On April 29, Dallas Independent School District recognized two teachers for their hard work in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. Shari Harrington and Grace Barber both teach at the School of Health Professions at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, and both were honored for the work they do to transform students’ lives.
According to the Dallas ISD press release, Harrington and Barber “are the embodiment of Core 4.”
Last September, when many Dallas ISD schools moved back to in-person learning, Barber and Harrington stepped up to fill in for a fellow teacher who had to go on an extended medical leave.
The colleague taught medical lab, medical terminology, and medical microbiology, and the teachers wanted students to get the same learning experience as those in other classes.
These classes lay the foundation for what students will learn during their junior and senior years and teach them the terminology and skills they need for success. According to the Dallas ISD press release, substitutes do not usually have the necessary knowledge to prepare students in these fields properly.
In addition to being experienced educators, both Barber and Harrington have worked in the medical field.
Barber, who graduated from Bryan Adams High School, shared that many students have not been in a school classroom in the last two years.
“It was not fair to them that their teacher was out, plus the past two years have been so hard for them already,” Barber said. “Some of these students hadn’t been in school since eighth grade!”
By stepping in, Barber and Harrington kept the students on track.
“We decided we needed to make sure these kids have something going for them so they can keep up,” Harrington said.
According to Harrington, students readjusting to in-person learning did not need the extra burden of being unable to learn through actual practice. In addition to a few substitutes, Harrington and Barber were able to keep students on track until their teacher returned to the school this spring.
“It’s been a very trying year for teachers and students, but we needed to make sure our kids were learning what they needed to be successful,” Harrington said.
The virtual lessons that Barber and Harrington had recorded during remote learning were a huge help as well, according to the press release. They taught during some of their planning periods and uploaded recorded lessons for when they could not.
Barber shared that she would upload a lesson every day and had some students come into her classroom at times.
“Every day, I would go down and make sure I posted a lecture in Google classroom. I got models, charts, and diagrams from the storage, and once a month, when we were reviewing systems before an exam, I set up activities to have them come up here to my classroom,” Barber said.
According to both teachers, they are confident all their students are well prepared to move forward and face next year’s challenges.
Teacher Appreciation Week is from May 2 to May 6, and Teacher Appreciation Day is on May 3.
