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About Brittany D. Allen

“Being able to be a positive role model for our youth is important to me,” says Brittany D. Allen. “I honestly believe that ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ Everyone that knows me knows that I love teaching, whether it’s in the classroom or just teaching a lifelong lesson. Therefore, being able to fulfill a lifelong dream of teaching and making a difference is indispensable to me.”

Currently in her first year in the profession, Allen teaches math at Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy in Prince George’s County. Her favorite moment as a teacher occurred when my student came to me and said that she was nominating me as her favorite teacher. I was so excited. I called my mom soon as I left work. I said to myself ‘I am actually making the difference that teachers have made in me.’”

As a new teacher, Allen relies on advice, the most notable being to use all of the resources available, including “information, notebooks, lessons from student teaching as well as ask experienced teachers in the school building – most are more than willing to help the ‘rookie,’” she says.

While it was her 2nd- and 3rd-grade teacher, Ms. Hunter, who influenced Allen’s choice of education as a career – “She made learning fun by being supportive, firm, and active, which is the same image I wanted to mirror once I became a teacher,” she says – it is her mother who she most admires. “Graduation is not a word my family hears very often; however, my mom has always put an emphasis on education, teaching me at an early age that college wasn't an option.”

About Malcolm S. Anderson

Teaching, according to Malcolm S. Anderson, is “the most rewarding job you will ever have. You just have to reflect on victories however small they may seem at the time. When is gets tough remember the lives that you touch and how noble your profession is,” he says.

Anderson sees each day as an opportunity to serve as a role model. “I want to be a living reminder of what you can do if you work hard and stay focused,” he says.

As a first-year teacher, Anderson got off to a rocky start. “I didn’t understand any of the essentials of teaching because I never taught and I didn’t have a mentor,” he says. As the year progressed, Anderson persevered, connecting with classroom parents and pushing students to achieve. “The send off I received proved to me I was being effective and that I should pursue education as a career,” he says.

Anderson owes his career to Ms. Wiggins, a high school Justice and Administration teacher and his first African-American teacher. “She kicked my butt daily and placed a college application in my hand,” he says. One of those applications was to the University of Rhode Island, where Anderson received his undergraduate degree in Psychology. He did his graduate work in Educational Administration at Trinity University.

The person Anderson most admires is his father, a former Marine, who coached Anderson and his friends in numerous sports. “Although he was limited in terms of his own opportunities, he never accepted the words ‘I can’t’ from me,” he says.

About Howard Brent

“I teach because I enjoy working with children in helping them reach their full potential,” says Howard Brent. “My philosophy is quite different from most educators. I believe that children learn best when they are active in their own learning experiences. Therefore, most of my instructional strategies are child centered. My students are actively thinking and always reflecting on how they are learning new strategies that will help them improve their own reading and writing skills.”

A 6th-grade reading and language arts teacher at Benjamin Tasker Middle School, Brent has been working in a classroom setting for 14 years. He received his B.A. from Bowie State University and his M.Ed. from Arcadia University.

About Scott Espeut

Scott Espeut teaches “to improve the image and awareness of my community,” he says. This former entrepreneur created and sold four companies before switching careers.

To anyone else thinking of teaching as a career, Espeut offers this advice: “Learn to exercise patience. Remember that they are children who don’t realize the impact of their decisions. Love them even when challenging behavior is exhibited. Cherish your vacations.”

Espeut, a 7th-grade math teacher at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Prince George’s County, received his B.S. in Business Marketing and Administration from Bowie State University. The teacher who most influenced him most was Elyse Rosner, a 12th-grade English teacher at Bowie High School. “She proved to me that I was smarter than even I thought I was and encouraged me daily to express myself through written word,” he says.

Espeut’s favorite moment as a teacher was the result of an in-class debate among students, two of whom were regarded as “behaviorally challenged,” he says. The students “engaged in a compelling argument with honor roll students regarding the reasons against the use of the ‘N-word.’ They articulated themselves so well that they won the debate,” he says. “I was so proud – I had no words, I told them great job and … I cried. Yes, in front of my students. Thankfully, it was the end of the year. I will never forget that day.”

It is his father whom Espeut most admires. “My father – at a time when single men were not the usual choice for the placement of children of divorce, the ancient 70s – chose me,” says Espeut. He went to work every day, made dinner, checked homework and most importantly, taught me what it was to be a man. Our relationship was (and is) the envy of all of my friends.”

About Leonardo Lucini

“I teach because I love to teach. I'm passionate about education and its importance and I enjoy making a positive contribution to my community,” says Leonardo Lucini, the orchestra director and music department chair at Hyattsville Middle School in Prince George’s County.

While education may be a passion, so is music. When not teaching, Lucini enjoys performing. “. I'm a professional Bass player and I also produce, arrange and compose for my own band, Origem, and for other artists,” he says.

Lucini has been teaching for 21 years – both in the U.S. and his native Brazil. He’s been at Hyattsville MS for 8 years, since the inception of the Creative and Performing Arts program there. He received his bachelor’s degree in Music from Howard University and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland and George Mason University.

His favorite moment as a teacher came when he was hired to teach at the best private music school in Rio de Janeiro, “the same school that I always dreamed of attending but could not afford to,” he says.

The best piece of advice he’s received as a teacher: “It is all about the children,” he says. As to advice he would give those new to the profession: “Focus on the children’s education and everything is going to be alright.”

The two men who most influenced Lucini are his father, Lyonel Lucini, and his bass teacher at the University of Rio de Janeiro, Prof. Sandrino. “They instilled in me a passion for education and inspired me to be the best teacher I can possibly be.

Lucini’s favorite book is the Bible “because no matter how many times you read it, it is always a blessing,” he says.

About Coretta Montue

“I teach to plant a seed of hope and encouragement for the future,” says Montue. “In 2009, the teacher takes on the role of a parent, nurse, guidance counselor and mentor because the student has less contact with his or her guardian.”

The demand of jobs – sometimes more than one – has reduced interaction between parent and child. As a result, she says, “students go to the Internet for advice rather than a family member who has so many demands. We can change with the times but we cannot ignore the basics which can be as simple as asking, ‘How was your day?’”

Montue, a 15-year classroom veteran, teaches Spanish at Hyattsville Middle School. After Receiving a B.A. in Mathematics from Rowan University, Montue earned a M.A. in Instruction and Curriculum from Loyola College, Baltimore.

Her favorite moment as a teacher occurred when a student, who was sleep deprived due to demands placed on her at home, struggled with school work. “What was memorable was that she was asked to write a poem about a teacher who helped her the most and to my surprise it was me! She wrote that even though she often times she fell asleep in class I continued to challenge her to show her LOVE,” says Montue. “She reflected that she did not learn as much but she was showed LOVE which gave her hope to continue.”

LOVE, according to Montue, stands for: Listen, Obey, Voyage, Evolve. “Listen to others and respect their opinions; Obey the guidelines at all times; Voyage through the cultures; and Evolve into a responsible citizen by accepting the consequences of your actions and reactions,” she says.

Montue’s favorite book is The Living Bible. “The bible has basic principles and values to live by and when practiced, creates a better you in which people/students will gravitate,” she says.

About Ishmail M. Reaves

“I have always had a passion for teaching. I've taught all age levels from pre-K to adults,” says Ishmail M. Reaves the visual art and media production teacher at Hyattsville Middle School. If he weren’t a teacher, he would be an artist.

Reaves, who has been teaching for 13 years, holds a B.F.A. from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. His favorite moment as a teacher occurs “when I get a phone call or an e-mail from a former student and they inform me of all the wonderful things that are going on in their life,” he says. “It's always good to know that your students are doing well.”

The best piece of advice Reaves has received as a teacher “is to teach the whole child. Sometimes that means to put the lesson on hold and discuss life issues,” he says. The advice he'd give to someone thinking of becoming a teacher: “Children will do anything is the world for you as long as they know that you care about them.”

While it was Reaves’ high school art teacher who inspired him to become an art teacher, it is his cousin, Tricia Hollis, who he most admires. “She seems to be able accomplish anything that she sets her mind to despite the obstacles that may get in her way,” he says. “This wife and mother of four runs several successful business out of her home as well as providing an accelerated education for her children. Ever since we met I've admired and tried to emulate her fearless attitude.”

Reaves enjoys reading. “I have so many favorites that I can't name one,” he says, “but for the record, I'm currently reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and it's great.”

About Emily Weigel

“I have a sign in the front of my classroom that says ‘Knowledge is Power.’ It is. I want to give each child in my classroom the skills and the knowledge – truly, the power – to determine the trajectory of his or her life,” says Emily Weigel, a reading and language arts teacher at Isaac Gourdine Middle School in Prince George’s County.

“If I weren't a teacher, I'd be lugubrious, one of our most recent SAT words meaning ‘very, very sad.’ I'm right where I belong, says Weigel, who holds a B.A. from Princeton University.

The best advice Weigel has received is: “Keep your students always on their toes,” she says. The advice she would give to those considering a career in education: “Motivating your students is key, but teaching them the power of self-motivation can be life-changing.”

It was her 8th-grade English teacher – “one of the smartest, most articulate, and inspiring people I knew at the time,” says Weigel – who influenced her the most. “She would challenge me to accomplish things I never thought I could, and would never let me do anything but my best work. It was in her class that fell in love with semicolons and five-paragraph essays.”

Mahatma Gandhi is the person Weigel most admires. “He had the courage to literally embody the cause he most believed in. Even in the face of seemingly unbeatable obstacles, he was able to show the world what incredible things compassion, intelligence, and great love could accomplish,” she says.

The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley is Weigel’s favorite book. “This collection of poems, essays, and short stories reminds me to pay attention to the smallest of details – for oftentimes, in them, lie things of the greatest beauty,” she says.

About Dale A. Williams

“I love to expose students to a new culture via the study of the language,” says Dale A. Williams. “If I can have a small part in removing prejudices and opening up minds to a new culture then I would have done my part.”

A Spanish teacher at Martin Luther King Middle School in Prince George’s County, Williams has been teaching for 25 years. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and English Literature from the University of Guyana and a M.A. in Spanish from SUNY Binghampton.

Her favorite moment as a teacher occurred when a “newly arrived West African student proudly addressed me in his newly acquired English. That was a moment for me to celebrate,” she says.

The best advice Williams has received as a teacher is: “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” she says. The advice she would give to someone thinking about becoming a teacher: “Develop a thick skin and don’t take anything personally.”

If Williams weren't a teacher, she’d probably be a comedian “because I love to make others laugh,” she says.

It was Ms. Newport, her 4th-standard (or 6th-grade) teacher, who most influenced her as a teacher. “ She was such an organized, strict, yet caring teacher that I made a decision at the age of 10 that I would be a teacher and influence others,” she says.

Williams admires her mother above others. “Although she did not complete her high school education, she is an avid reader,” she says. “She instilled in me a love of books and, when I was a child, she was always ready to impart the knowledge she acquired through reading. She is still a phenomenal individual.”