WRAL Teacher of the Week: 'I'm trying to give them hope'
Kudos and congrats to WCPSS Martin Middle School's Coach and Special Education Teacher, Mr. Stuart Vickery for being recognized as WRAL's Teacher of the Week! - and much well-deserved I might add (last year he also received an award for Teacher of the Year).
Mr. Vickery is without a doubt, an outstanding example of community spirit. I know this because he is my daughter's beloved teacher this year. --You'll recognize Isabel as she is the only girl in the class, a status which she thoroughly enjoys - and none to my surprise, WRAL caught her on camera swatting at one of the assistants during this piece. That's my girl.
My only beef with this feature is the media reframing as denoted in the headline, "I'm trying to give them hope" - a partial exert from Mr. Vickery's explanation of why he does what he does... But he says oh so much more... He says, "Their whole lives they've been taught what they can't do, and I'm all about what they can do... I'm trying to build their self esteem, trying to make them feel better, and I'm trying to give them hope too." Vickery goes on to explain that the reach goes beyond the students and the importance of a positive impact on everyone in their lives...
Everyone needs hope in life, but these kids are hardly hopeless... These kids ARE HOPE. And that is what community is all about; that is what Stuart Vickery brings to the table - focusing on what they CAN do... and what they CAN do is LOVE.
We can all take a lesson from these kids and teachers like Stuart Vickery.
