Echo Spring 2023 - 32

By Dr. Stacey Martin, Chair of the Education Department
T
here's a book that sits on the shelf in my office, a book that has had a profound impact
on my work as an educator and as a leader. Its pages tell the story of a passionate
educator who stepped into the role of principal at a failing school in the city
of Philadelphia, a school labeled " persistently dangerous, " and transformed
that school into a place where students were valued, encouraged and
loved.
I've revisited this book's pages numerous times, and I'm continuously
encouraged that an educator can indeed make a difference, even in the
most challenging of circumstances.
In " Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard, " Linda Cliatt-Wayman details her journey
from the day God called her to Strawberry Mansion High School through
and beyond the day that Strawberry Mansion was removed from the
" persistently dangerous " list under her leadership.
How did she do it? Day by day, she made numerous changes in the way
the school operated, but all of those changes can be summarized in one
word: love. Linda loved her students, and she made sure they knew it. As
a matter of fact, she ended the morning announcements each day with a
simple statement: " If nobody told you they loved you today, remember that I
do, and I always will! "
In many ways, the school that Mrs. Wayman walked into wasn't much different
from any other school in today's society. It was a school with problems, a school
that faced challenges: chronic absenteeism, poverty, apathy, differing priorities
and belief systems. When I try to imagine what she may have felt on her first day at
Strawberry Mansion, it feels overwhelming, much as it feels overwhelming to think of the
challenges faced by many aspiring teachers as they embark on their careers in the school
system: where a first-grader brings a gun to school and shoots his teacher, where leaders
argue over issues of gender identity, where it seems God is absent. Yes, it feels overwhelming,
but there is hope because God is NOT absent, and He is present with each teacher as they walk
into classrooms every morning.
32 ECHO

Echo Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Echo Spring 2023