Ep 23 | Make an Impact, Teach!

SPEAKER_00 0:00

That's why the teaching profession is so important because we really do make a difference. We really do impact every entity that's known to man out there. Regardless of what your career choice is, um, what you do in life, a teacher you can go back and pull from that.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. The Florida Department of Education reported that as of September 2022, there were over 3,600 teacher positions needing to be filled in the state. No one will argue that teachers serve a critical role, not just in students' lives, but in the community. But how then do we recruit the right people for the job? My next guest has spent her entire career in education, holding a variety of positions over 32 years. She is now the head of teacher recruitment, among other things. And today she's going to give us a peek behind the curtain of teacher recruitment, the benefits offered, and who makes an ideal educator. Escambia High School graduate, professional Pensacolian, Malia Adams. Thanks for being here. I'm so excited to be here. How do you like the uh idea of the title professional Pensacolian being added to your long list of titles you already have?

SPEAKER_00 1:48

You know, I grew up in the era where I was told it's not what you call, it's what you answer to. And so I will happily answer to that title.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Oh, I have not heard that, but I like it a lot. I've heard that to be a true Pensacolian, you have to answer the question, Were you born at Baptist or Sacred Heart?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

I was born at Baptist Hospital.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

There you go. Bona fide. But can we talk about all the slashes in your title seriously? You are the equal education officer slash Title IX compliance officer, which deals with sexual harassment, slash teacher recruiter.

unknown 2:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

And yet you seem so well rested. You know, I get up every morning. It's another opportunity to try and make a difference.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Wow. I mean, that's some serious optimism after three decades.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Well, I can't control the things that happen around me, but what I can control is how I respond to it. So that's what just makes me excited every single day. It's another day.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Well, and you have a lot of perspective too, being in a variety of roles. So that, you know, the slash, slash, slash kind of follows the pattern of your career because you started as a teacher at Brownsville Middle and then moved around from counselor to assistant principal and principal, and now you're here. Is that the vision that you always saw for yourself from the get-go?

SPEAKER_00 3:07

I did not. And I will be honest, I did not have a burning desire to become a teacher. I majored in business administration as well as minored in computer information systems. So I wanted to be a computer tech, you know, computer programmer and make all the money that I could possibly make. And so I actually was hired at one of the companies in Pensacola as a programmer. And this was back in the 90s, and um I was not happy. And I always realized that, you know, you work with people, you enjoy working with people, you enjoy helping people, you enjoy assisting people. And so this led me to apply in Escambia County Public Schools back in 1990. And so I actually started in our school system as a clerk in teacher certification office.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Wow. And was there a specific teacher in your life that made all the difference for you that maybe unknowing to you at the time planted that seed?

SPEAKER_00 4:08

You know, I can call the role because I attended Warrington Elementary, I attended uh Warrington Middle School and Descambia High School, and so I can name a teacher at every grade level. And so in elementary school, I looked to Miss McCorby. She was a uh science teacher for me that really had an impact because she gave, I truly believe looking back, she gave us her all.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Isn't that special when you can look back with that adult perspective or just maybe a wider perspective? Some kids have it, I think, depending on their experience, but and really appreciate a moment in time for what it was. I think that's really cool. I can definitely tell you the teachers, you know, they're by name who made a difference for me. And like we said in the beginning, the need for those teachers is in higher demand than ever. And other than, you know, people asking you about prerequisites prerequisites, I feel like we should start off by talking about addressing some objections. What are the most common objections that you get when trying to recruit an educator other than prerequisites?

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Absolutely. And so, of course, not only with the prerequisite, you have the financial side of it that people ask about. And that's with any career that you choose, you're going to look at the benefits as well as the monetary value within that. But some of the objections are, you know, what does teaching really look like in this day and age? Teaching has become a shopper's market, if, you know, I must admit. We, since the pandemic, the whole face of our nation has changed. And so with teaching, it really does become a lifelong passion for someone. Teaching for me was a second career. It was not my first desire. However, my first year, I was like, wow, I can do this. I truly, truly believe that I can help someone, if not all of them, I can help at least one or more. I can make a difference. And so that's why I stuck with it. But um, had I chosen this profession right out of college, absolutely not. If I can turn back the hands of time and choose it, absolutely, I would do it 100 times because it truly has impacted the way I feel about teaching and education. The students that I've taught who continue to reach out to me, either in person or social media, it just really brings tears to my eyes because I'm like, I had a part in your life. And that's what makes it so exciting. And so everyone's gonna have certain objections. A lot of it is personal, and I get that, but the outcome outweighs any other things that you know that people can come up with.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

I think one of the um objections that maybe people wouldn't even admit to you is that they feel scared, they feel overwhelmed. And maybe they're like you, it's a second career. I learned about, and we did another episode on the podcast about the uh first-year teacher mentors. Was that something that you got to take advantage of?

