I Still Revel

By: Chandra Boone 

Respectful, responsible, smart were the adjectives used to describe me. I took pride in being each of these and used these qualities to press through high school. I remember being the “spot” in otherwise racially homogeneous classes and wondering why other African Americans were not filling the seats in AP math classes as well. Education was a constant topic of discussion in my home, and the lack of it was viewed as utter failure.

While some of my African American friends had no thoughts of their future past high school, I knew for me it was college or bust. I had a choice of colleges and universities to attend post high school, but my sights were on attending an HBCU. Deciding to attend an HBCU was two fold: it allowed me to pay homage to those that fought for fairness and equality in the realm of education for African Americans, and I felt it connected me with like- minded intellects of the same racial makeup.  

Plus, the TV show “A Different World” sold me on the life students experienced, and I wanted that life. Many questioned my decision, feeling I lowered the bar. I shrug their opinions off, applied to Florida A&M University, and was accepted. Circumstances preventing me from actually attending, so I applied and later attended Lane College.

My experiences at Lane led to my career in education. I entered wanting to be an Electrical Engineer and left wanting to educate youth. While in Jackson, during the semester prior to my senior year, I was hired as the afterschool tutor at the local Boys and Girls Club. My students were mostly African American, and some came from broken homes. Each day, I was greeted with students filled with enthusiasm to continue the work they did while at school.

Tutoring was not new to me because I tutored some of my classmates at Lane for extra money.  Yet, working with younger students created a feeling I never knew existed.  The result of witnessing the expressions of gratitude and excitement, to know they “got it”: in these moments, I realized my purpose in life. Up to this point, nothing I did matched the elation I felt as a result of this experience; an experience that led to the career goal of teaching and a desire to prepare the youth for success in the classroom and beyond.

After ten years in the profession, I still revel in witnessing students “aha” moments. My focus has remained on helping today’s youth reach their full potential while sharing my love and appreciation for math. The scope of my audience has expanded beyond the classroom, and my commitment has deepened as evident in my pursuit of a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Knowledge is power, and I plan to this along with newly acquired skills to improve the national state of education.