National Education Consultant and author Robert Jackson stands in Clarke Central High School’s E.B. Mell Auditorium during a motivational speech on July 28. Jackson spoke to Clarke County School District personnel regarding the education on Black and Latino men and how to handle trauma within the classroom. “Well, I’m hoping that (the CCSD faculty and staff) come in with a renewed mind to come in and not just look at this as a job but look at it as an assignment to help kids not just right now, but help prepare them for the future,” Jackson said. “I believe that proper preparation prevents poor performance and it’s our mission to get (students) educated and activated to be great.” Photo by Aza Khan
On July 28, National Education Consultant and author Robert Jackson spoke to CCSD staff and faculty on the education of young Black and Latino men.
Faculty and educators from the Clarke County School District gathered in Clarke Central High School’s E.B. Mell Auditorium on July 28 to attend a motivational speech given by National Education Consultant and author Robert Jackson.
CCHS Principal Dr. Swade Huff invited Jackson to speak regarding the education of young Black and Latino men and how trauma connected to race impacts class performance and behavior.
“Kids come to us from different backgrounds, trauma from all sorts. Lets just care for our kids. It’s easy to do,” Huff said. “They can’t control their home life, they can’t control how they were raised.”
Jackson spoke to CCSD faculty with the hope of reminding teachers why they work with students.
“As educators we get discouraged a lot because teaching is a tough profession. Kids (are) coming in from different backgrounds and you got to take your experiences and their experiences and try to make a positive out of it,” Jackson said. “Sometimes you can get burned out (and) get secondary traumatic stress but I think it’s important that we refresh and renew our minds every day and just be reminded that kids are kids and kids need our best every day.”
“(Jackson) touched on a lot of things that, as a school, we’ve been trying to address and focus on, (such as) moving away from punishments and consequences and really thinking about healing and how we address the needs of our kids in a better, more effective way.”
— Jessica Shelden,
CCHS fine arts department teacher
CCHS fine arts department teacher Jessica Shelden acknowledged how Jackson’s session reflected the recent progressive steps in behavioral correction taken by CCHS faculty.
“(Jackson) touched on a lot of things that, as a school, we’ve been trying to address and focus on, (such as) moving away from punishments and consequences and really thinking about healing and how we address the needs of our kids in a better, more effective way,” Shelden said. “Speakers try and speak to things they don’t believe in and he was speaking to us in a way that we understood he believed in and made us feel like we could be comfortable.”
Cedar Shoals High School physical education department teacher and Athletic Director Dreco Thomas plans to implement Jackson’s teachings and thoughts into his own teaching in the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
“(I will) definitely be conscious of kids of all colors, races and whatnot and the struggles that they go through daily. Making sure that I understand and to be more sensitive and just trying to really reach all of my students,” Thomas said.
