The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” provokes a natural expectation that Parents/Guardians and Teachers/Mentors are the ‘village’ that raises its children. This synergistic trilogy in the neighborhood of education helps ensure the quality of life for both the child and the village.

As North Carolina and the nation struggle with sustaining funding for public education, many education leaders are reminding policy makers that an educated citizenry is an investment in the future. Brady Johnson, Superintendent of Iredell-Statesville Schools (ISS), states, “Education must be a priority for our community. An effective teacher in every classroom will do more to protect the quality of life in our community than any investment we can make. We invite the entire community to become involved in helping us to engage our students and ignite a passion for learning that will help our students become life-long learners and globally competitive.”

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6 with Teacher Appreciation Day on Tuesday, May 3rd. As we pause next month to acknowledge our greatest asset - our teachers - consider a journey down memory lane to reflect on your own favorite teacher(s). Can you recall a teacher(s) who captivated your spirit of learning and asked to hear your voice? Your vivid recollections will likely affirm several effective teachers in the history of your education, life direction and success.

Johnson believes, “Teachers matter, now more than ever” to prepare our children to thrive in the 21st century. It is a common focus for many leaders, teachers and parents in Iredell County.

Fifteen months ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation teamed with United Way Worldwide to discover key essentials of effective teachers, with the intention to replicate their best practices into more classrooms throughout more districts in our country. With a 20-year legacy of building great community relationships and mobilizing the Iredell community around important issues, the United Way of Iredell County (UWIC) was one of 14 United Way organizations (in TN, FL and NC) selected to participate in the Teachers Matter! United Way Initiative.

Pat Stewart, Education Grant Manager of UWIC, partnered with Brady Johnson of ISS and organized a grassroots search for the essential characteristics of an effective teacher to prioritize education for over 21,500 students. Discovery sessions were quickly organized with students, teachers and parents throughout our business and faith communities to listen and gather opinions from outstanding, average and struggling students, as well as their parents. Teacher surveys from ISS revealed what they believe to be the most essential characteristics of an effective teacher:

• Encouraging personality and caring
• Knowledge of subject
• Ability to engage students in learning
• High expectations of students
• Offer differentiated instruction
• Being prepared
• Relationship building skills

“What’s really interesting from everyone working this grant is the agreement on the most powerful characteristic of an effective teacher; one who can build relationships with his/her students. When students come to school with significant issues at home or in their neighborhoods, having a teacher they can trust enables that student to relax, focus and learn,” Stewart emphasizes.

Outcomes from Iredell’s Teachers Matter! Initiative created the following support segments:

• Site Based Teacher Mentor Program
• Community Coalition
• Innovative and Differentiated Instruction
• Community Classroom

Special excitement surrounds the Community Classroom; a viable solution to all parents learning how to navigate today’s public school district and ways they can contribute to their children’s success in school. “We want all parents and others to be engaged in the educational process,” says Dawn Creason, coordinator of the school district’s Community Classroom efforts. The goal of Community Classroom is to find ways to meet parents’ needs and make them feel welcome as an active, engaged partner in their child’s education.”

Do you have a teacher’s spirit and believe ‘It takes a village to raise a child’? If yes, become an innovative resource partner and contribute to the education dynamics we face today! Contact Pat Stewart at (704) 872-3000 for additional research results from the Teacher’s Matter! Initiative or visit
www.unitedwayofiredell.org.