SPEAKER_00 7:16

So, of course, back in the when I first started teaching in 2000, I started in the our school system in 1990, but in 2000 was my first teaching opportunity. And so I was alternatively certified. I did not have the mentor program, the start program actually came years later, but I had internal mentors, and so those teachers, the principal's vision at that time was to pair every new teacher with a veteran teacher in that building. And so not only did I have my department chair, my next door neighbor, my across the hall colleague, I had an actual mentor that checked on me every week, if not more. And so I I just have to say, you know, education is one of the fields that you can legally steal from a colleague those ideas and those lesson plans and make them your own and not get in trouble. And so I was so that was part of my success, was that those mentor teachers were there to share and mold me and help me so that when I did have those days where I wanted to just have the tears start to flow because of my own internal frustrations and not necessarily the children, but just in general, they were there to lift me up. And so before the start program, there were those internal mentors that helped shape me.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

I think the mentors are probably a key uh pillar in overcoming some of those challenges. Because I'm trying to rack my brain and think about my teacher friends uh who, you know, I've learned that what some of the objections are, some of the challenges are. And one of them is, you know, dealing with some parents. I'm sure none of the parents that listen to this show fit into that category because I'm sure they're all lovely, but there is difficult parents out there. Um and I could see where having a mentor help you through that and learn how to what navigate those waters would be major.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Absolutely. And being a principal, uh, I would always remind my teachers that those of us that are parents, those of us that are aunts or uncles or godparents or just neighbors, you have to really think about yes, you want the best for that little person or that teenager that you have in your life, regardless of your role, you want the best. And so the parents that come to the school or to the teachers during parent-teacher conference and they vent or they have their frustration, remember they have one or two, whereas you impact many. And so you do have to really embrace what is being said and try to wade through the waters of the frustrations and don't see it as a personal attack because they the parent is coming with the best interest of their child and they are there for that reason, whereas you are there to not only have because teachers have the best interest of the children, but there is a way that we have to not take everything so personal, even when it is perceived as um frustrations and so forth, because it is a part of the world that we live in. And um, you know, I just try to continue to encourage teachers, especially new teachers and even veteran teachers, there's still those fears of uh that first year, that tenth year, because every day is a different opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

If you were gonna describe the perfect avatar for a prospective teacher, how what would that look like? What kind of characteristics, qualities, skill sets would that person have? So I'm a Marvel girl.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Ooh, are we gonna are we about to make a superhero? We are gonna go in the lines of Mystique.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Oh yes. I love me some Mystique. And I love can I just say I love that you picked X-Men?

SPEAKER_00 10:57

Yes. Because that's my jam. Yes, yes, yes. I love Stanley. Love it, love it, love it. Um, but I pick Mystique because she is a person, one person of multiple faces. And so sometimes she camouflages who she truly is, such as a teacher. We oftentimes as teaching teachers have to not only just camouflage, but we have to sometimes suppress what's going on in our own world, in our own classroom environment. And we have to put on this persona to make sure that our personal lives or our personal things don't necessarily translate into the instructional environment. And so, Mystique, one day she's this person, or one minute she's another person, the next hour she transforms into that's the world of teachers. We have to transform and we have to put on our skin and embrace who we are, but we also have to be able to transform at the drop of a hat to fit the needs of the children that we teach.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

