Michelle and Andrew Cummings

1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held?

Michelle-

2013- Bachelors of Secondary Social Studies education from Slippery Rock

2017-Masters of Education in Instructional Accommodations from Francis Marion University (Florence, SC) 

This is my 9th year teaching in Florence 1 Schools in Florence, SC. I spent 5 years at South Florence High School where I taught (over those years)  geography, world history, United States history, economics, and AP Macroeconomics. Currently, I teach at West Florence High School where I am currently teaching- Government and Economics, AP Macroeconomics and AP United States Government and Politics.

Andrew-

I had transferred to SRU after two years at the Community College of Allegheny County where I was a business major for some reason unknown to gods and man. I have a BA in History (2013) and an MEd in Secondary Ed (2014), both from SRU. My first job was in Mullins, South Carolina where for 3 years I taught US History to juniors. The last 5 years have been spent at West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina where I have taught US History, 9th grade Human Geography, and a Law Education class which encompasses all grades.

 

2. Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why.

The lesson in one of my methods classes with Dr. Hilton about what our “teaching why” is. I remember being a slight jerk with my answer, but the lesson of knowing the why and the why not has helped power me through the hard years especially the last two-ish school years. 

Aside from meeting my wife at SRU, can’t leave that out, I remember the pride I had in defending my master’s thesis. I was never what one would call a “star pupil” so accomplishing the completion of my Master’s degree while in the midst of a very difficult year personally for me was very special to me. My time at The Rock in general was very special to me.

 

3. Name an SRU faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why.

Dr. Hicks or Dr. Hilton- for having faith I could be a teacher. Dr. Cowan- for pushing me farther in my history research & not just accepting answers as is, and for allowing me to research a project about the Dayton, Ohio flood when he should have said no. 

I could name several; Dr. Cowan, Dr. Levy, Dr. Tuten, but to narrow it down to one person that had the greatest impact on me is Dr. Lia Paradis without question. Dr. Paradis was my advisor as a history undergrad and I must have taken every class she offered at The Rock. She is a wonderful and engaging teacher, but more than that, she helped me through some tough personal moments. As my advisor, I felt like she saw a potential in me that I wasn’t achieving and some of the conversations we had helped me see it in myself. Most impactful however, was her compassion and understanding as my mother’s health deteriorated and eventually passed away that gave me strength to continue to push myself to achieve what I wanted to achieve. I honestly cannot thank her enough or say enough good things about her as a teacher, advisor, or human person in general. An absolute legend.

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?

I think I was always destined to be a teacher but the four years at SRU really solidified that teaching social studies was the best choice for me. I had great teachers in elementary, middle, and high school with many report card comments about becoming a teacher. Teaching hasn’t always been easy & there have been lots of google searches about what else to do with an education degree but I always keep coming back to teaching as the right fit for me. 

I honestly kind of fell into it accidentally. I was a bit directionless at community college and took one of those career aptitude tests. Of the top 5 results, 4 of them were teaching so I thought “I should probably look into that.” I haven’t really looked back since.

 

5. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Getting to teach seniors is bittersweet. I get to watch them make huge decisions about life after high school, but I only get to see them in the building for one year. I also really enjoy working with my student government and youth in government students. Watching them become leaders inside and outside the school environment, especially developing lifelong leadership skills that will take them well past college, feels like a lasting impact. 

The best part is making connections with my students in a number of different ways. Some kids I’ve watched grow from insufferable freshmen to respectable humans over four years in various clubs and organizations. Sometimes it’s seeing a kid really struggle academically and finally get that light bulb and get it. For some, I have seen them start to figure out who they are and who they want to be as a person. Sometimes, it’s just a kid cracking a joke cause I’m having a bad day. Whatever the situation is, the kids and watching them rumble, bumble, and stumble their way through life will always be the most rewarding part of the job. Those kids, even the “challenging ones” make the job worth it.

 

6. What makes a great teacher?

Relationships matter. When I think about the teachers that stood out to me, they knew my name and basic facts about me. I enjoy getting to know my seniors in their final high school year- who they are, who they want to become, and their plans to get there. I also enjoy getting silly with them by asking daily attendance questions such as “is a hot dog a sandwich?” or “ favorite color/snack/ season” or even “which do you prefer, sweet or sour candy?” Sometimes it’s a debate (a hot dog is a taco in my opinion) and sometimes it’s getting to know them just a little bit better. The other big/small thing I do is give every student a birthday card with stickers when they have a birthday in my class. It seems small but sometimes it feels nice to be noticed & students will remind me if I accidentally miss a student’s birthday on the birthday board because they seem to enjoy sharing the joy too. 

Who knows. I surely have no earthly idea. What a great teacher is for one person may not be the same for someone else. All great teachers have the same one thing in common though; they care about and want what is best for their students as individuals. How that looks can be different for different teachers, but at the end of the day, the only question you need to ask yourself is did I try to do right by the kids? You may not be a great teacher every day and you will make mistakes and handle things poorly, but if when you leave the building, you can say, “I tried to put the needs of my students first,” then you’re doing great.