I have to say thank you for taking a pause for our interview.  As much as a kid’s education buff as I am, I can appreciate your hard work and passion for your craft.  How long have you been teaching?
I have been teaching for a total of 8 years.  I currently teach 7th grade English Language Arts, but I’ve taught all secondary grades 6th-12th in the past.

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Are your folks also educators? 

Both of my parents are retired. My father is a veteran. He served as a Communications Specialist in the Army before an honorable discharge due to medical reasons.  After his military career ended, my father received his AA in Accounting, and worked as an accountant for many years.  After meeting, and marrying my mother, they relocated to Miami, Fl. and he became a Tools Clerk for the United States Postal Service.  My mother worked as a Customer Service Representative for Western Electric until the company closed, which led her to become a school bus driver.

 

So you’re originally from Miami?
Yes, I was born and raised in Miami, Fl., by both my mother and father

 

I see.  Were you from a large family?

No it was just our parents, my older sister and myself. 

 

The baby girl, huh?  So…. what was your career path that brought you to teaching?
My favorite subject in school has always been Reading, although I struggled with literacy in my early childhood education.  I earned my B.S. in English Education from Florida State University then a M.S. in Reading Education from Florida International University.  I began my teaching career in 2007, with the Miami-Dade County Public School district.  In 2010, I moved to Katy, TX. and began teaching with Katy ISD.

Seeing how you relate to your students and how they relate to you, it’s clear you love teaching and you’re your students adore and respect you.  That’s gotta feel pretty special.  What's would you say you find most rewarding for you working in the education field?
As an educator, it’s most rewarding to build lifelong relationships with my students, and having a positive impact on their lives. Many of my students have graduated high school, are attending post-secondary institutions, and even started their own families (BEFORE ME!). They hold to heart the passion I taught them with.

 

ON PARENT INVOLVEMENT:

How is it for you dealing with parents?
In my dealings with parents from all socioeconomic backgrounds, I’ve found some who agree with the later part of my theory, and many of who are so engulfed with the daily struggle of providing for their family that they are unfortunately disinterested in their children’s future at the present moment.

 

I have a multi-layered question regarding parents’ involvement.  Do you commonly find a lot of involvement from both parents? Are there a lot of absentee parents?
I see more absentee parents than dual-parenting, and as the grade level progresses there is less parent involvement. I believe that students’ grades are directly correlated with the level of parent involvement.  The visibility provided by parents’ involvement keeps them in the loop on what my expectations are in our course work.  It also gives them insight regarding the home study tools provided in class and online.  Parents can view their student’s daily work grades and overall class grade online as well.  And, of course, the two-way street of communication between us allows me to help fill in any grey areas.

 

 
I know every school has its share of student issues.  How is it for you dealing with troubled students?
Dealing with troubled students has always been a challenge, but I believe if you build a rapport with students and show a genuine interest in them then they tend to curb many of their undesirables.

That sounds very nurturing.  Not an uncommon trait in a great teacher.  What about the education institutions themselves.  Do they address this any differently?

Schools attempts to address troubled students with positive reinforcements; however I believe it takes a balance of both discipline and positive reinforcement with dealing with all students.

 

What do you see as far as a gang element at school?  I imagine it can be pretty disruptive to progress.
Gangs haven’t really been much of an issue while teaching in Katy; however, as an educator in Miami I found myself organizing many after-school activities and weekend events for my students in an effort to stifle their gang involvement.

 

As an educator, what do you see for yourself for the future?
In the future, I see myself writing curriculum that heavily integrates technology in daily classroom lessons across subject-areas.  I think that incorporating technology keeps the learning fresh and interesting.  The information is much more accessible and definitely more relatable to the students. 

 

My usual closing question for teachers is two-fold.  First, what message would you give students?
My message for students is to work hard even when things don’t seem to come easy, and NEVER GIVE UP.

What message would you give to parents?
My message for parents is to never lose interest in your child’s interests. Foster their learning at all ages, even into adulthood.

 

It’s an honor to meet someone who takes the task of educating our next generation so seriously. The Katy ISD students are in excellent hands.  Here’s to a great role model and excellent teacher, Neisha Richie.

 

 

V. Ray

#positiveblack

#RiseShineRepeat

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