‘I loved school as a kid. A kid in my class once made fun of me for smiling during a test, but I thought, “Of course I’m smiling! I know the answers!”’

Shamira Desir, Freeport

“Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked as a supervisor at a foster care agency for over 15 years. I had the pleasure of working with children from all walks of life. I wanted to make a difference in their lives, and I wanted to make their lives different. Then I started to realize the disparity in treatment of families in the courtroom. It was hard to make change when the courts had different standards and did not expect much from the population we were servicing. I began thinking that a more impactful way for me to help and use my services is not in the courtroom or in the child welfare system, but more directly in the classroom. After all those years, I transitioned from social work and decided to become a teacher. I decided to join Teach for America and got a job at the first school I applied to. As early as the first day, I realized how similar the fields were.

I am very lucky to be in this line of work.

“I loved school as a kid. A kid in my class once made fun of me for smiling during a test, but I thought, ‘Of course I’m smiling! I know the answers!’ I realized after starting to teach that a lot of kids don’t see education the same way that I did.

“The one thing I always try to do is to make ELA more fun. I try to make the lessons different and beautiful. We have meaningful conversations. Even changing your voice a little makes the kids more invested and interested. We all talk and find our perspectives at our own pace.

“I make the long commute to Coney Island every day because I have made a commitment. I adore kids. It simply takes one person telling them they did a great job, and that can change the trajectory of their day, year, academic career. I also love the art of teaching, and I love learning something new. I have always felt I was born to teach, so in some ways it feels natural.

“I feel social work has prepared me for a career in education. It has definitely helped with classroom management and meeting the children where they are at socially, academically and emotionally. I’m still meeting children where they are and helping them get through to where they are going. I am very lucky to be in this line of work.”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito