A lot is expected of heroes, and Rhonda Allen used her own experiences as a teacher and lessons from episodes of CW's "The Flash" to relay advice to new teachers.
Allen imparted her words of wisdom to about 120 new Mid-Missouri teachers at a Wednesday appreciation banquet hosted by the Rotary Club of Jefferson City at Capitol Plaza Hotel.
There were two new local teachers recognized who are not employees of Jefferson City Public Schools: Chelsea Dyer, special services at Blair Oaks Middle School; and Sara Garner, counselor at St. Joseph Cathedral School.
Spenser Epple, 22, of Holts Summit, was another new educator recognized at the luncheon.
Epple said he worked for JCPS last spring, but this will be his first full year as a new teacher under contract. He'll have a classroom in Nichols Career Center, but he's a geometry and algebra teacher for Jefferson City High School.
He was born and raised in Jefferson City and is a Lincoln University graduate. He's happy to be here to start his teaching career. "For me, it's pretty neat. I've had half of the teachers there in class. Now, to actually be a co-worker and friend and get to work with them is pretty cool," he said.
"Congratulations first, and welcome aboard," Allen said to the new teachers.
She is JCPS' 2017 Eisinger Teach of the Year winner and has taught at Thorpe Gordon Elementary School for 13 years. She taught at East Elementary School for two years before that.
"Thank you for signing up for one of the most important and one of the hardest jobs a person can have," she said. "Hold on, because next week we are rolling.
"As teachers, as educators, we are heroes. We change lives. We inspire lives, and sometimes, we literally even save lives."
She described five powers teachers have: consistency, being stronger together, being firm but loving, building relationships and "giving 110 percent every single day." With each power, she shared a personal story from her teaching experience or a situation from an episode of "The Flash," which she binge-watched over the summer.
Being consistent is about actually doing what she says she's going to do. "When there is consistency in a classroom, consistency with behavior, routines and procedures, lessons and just something fun for the kids, they will work, produce, learn and achieve. Students like being in a consistent classroom. They like knowing what to expect," especially when their home lives might be anything but consistent in terms of when they eat or see their parents, she said.
"Calling on your teammates for help is never, ever a bad thing," she said of being stronger together, which is also a motto of the JCPS district. She advised new teachers lean on mentors or anyone willing to help when the job gets tough.
When it comes to being firm but loving, she described a student in her class who one day had been disrespectful to her and classmates. She walked with him home from school. "I wanted his parents to know that he had had a really tough day and that we needed to do something about it," she said.
She had hoped the experience would change her student and his parents, "and that's exactly what happened." His parents got more involved in the classroom, and the boy improved his behavior. "I proved to him that by being firm with him, and letting him know that I meant business, he was able to start achieving many great things," Allen said.
The most important power is building relationships with students and parents, she said. Genuine interest from a teacher in students' lives promotes trust, productivity and good behavior. "You get to know them by getting into their world" and understanding their loves, fears and favorite things, she explained. An academic relationship comes naturally, but knowing who they are as a person outside of school helps her build rapport. She also makes a point of going to her students' extracurricular activities - sports, dance recitals and plays.
This advice clicked with Epple, who said he also wants to make it a point to attend his students' events outside of school.
As for giving 110 percent, Allen said she had to do it even in 2016, when she lost her father in April and brother in November. "I could not come to school and not do anything with my students (just) because I was going through something hard. I still put a smile on my face. I still greeted my students at the door every day," and she followed through on a delayed promise to have a Thanksgiving dinner in the classroom.
"Our kids, their future depends on what we are doing, and like I said before, we owe it to them," she said. "I still had to give my all, even when I felt I had nothing left to give."