I love that so much. Let's talk about benefits. What are some of the hard and fast benefits of being a teacher in Escambia County public school? Um salary, health insurance, kind of give me the reader's digest version of what a prospective teacher could look forward to.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Absolutely. And so I um as I recruit, um not only locally, but also travel to various colleges and universities. Um, the one thing I always say is, you know, tell me what you think about teaching, and I can tell you what is going to be so exciting if you do choose this profession. And so I start with that because first of all, teachers are the foundation for every career that's out there. You know, you even shared that there are teachers that you can remember that help to touch your life or change your life or impact your life in some way. And so I kind of start at that angle because I often think about with teachers, you have to define your who and your why, why you're doing this and who you would like to be as a teacher. And so some of those benefits, not only just the core insurance benefits that we have, but within Askamy County Public Schools, we are fortunate to have a wellness center that actually caters to school district employees. Um, regardless of what your department is, we are able to have go to the clinic for wellness needs, um, prescription needs, uh, health coaching, and um it's you can make an appointment by calling, or you can actually go online. And so we have the medical personnel there that actually assist us. We have a fitness center that's available to employees as well as their dependents. Um so where is this? This is actually located off of Fairfield, and it is a Scambia Um County Wellness Center. Really? Yes, I had no idea. They have physician assistants there, they have health techs there, and I have um actually I take advantage of the health coaching because I am a diabetic, and so there are things that I don't know, and oftentimes I don't need to go to Dr. Google, I need to go to the actual clinic and get the supports that I need. Yeah. And um, you know, they monitor me. I have a primary caregiver, but there are some times that I need to be seen in a more timely manner, and so that is one of the benefits that has been wonderful for me personally, and I'm sure from a lot of employees. Is that cost share or is it free? It is free. Wow. There may be some um cost to certain things. It may be maybe for the um uh not the benefits, but it may be for like for instance my husband, he may have to have a copay or something of that nature, but it is for the most part for the employee. And salary? And our salary. So with our salary, of course, you know, our governor has um made it known that we are all to meet that threshold of uh 47.5. And so that's what we are working at that level, getting to there for our teachers. Now, of course, um our chief negotiator is currently in negotiations with our union so that we can finalize what that salary is going to look like.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

So 47,500 annual salary is what y'all are working towards right now. That is correct. What's the finish line uh ideally for that? What's the timeline? Timeline?

SPEAKER_00 15:22

August of 2023.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Oh, okay. So that's coming up for this uh okay. But we're currently in negotiations now. And talk to me a little bit more about pre prerequisites. Um, for example, do teachers have to pay for their own background check? Um, is it still a nicotine-free work environment? Walk me through some of that.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Absolutely. And so to become a teacher, um, you have to hold at least a bachelor's degree. Some of the misconception is that it has to be an education. Well, I am live and proof, as well as many others, that it does not have to be an education, but you do have to hold that bachelor's degree. We also require that, of course, after getting higher, you have to demonstrate mastery in the subject area that you're teaching. And that can be through coursework. Um, you have to take in past subject area exams that are in the subject area that you teach, and of course, you're given a temporary certificate while you're doing this process. And um background check is required, so all employees, not just teachers, but all employees have to be fingerprinted, and that is a cost that is to the applicant or the candidate at this time. And um the tobacco requirement has been waived, and we do still require that a person is uh they do have the drug testing, so we do send them to the lab for that as well.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Okay, so for like narcotic drugs, but for nicotine. It gets a pass. Okay, that's good, because you know 2020 was stressful. So some people they what I like to call unquit, you know what I mean? Yes, yes, yes. That's good. Is a contract required?

SPEAKER_00 17:06

For teaching? Correct. And so we um of course all of our entities, especially with teaching, we have a master contract. And so once a teacher is hired, um, they do sign all the necessary forms for that position.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

