Teaching is a job, teaching is a career; but for some, it is a calling, and that calling is realized in different ways. Teaching is a labor of love and a challenge to maximize the abilities of every student in the classroom. Some grow into this calling, while some find it by chance. The calling is defined by the love of reaching students through a passion for the subject matter, and that love shines at all educational levels.
I teach at Virginia Union University as an associate professor in the Department of Languages and Literature, and I have been teaching for more than 20 years. Each semester, each day, each class, I try to bring my passion for writing and literature to each student and to share my passion for learning. While I am obviously an idealist (I don’t give out too many A’s), I’m not the only one. You’ll find lovers of teaching at every educational level and spread across metro Richmond, teachers who find this calling for many different reasons. Here are six.
Berwyn Hung at the VCU Brandcenter (Photo by Jay Paul)
Berwyn Hung is a VCU Brandcenter professor who teaches creativity. He’s an artist and printmaker and discovered his passion for teaching after graduate school, when he finished projects early and started helping other students with theirs. Hung loves solving problems through working with students, and it energizes him mentally. “Teaching creativity is about letting my students not only solve a problem but figure out what the problem may be,” he says. “As they form their ideas, I meet with them every week to help guide them to their own solutions. As they stumble into dead ends, I help to open new doors for them to explore.” Hung does this by giving them multiple solutions, so they can evaluate what works best for what they are trying to solve.
Joe Cafarella, owner of Ms. Babs' Nursery (Photo by Jay Paul)
Joe Cafarell is the owner of Ms. Babs’ Nursery School in the Fan, which he took over in 2008 from his mother, Babs. “As an owner, director, teacher, cook and janitor, being in child care is more than a calling for me; it is a passion,” he says. As a child, he would accompany his mother, who was an executive for a local child care-chain. “It taught me very early on that it takes extremely hard work to create a quality center for children.” The Cafarella's opened the school in 2003. “We knew that we could show Richmond what true quality child care could and should be,” he says. This comes through learning via play and spending time outdoors. “I believe every day should be a fresh start for each child,” says Cafarella. “We should be more focused on love for teaching rather than profit margins, marketing tools and opening as many schools as possible.”
Jason Kissoon, a private placement teacher for the city's schools (Photo by Jay Paul)
Jason Kissoon is a VUU graduate who earned a master’s from the University of Richmond to become an entrepreneur, but just happened to tutor some students and realized it was his calling to be a teacher. As a result, he became an education instructor with Richmond City Schools and was 2014’s Teacher of the Year. Kissoon is now a private placement teacher for the city's schools. “Some people do not value teaching as vital as other professions such as a doctor, lawyer or engineer. But teaching is the one profession that makes all other professions possible,” he says. For Kissoon, this value is through making human connections within and beyond the classroom. “Great teachers build relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the community. … We are chosen to be the educators and professionals that are born to make a difference.”
Kourtney Bostain, assistant director of instructional technology for Henrico schools (Photo by Jay Paul)
Kourtney Bostain is assistant director of instructional technology for Henrico schools. She found her calling by watching her mother teach. “My passion for teaching started at an early age. My mother was a teacher for 30 years in Chesterfield County and it was something that always came naturally to me.” For Bostain, classroom technology was something that she embraced; she began to train colleagues, which led to her becoming an instructional technology resource teacher. This allowed her to continue to support students through job-embedded professional learning with other educators through the creation of quality learning environments. “While I was no longer in the classroom, I was still able to impact learning, just on a larger scale,” she says. Bostain now supports digital learning initiatives across the district. “While many perceive my work to be all about ‘technology,’ it’s my passion for teaching and love of learning that drive what I do every day,” she says.
Rachel Burgett, art teacher at Greenfield Elementary (Photo by Jay Paul)
Rachel Burget teaches art at Greenfield Elementary in Chesterfield County and serves as an instructor in the family arts program at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “Art is at the heart of innovation, change and growth,” she says. “Guiding my students to develop the ability to envision what has yet to be seen and make connections beyond what already exists is one of the most motivational aspects of why I teach art.”
“My role as an art teacher serves a unique function in elementary school since I teach and reach every child in our building … the extent and magnitude of the arts are far-reaching across all subjects and produce quality of life and experiences.”
Burgett sees teaching art as an opportunity to support school culture and help develop a sense of purpose that unites and motivates the entire school and greater community. “I am passionate about helping students to become motivated ... their ideas and actions can make a difference.”
Barbara Grey, former teacher and principal, now director of the art museum at Virginia Union University (Photo by Jay Paul)
Barbara Grey, who is 90, has had a wonderful career teaching. She was honored as Woman of the Year in Richmond by Style Weekly in 1988 for her work as principal of William Fox Elementary School and has been a principal at five other schools, created four alternative schools, taught art classes and is currently director of the art museum at Virginia Union University. She attended VUU in the 1940s and has made a lifetime of teaching children, including serving at a one-room school in poor, rural Buckingham County, where she brought children down to the local spring to get water and learn about nature. She taught in France and even set up a basement in her home on Westwood Avenue to teach children in the neighborhood. For Grey, each child is different, and creating an environment for learning is crucial. “Children are our greatest asset … our future” she says. “Joy is creating an environment for learning.”
