Excited for the Adventure Ahead
I have been blessed with a wonderful mentor, Kim Mitchell, a FACS teacher in Alabama. I connected with Kim on January 31st, a Tuesday afternoon. I had left the office early that day because of a headache. I called Kim and she was also home sick from school. That was my first clue that the pairing was meant to be.
As we began talking, I felt as though I were speaking to an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while. She began by telling me that the ACTE Fellowship Program was one of the top leadership experiences in a career lasting more than twenty years.
Kim’s successful career is evidenced by her fully engaged schedule. She has a very active FCCLA chapter, with a current state officer and a member who will be running for next year’s office. She also has a member who is running for national office. She has twenty seven students competing in events this spring. She is a member of multiple professional organizations and has held leadership offices in many of them (as she told me, one leadership position often leads to another). She serves on committees within the Alabama ACTE. Just listening to everything she has going on left me exhausted.
She had several teachers who were the inspiration behind her career choice, but the guidance of one 4-H agent in particular solidified her desire to teach. Again, another thing we have in common. My 4-H agent passed away a few years ago and I am the person I am today because of Mrs. Thornton.
Kim’s greatest disappointment in teaching is seeing kids who are not living up to their potential. She had a brother with a disability who couldn’t do certain things because of his disability and it hurts her heart when there are students who lack motivation and have the ability to do things, but they just won’t. She tells her students, “The only way to get out of where you are is education.”
Remarkably, when I called her she had just signed up to complete the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process. I was among the first teachers in North Carolina to become a National Board Certified Teacher in Career and Technical Education back in 2000, so I offered her any help possible.
We wrapped up our conversation by talking about what she found to be the most beneficial aspect of being an ACTE Fellow. Kim told me that the process stretched her out of her comfort zone, and made her look at things from a different perspective. One of her favorite memories from the program is listening to other fellows during the book study chats. The fellowship allowed her to form connections with her colleagues, with whom she remains in contact to this day.
My conversation with Kim left me even more excited to begin this adventure.
Elaine Webb
NRS Division
Franklin County Schools
Louisburg, NC