By Ashley Winters
Koran Bolden jumped back into the swing of things, touring local schools and bringing his boisterous energy during his motivational speeches. He encourages youths to reach the highest start and then go beyond that to make a difference in their communities.
But Bolden noticed something very off during his time chatting with the students. Some of the teachers’ expressions showed weariness, tiredness, and simply frustration. That spark they once had filled with hopefulness had faded away.
Bolden says after talking with many of the teachers he felt something needed to be done to show them that someone cared, and how much the St. Louis community appreciated them.
He partnered with Danielle Harper, an employee at the Coach store in Frontenac Plaza. The two decided it would be a nice gesture to have an appreciation day for teachers and coaches at the Coach store just a couple of weeks before the holiday shopping rush. Teachers had the experience of getting first dibs on discounted items set to the side just for them and an award ceremony simply saying ‘thank you for all your hard work’.
The reactions from the teachers and coaches Bolden says were worth all the hard work to put this event together.
“It was an amazing time and an amazing event,” said Bolden.
He says many of the teachers that he had become friends with over the years say they feel so unappreciated, they need a lot of support he says that is causing teachers are leaving the field at an alarming rate.
According to a report by Adopt A Classroom, 13% of teachers are considering leaving the profession before the 2022-2023 school year.Adopt A Classroom surveyed 4,103 PreK-12 teachers at public, private and charter schools representing all 50 states, including Washington D.C. to learn more about current challenges in teaching nationwide.
85% of the teachers who responded described their school as high-needs, where 50% or more of students receive free or reduced-price lunches.
80% of teachers who are considering leaving the classroom are because they are experiencing burnout. 64% say there is not enough support staff to help teachers.
With urgency in his voice, Bolden said, “If the teachers are quitting, what happens to our students?”
We can’t afford to lose another teacher or coach. Our kids’ lives are depending on it.
Koran Bolden, Youth Mental Health Speaker and President of the Bold Moves Marketing Agency
Other frustrations teachers face is the pay, many feel they need to make a liveable wage, and for many, they take on second jobs just to make ends meet. The report also shows that 63% of the teachers say their pay is too low, and 62% say they spend too much of their money on classroom materials.
The self-proclaimed advocate for teachers believes that teachers want to make a difference in the lives of their students, but can’t because they have to focus on more than just teaching.
Jaritia Williams, Assistant Principal at Westview Middle School in Riverview Gardens School District attended the event and said she was excited about Koran’s teacher appreciation event. She felt her hard work as a teacher was being acknowledged.
“Events like this not only remind you of your why but continue to keep you focused on your why,” said Williams.
Bolden’s event donated two Coach purses and gave out a handful of $100 gift cards to teachers and coaches who attended the event. Also, 25 teachers and coaches received appreciation awards at the event. Bolden would like the St. Louis community to take what his event did and on some level appreciate teachers daily.
However, not all advocates for teachers come in adult form. 15-year-old Matkayla Matthews, a freshman at Fort Zumwalt East High School, says she sees why some teachers are frustrated. It’s stressful trying to get 20 or more students to listener to pay attention to something that will help them in the future. To put some much time and energy into something for someone to treat it like it doesn’t matter.
Williams says that she is constantly thinking about what is best for her students and that dictates the way she leads her classroom and makes every effort to make decisions that will benefit all of her students.
As a motivational speaker for 6th-grade students through 12th, Bolden understands how tough it can be to reach young impressionable minds. It takes a lot to keep them encouraged and focused on making the right decisions when there is easy access to making the wrong choice that could have life-changing consequences.
“We can’t afford to lose another teacher or coach. Our kids’ lives are depending on it,” said Bolden.
Matthews said, “ Some students’ parents don’t care about their kids’ grades, and when they attend a parent-teacher conference the parents are yelling at the teacher because their kid is getting bad grades, instead of working with the teacher, they blame them.”
For Bolden, his heartstrings are really tugged at by teachers who work in underserved neighborhoods, because they have to deal with so much. Many of his teacher friends are the counselor, mom, or dad. They provide much-needed materials that are outside the classroom like coasts or clothes with their own money. “It’s so many fires they have to put out daily,” said Bolden.
Along with the sentiments of Bolden, Williams said, “ Education is beyond just paper and pencil, it is heart work. We are the cheerleaders, the coach, the nurse, the tech consultant, and even an extended family for so many of our students we encounter every year.”
If we all come together right now, I think we can make one of the biggest changes in education ever.
Koran Bolden, Youth Mental Health Speaker and President of the Bold Moves Marketing Agency
“I believe that school districts can learn to remember that adults in education need to know they are valued in the same way students need to be valued as well. Support can come in the form of actually listening to teacher feedback and putting overall wellness at the forefront of all agendas,” said Williams
The Adopt A Classroom data shows that 91% of teachers say that a pay increase would help encourage them to stay in the classroom, and 77% say providing more supplies and resources for the classroom would also help them want to stay in the field of teaching.
Bolden hopes his event will spark something in the St. Louis region to get everyone involved to show our appreciation for teachers and coaches, he says this is a community effort.
“If we all come together right now, I think we can make one of the biggest changes in education ever,” said Bolden.
