Devon Davis is a first grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary School. In this interview, he talks about his path to becoming an educator and shares what he loves about teaching.
Q: How long have you been a teacher and what subject do you teach?
A: This is my sixth year in the classroom. I've spent five years as a first grade teacher, which is what I'm currently doing. One year as a second grade teacher.
And then, I was fortunate enough to play baseball after college for a few years, and then my off-seasons I would work as an instructional assistant in special education and that's how I got my start in education. I did that for parts of three years.
So, nine years in total years in the classroom, and five years in first grade, which is where I am now.
Q: What inspired you to become an educator?
A: I've always really enjoyed working with kids. My brothers are seven and nine years younger than I am, so, when I was in high school and college, they were still in elementary school and going to a class party or seeing a school performance or helping out with one of their sport teams is something I really enjoyed doing and just being around kids and helping them out.
And then, also growing up, I saw a movie called "Freedom Riders," which I highly recommend. It was essentially about the impact that a teacher can make on their students' lives, and that was something that really impacted me as well.
Q: Tell us about your favorite teacher from when you were in school.
A: My favorite teacher growing up, I was actually my first grade teacher. Her name is Miss Crow. Funny enough, her married name is now Mrs. Davis, but she'll always be Miss Crow to me. I was her first class she ever had, and then she ended up looping with us to second grade. So, she had a huge impact on my schooling. I just moved to a new district, so Miss Crow, I will be forever thankful for you and you will always be my favorite teacher.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of being a teacher?
A: The most rewarding thing is definitely the impact that you can make on students socially, emotionally, academically. That is what makes me so excited to come to school each day. It's why I love my job, the relationships you build with students, the impact you can make on them, seeing them come to school each day with a smile on their face when they walk in their classroom and getting them to just really fall in love with learning and fall in love with school. That is definitely the most rewarding part.
