Chris Mooneyham                                                                        Chrismooneyham.wordpress.com

 

Boxes, stacked chairs and papers with ladybug clocks litter the classroom floor. The tile floors of the classroom have been freshly waxed. Meanwhile, a highly decorated 25-year-old teacher prepares for the school year that is fast approaching.

Just three years ago, Avis Holbrook walked across the stage with her diploma in Early Childhood Education from Kennesaw State University. Since, she has quickly risen to become one of the most accomplished young teachers in the metro Atlanta area.

Fellow KSU graduate Brock Beaumont describes Ms. Holbrook by saying, “What separates Avis is her passion for the profession.”

In the upcoming school year, Ms. Holbrook will hold a bevy of job titles and responsibilities at Dunwoody Elementary. She will be the chairwoman for second grade and the school’s health and wellness committee; she will co-chair the Reading Bowl and is on the leadership team. She is also gifted certified. This is a highly sought after certification allowing her to specialize in recognizing, and adding to the curriculum of, advanced students.  

Most importantly, she will represent her school in the Race to the Top program. “RT3” as it is commonly called, is a set of federal standards set for not only the education of the children, but also for holding teachers to a certain level of performance. After attending meetings at Dekalb County’s home office, Ms. Holbrook will be responsible for relaying this vital information to her entire school.

 If that is not enough, this fall she will begin work on her masters in Early Childhood Mathematics at Georgia State University. Earning her first degree from KSU, a school that is becoming a factory for future teachers in the state, was quite a moment for the Conyers, Ga., native.

Holbrook said, “I was a C and D student until my junior year of high school. I had trouble focusing on my work. It just was not a priority.”

One day in high school, things clicked. She began to apply the same level of determination to her studies as she did her favorite pastime, gymnastics.

One moment during her gymnastics career typifies her personality and attitude toward life. While attempting a front hand-spring she landed awkwardly on her left arm. After taking a moment to re-group, she continued. Ignoring the pain, she mentally forced herself to finish the routine. After the meet, it was discovered she had broken her elbow. 

By all accounts, Ms. Holbrook tackles teaching with a similar competitive nature.

“The two can be very similar,” she said. “There is a lot of discipline involved. The work is hard and you have to stay focused. But the rewards are more than worth it.”  

She was born to Todd and Lisa Holbrook, the second of two girls, in suburban Atlanta. Her father is currently a high ranking staff member of the Department of Natural Resources and her mother is a media specialist in Rockdale County. Her sister Sara, graduated from Berry College with a degree in English. By her own account, she was raised with the perfect amount of tomboy and girlie-girl.

Just after her father would take her hunting, her mother would take her grocery shopping. She is constantly complimented on her fashion style; yet one of the first things someone could read on her official school website is her undying love for the Atlanta Braves.

On this particular day, Holbrook is visiting her school for the first time this summer. She will spend the majority of her day moving boxes to the new classroom she has been assigned. Just before lunch, she spots a co-worker in the front office.

After a bit of casual conversation, Holbrook asks the co-worker if she will be in the building for long today. The co-worker responds, “nope, just long enough to clean out my desk.” Immediately, Ms. Holbrook understands that her friend was part of the county’s continuing layoffs and begins to console her.

The Dekalb County school district is trying to cut nearly $80 million from their budget. Recently, the board confirmed more than 400 jobs such as media clerks, bus drivers, interpreters and office staff would be cut to save money. Although the layoffs will not include teachers, they will certainly be affected. The stress from the added responsibilities is being felt all across the county.

“I think it hurts education as a whole,” said Holbrook. “Paraprofessionals and interpreters work one-on-one with the children and parents that need the extra support. These are the jobs that are the hardest hit.”

Holbrook said, “It increases the size of each classroom. As a result, it will be harder for teachers to give the right amount of attention to each student. ”

The result leaves teachers trying to find more creative ways to engage students.

Priscilla Pennington, a metro Atlanta substitute teacher since 2005, said, “It is amazing that some of these young teachers have the drive that they do. They are doing the best with what they’ve got; with so much change and the stress of budget cuts. What Avis has done with her career is remarkable.”

 Holbrook said she became a teacher because “I want to connect with the student who doesn’t want to connect with education. I want to facilitate that change.”  

Immediately, this statement keys a certain situation in her mind.

She goes on to tell a story about being assigned a notorious behaviorally challenged student in her first full year as a teacher.

“My co-workers were upset for me. They told me he was wild and acting out. The worst part ended up being his anger fits and lack of self-control.”  

Throughout the entire year she tried various strategies and techniques to calm and nurture the student. Every day she would surprise him with new techniques. Every day she would not let him become frazzled at the situations that overwhelmed him in the past.

Clearly, as the year was winding down, she could see the change in the youngster. With a little less than a month remaining in the school year, the formally feared student turned to Holbrook and said, “I can’t believe it Ms. Holbrook, but I love coming to school now.”  

Like a child herself, she responds to this heart-tugging moment with her bottom lip sticking out; as if to show how touched she was by the moment. This seemed like an appropriate moment befitting a teacher who juxtaposes success and determination; with care and attention to the need of children. Perhaps there is still hope for the much maligned American education system.