Great communities have great schools. High Point Schools Partnership creates impactful connections between our schools and the wider community to ensure students and their families are supported and can reach their full potential in High Point schools.
Part of High Point Schools Partnerships’ mission is to improve the image of our schools through storytelling. Who better to tell the stories of High Point’s schools than the people experiencing it first-hand? In this series of articles, we will highlight our 2022 High Point Extraordinary Educators as we dive deeper into what keeps them motivated in the face of constant challenges.
2022 Extraordinary Educator: Marci Price
Marci Price started her teaching career at Andrews High School 11 years ago. She keeps coming back because she loves the students, the community, and the school culture’s sense of family.
Dr. Marcus Gause, the principal of Andrews High School, describes Ms. Price’s “passion and heart to see students succeed” as “second to none.” “She builds and maintains positive, respectful, and supportive relationships with students and colleagues.”
According to Dr.Gause, “Ms. Price goes the extra mile for students by advocating for their needs and being a mentoring support to teachers while sharing resources and knowledge to assist with providing inclusive instruction within their classes.”
Ms. Price wants her students to know she cares. “I care about their well-being, I care about their education, I care about their mental health, I care about their feelings, I care about them.”
She goes on to say “I recognize the injustices in the education system and the world for minoritized students. I care that my students are afforded the opportunities they deserve and are treated equally.”
Q: What inspired you to become an educator?
A: In my first-grade class, a girl named Melissa had Downs Syndrome, and she was the reason I became an educator. I was so fascinated with her uniqueness and how the challenges she faced didn’t keep her from being included in every aspect of school. After having her as my friend and watching the teachers work with her daily, I knew I wanted to become a Special Education teacher.
Q: What’s your teaching/leadership style?
A: I believe I am a mixture between a facilitator teaching style and a personal model teaching style. I like to provide a warm, more emotional climate and focus the teacher-student interaction on a more personal level. I facilitate learning by encouraging students to ask questions and explore options but guide them along their way. However, since I have smaller classes and focus much of my teaching on real-life experiences or examples, I can provide hands-on experiences and direct observation of student learning after modeling how to do things and encouraging them to observe and follow directions to complete tasks.
Q: Do you have a classroom motto or philosophy you abide by? Why?
A: Each year, on one of my bulletin boards, I put up the classroom motto I adopted from a post I saw scrolling through social media several years ago. The board reads, “Respect my time. Match my effort. Keep your word. Always be honest. Stay consistent. Be true to you.” I use this as a social contract and a way to explain expectations for classroom behavior exhibited by my students and myself. We all sign the bulletin board after explaining each sentence and giving examples of what it looks like in the classroom. It is a way to quickly refer back to classroom expectations and encourage students to model positive behavior and do their best.
Q: What’s your favorite part about every day?
A: The best part of every day for me is the first thing in the morning or at lunch when my students talk to me about things happening outside the classroom. I love hearing about their weekend adventures, work experiences, or families and loved ones. The relationship I have built with my students is essential to me. For them to feel like I am a trusted adult and that my classroom is a safe space to express themselves or to share information brings me so much joy.
Q: What’s your most memorable moment as an educator?
A: There are so many moments that I would deem memorable over the past 11 years. However, I believe I cried happy tears the most when I watched one of my most challenging students walk across the stage at the parking lot graduation in June 2020. Though he faced adversity many grown-ups couldn’t handle and involved himself in unfavorable situations, he continued to push through and find his way to school. I worked with this student for countless hours throughout his entire high school career and built an amazing bond with him. Seeing him with his diploma after so many people assumed he wouldn’t make it made me remember why I do what I do every day.
Ms. Price is just one of High Point’s 2022 Extraordinary Educators. Tune in for the next few weeks to hear more stories and inspiring moments from our local teachers!
Thank you so much to Marci Price for your dedication to High Point’s students. Congratulations on being selected as your school’s 2022 Extraordinary Educator!
To find out more about High Point Schools Partnership and our work, please visit our Facebook page and check out our page on Guilford Education Alliance’s website.
Article written by High Point Schools Partnership Staff
