We all are teachers

I teach because I believe it is the older generation’s responsibility to give the younger generation the necessary tools to have options in life. I am a firm believer in the power of learning – which I define as the process of growing one’s knowledge and new skills through life experiences. Learning must and should happen both in the classroom and in the community. I am preparing my students to be global citizen.

At YouthBuild Providence, we work to provide our students with a range of experiential learning opportunities in career and technical education, community services, leadership development, life skills and academic courses.  These activities help students to better understand their  their own strengths and weaknesses, know how build their employability skills, and empower them to take responsibility for the trajectory of their lives. 

In addition to being important to our students, experiential learning has also been a central part of my own professional growth.  I arrived at YouthBuild Providence in 2005 as an Executive Assistant, and have advanced in the organization each year since – transitioning from Executive Assistant, to Office Manager, to Program Manager, to my current position of Program Director.  This rapid advancement through the organization has been exhilarating and I have been able to challenge myself with each increase in responsibility.  I know I’ve grown substantially in this process, but also recognize that I have management skills and programmatic goals that I still need to work on.

Being a man of color, it is also my responsibility to instill in the young brothers the importance of education. I often use my own story and experiences to connect with them on a deeper level.  I attempt to be positive role model by allowing them to participate in as many facets of the organization beyond "going to school", with the hope that they too will become interested in education as a career pathway.  I try to teach them that education is not only the key to unlocking great potential, but they must themselves educate, elevate and raise the conscience of themselves and others along the way.

Teaching is a relationship and not just transference of information through a single pipeline, but collaboration. Although teaching is not my main job function, I make sure I teach at least one subject per semester.  And I may hold the title of “teacher” for a brief moment but I, Too, Am a Student.