. It is gratitude for the privilege of serving and for me, it was children.

Every child has the potential to become something great. How they move into this greatness depends on the people in their lives. Teachers help move children to their destiny. Sometimes children live in difficult surroundings that do not foster learning and this causes a domino effect in school, it is not that they cannot learn. In some cases, no learning structure was formed before going to school. These students have potential, but struggle in academics and behavior, and they are considered at risk— we hear this term more often today.

Students who are not performing well are sometimes labeled as emotionally disturbed, learning disabled or juvenile delinquents. Most times they are homeless, low income, drug users, teenaged parents or victims of sex trafficking — live in single parent families, and suffer from the inability to read or solve math.

I plan to share the stories of children, young students who had to endure what many adults could not handle. They were born into circumstances, they never asked for or wanted. In some instances, their parents never recovered from childhood memories of despair and hardships. There is a lot of damage lingering in families, but there is no reason for the cycle to continue. I am an advocate for children who want to rise to their dreams. I never went into traditional education, it was not the perfect fit for me. I needed to give more to children who were labeled, forgotten, neglected, abused or worst. The ones with stolen childhoods forced to grow up too fast with no stability, no parental guidance and no resources. Most people are unfamiliar with educating at risk students or what it really means. This population of children are colorless (although a disproportionate number of African Americans are labeled as such); it crosses all races and nationalities. I have worked with many who perform significantly lower than their potential. Their outer surface may be touched, but inside they scream for help.

Note: Each chapter will contain some reflections I call TOMS (Tips on Moving Students). Moving students where? From the potential that is inside of them to a performance level that celebrates who they are. Just as TUMS can be used to treat the feeling of pressure or discomfort in the stomach, TOMS can be used to treat the feelings of pressure or discomfort in our educational system, as we work with our at-risk youth. Please embrace these TOMS because they are ideas, suggestions and thoughts that I have accepted along this journey.

PART ONE

Chapter One

I never wanted to be a teacher or go into education. What amazes me now is that I have a long career in education. What is more amazing I remember the details of my high school graduation. Senior year was the happiest one in my life, I was finally leaving school. And I promised myself I would never step one foot in high school again.

School was stressful. The social pressures and events that happened during class was difficult for me— even as a good student. No more high school! I always knew I was going to college and as I was getting prepared— nursing was considered. I wanted a career helping others, yet undecided to which path to choose. Throughout high school, I volunteered for the Public Health Nurses and traveled with them. During this experience of working in clinics, I discovered its enjoyment. It was settled. I began to plan for a nursing career at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. What happened? I did not like chemistry. While there I failed to attend the required laboratory classes. The result was my grades suffered, but I reasoned it was the university’s fault. So, I decided to transfer searching for the perfect college and career. One thing for sure, teaching was not a bleep on my radar. This saga continued at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UW-L) where I majored in social work. I noticed how majors in education had to complete student teaching assignments and activities. I thought boring and not for me! My pursuit in social work left me unsatisfied. Besides, the social work department was in its infancy and not fully developed, with that said, yes, I dropped out. Next, I began to pursue a degree in the Letters and Science Program. Speech and sociology were my majors with psychology as a minor and I managed to graduate college without giving any thought to my career.

In my last year at UW-L I received a phone call from the superintendent at St. Michael’s Home for Children, he asked if I would work for his agency. I had no prior experience, nor had I applied for vacant position. I told him that I was flattered, and I did need a job. Then, I asked, What would I do for you? On the night prior to the call, UW-L had an international talent show that I participated in and presented a monologue about a family with a desperate mother trying to reach out to her troubled teenaged daughter. In an ironic twist, this former nursing student who changed her major twice had performed a skit related to education and it appeared to be the start of something with children.

Unbeknownst to me, the superintendent was in the audience. He told me, I want you to do what I saw you do on stage last night. I accepted. The following week, I arrived to work in the young girls’ unit. Unexperienced, I had to figure out what to do to capture their interest. I got acquainted with their lives to build trust using the approach of interaction. This method pleased the unit leader and she said, Dorothy these are such therapeutic exercises. All of the girls enjoyed them. Simply by engaging the girls and taking interest in them—made a lasting impact. I stayed 18 months as unit counselor before the next phase of this journey.

A new opportunity arose for me to relocate to California and I decided to move. I felt good about my work with the girls at St. Michael’s. Something special happened there— my heart shifted to the point I began to reconsider that working with children might be a worthwhile career option. I reflected on my first year at the facility in Wisconsin—it was joyous and rewarding, but also emotionally draining. I asked myself, Did I really want the same type of job? The more I thought about it, I concluded that I preferred not to work in any kind of program with behavioral problems or emotionally disturbed adolescents again. The emotional rollercoaster caring for complicated and perplexed teens weighed too heavy. I decided to pass.

I moved to Sacramento and immediately started looking for work—any legal professional job with a decent paycheck. I found myself searching through the Yellow Pages looking for employment prospects. I was looking at listings for residential homes for children. The next day, I found a place called the Stanford Home for Girls, they had an opening for a counselor, so I contacted that organization. Again, this was not what I really wanted to do, but it was a full time paid position.

My service at the home made a huge impact on my life. To this day, I have vividly retained memories of sharing time with adolescent girls. One pivotal moment was an incident with a young girl who had a serious drug problem. It was around midday, when I received a frantic call from someone informing me that a resident had climbed on the four -story roof preparing to jump off the building— after she had flipped out on the hallucination drug, LSD. With heart racing, I quickly volunteered to go up and talk to the girl. It was an intense situation, not only for her, but for me too. Thankfully, I managed to calm her. Finally, after about an hour of reasoning, I persuaded her to come down. By time this episode ended, my body and clothes were soaked with perspiration, and I was exhausted.

One of the nuns approached me and said, Dorothy, there is a need in our society and in our world for people like you, who can work with troubled students. Unto whom much is given, much is required. I never forgot the sister’s words, though I wished many times I could have erased them from my mind— the reality was I could not. Maybe subconsciously, I did not really want to forget them! Her words planted a seed concerning the path my feet would later tread. While living in Sacramento I found a place to worship at St. John Missionary Baptist Church. One Sunday after service an assistant superintendent approached me and said, You should go into education.

With an objecting look on my face I thought, You are kidding me, why should I go into education? All my life I ran away from education, however this lady did not know how I felt about teaching. Then she said, Well, I have noticed that you are a good teacher. I have watched you in Sunday school class and watched how the young people respond to you. I think you would make a good teacher. I was not too interested in her conversation. One thought did appeal to me, teachers made more money than counselors in a residential treatment facility. The following Sunday I sought out that lady for a second discussion and found out she was a former teacher. Then, I confessed to her that I had avoided teaching classes in college because I thought it was not for me.

The lady looked and said, You may have been running, but ‘teaching’ is calling your name! There is a school in Del Paso Heights in the area of Sacramento with low incomes and high crime rates, I believe they can use your help." I had no idea what was next,