And what's the so there is a contract required for like length of employment? Like you agree to, for example, work for a year or correct. Okay, it is a year. I was just guessing. Okay. It's an annual contract. Okay, fabulous. Um, if you can you also share uh what being a teacher taught you as a person that maybe you couldn't learn without it.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Absolutely. And so my first year, I had the nerves of am I going to be the teacher that this kid needs in their life? And that was my who. Um, you know, I I went through a training that said, um, you know, find out what your who is or who your who is. And so what I mean by that is, and even now when I speak to teachers, I always say, at some point, draw a circle. It doesn't have to be a very big circle, and then pick someone that's very important in your life that you want the best for, and write their name in that circle and have that circle tucked away somewhere on a mirror, on your desk, in your phone, wherever. And so for me, in my circle were my children, and so I put both of their first names. And so every day I would say, okay, I need to be the teacher that they need. Um, and so when I come home, was I the teacher the day that they needed? And um, so that was my who. And then my why was I wanted to help change the lives of others. I know we hear that, but I truly did. And I would always tell my children that I taught, and they were my children, from the time they got to school until the time they left my class, they were mine, and I truly embrace that, but I would always tell them, you know, one day I'm gonna be old Mrs. Adams and I'm gonna be in a hospital room, and somebody's gonna come in in that white coat and they're gonna have doctor so-and-so, or nurse so-and-so, or uh phlebotomist so-and-so, and I'm gonna look and say, I taught you. I don't want to say that with fear because you didn't learn anything in my class. I want to say that with, hey, I know you learned something in my class. And so every day that you come into my room, be prepared to learn something. And I, two weeks ago, I was in a nursing facility visiting someone, and I was standing at the counter talking to the receptionist to find out where I needed to go. And this lady was coming down the hall, and she was at the end of the counter and she kept looking at me, and I could see her looking at me in the corner of my eye. My first thought was, why is this lady looking at me in her in her white coat and and so forth? And so finally she said, Excuse me, but are you Miss Potter? And that was my maiden name when I first started teaching. I said, I am. She said, I was in your eighth grade class, and I can remember you always said, You represent me when you leave this classroom. And when I become, when you become a professional, make sure that you rem learn something no matter what classes you are in. And she said, and I always remember that. And I said, Oh my goodness. And when she said her name, I knew exactly who she was. I said, You sat in the second row, second seat, and you were a class helper and so forth. And then she finally said, Yes, ma'am. And she said, and thank you so much. She said, I heard your voice. She said, I'll never forget your voice because every day when we came into that room, you were like, Okay, who's ready to learn? And if you're not ready to learn, well, you might as well wake up and change that attitude because you're gonna learn something today. So those are the things that really truly helped me each and every year was how could I impact this person's lives? Children that come to us from um circumstances that they have no control over. I would always say, your now is not your future, but you do have control of your future. I know you're a child, your parent tells you what you can and cannot do, but there is gonna come a time where that parent no longer can do that. It's all on you now. So guess what? While you're in this classroom, let's focus on what we can do and do well. And so I enjoy seeing those fruits of just my labor, but they also had other teachers as well. And so that's why the teaching profession is so important because we really do make a difference. We really do impact every entity that's known to man out there, regardless of what your career choice is, um, what you do in life. A teacher, you can go back and pull from that.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

That's so true. It's so true. It helps form who we are, what we do, what we know, how we view the world. It's such an important difference making profession. As we wrap up, what do you want people to know about Escambia County Public Schools?

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Sure, you know, um As I say, from the drivers, from the floors to the ceiling, every position in Escambia County makes a difference in a child's life. Whether we truly, truly embrace that, it does. And so I I say I chose Escambia County. And so what I do is we mentor, we foster, we help, we support. And it has been a great career path for me and will be a great career path for other persons that work within our Scambia County School system. And teaching, as I said, teaching, I can't speak enough of it, being as my second choice. When I say second choice, second career choice, and haphazardly, I fell in love with it. Through the ups, through the downs, through the goods, through the not so goods, through the opportunities, I fell in love with it. And as I said, I run across students all the time. And when I find out their ages, I'm going, oh my goodness, you know, um, it truly is a difference. And so with this within our county, 32 elementary schools, we have nine middle schools, we have seven high schools, and so a little bit over 2,800 instructional teachers or instructional positions that we have, we truly do impact the lives of others. And so it has been a joy for me to be a part of this system.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Wow. If a person is listening and they're thinking about maybe a career shift, you know, that's more and more common now that people will uh try out different professions, several throughout their lifetime. If someone is kind of um dancing around the idea of being an educator, what uh website can they go to? What's their next step to view the available positions?

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Absolutely. And so they can go to our main school district's website and they can click on employment. Or the website, of course, is School Loop and it's S-C-H-O-O-L-L-O-O-P.com. If they do the backslash, they can click employment. That will actually take them to our employment page. It talks about not only the available positions, but the job descriptions. It also has various helpful links. They're also welcome to call me directly or even email me, and I'll be glad to get them the information that they need or in touch with the right person in the right department that can assist them. And so for those that are not sure, I always say, you know, there you can also substitute teach because substitute teaching provides you an opportunity to not only go into the school that you is maybe a choice of yours, but multiple schools and seeing if this is truly what you would like to do. And so substitute teaching is available as well. But on our website, there are uh links there, and of course, contacting me, Malia Adams, and that's Madams at ECSDFL.us, or my phone number 850-469-6102, and I will be happy to walk them through the processes I have that experience.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Well, that is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing today.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

Absolutely, it has been my pleasure, and I can always talk about Escambia County Public Schools.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County Public Schools.