Violet Jiménez Sims reflects upon the impact of teachers of color. Ms. Jiménez Sims, honored at a reception on May 15, 2008, is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Alternate Route to Certification. She is a Spanish teacher at New Britain High School. Posted June 5, 2008.

I attended Connecticut public schools since the age of nine, mostly in New Britain. While I always had many classmates of color, the same could not be said for my teachers. Along the way, I had some good teachers and some notably bad ones, but I don’t associate their ability to teach with their race. What I do believe was negative about the experience was that it added to the many other ways children get stereotypes embedded into their minds.

I believe that it is important to have more teachers of color in Connecticut public schools so that the people in this profession are a closer reflection of the student population. If the diversity that can be seen throughout this state and this country cannot be seen throughout possibly the most influential profession, that sends a strong and discouraging message.

I don’t believe that you need teachers of color to teach students of color. However, young impressionable minds are easily influenced, and noticing successful adults of color is an uplifting and encouraging experience for all children.

I started to become interested in teaching during my senior year of college, while majoring in theater. Teaching seemed like the perfect way to use my creativity while being a positive role model.

I completed an independent study in a middle school. After a few other experiences with students of different ages, I knew teaching was my calling and completed the Alternate Route to Certification.

I’ve been teaching one year at New Britain High School, a large, urban, challenging school. The challenges include: attendance, behavior, time constraints for planning and correcting, and being informative and effective.

One of my advisors in the ARC program, Joe Alaimo, provided a comforting analogy regarding the first year of teaching. He said it was like learning to drive a car with manual transmission. It’s challenging at first, but it’s rewarding when you get the hang of it. During my first year in the classroom, I have had some positive experiences.

One particular student I called on at the beginning of the year became so nervous that he turned red and started stuttering. After class I spoke to him and told him that I would work with him and call on him only when he was ready. We agreed that as I glanced around the room I would be looking for a signal from him, and would call on him only when he definitely knew the answer. A small, affirming nod was our code.

His confidence has grown so significantly that just a few days ago he volunteered to read something in front of the class, something I would never have expected from the kid I thought was going to have a panic attack after giving a one-word answer two months ago.

Another issue is students who are afraid of success, those who choose to fail so they can claim, “I didn’t try.” I take the opportunity to talk about excellence and the importance of not letting others define who should be successful and who shouldn’t even try.

I had a student who made it known that he didn’t take school seriously and didn’t try to excel. I assigned him a project and worked with him quietly to encourage him to succeed. He did a good job on the project and earned a high mark. When he tasted success, he was so pleased with his accomplishment that he took every opportunity to talk about his project.

This showed that students will aspire to learn and succeed if they get some encouragement and get to enjoy the fruits of their success.

I’m grateful to the New Britain School District for allowing me to have these experiences, which have helped me grow. I’ve heard others complain and say other districts are much easier, but “anyone can steer the ship when the water is calm.”