Sumter parent turns longtime school involvement into new career in journey to becoming a teacher
As a young girl, with her father’s old books in hand, a chalkboard behind her and her dolls positioned as students, Marcia Wilson prepared for and dreamed about her future career as a teacher.
“My inspiration to be a teacher stems from my love for children and my desire to teach today's youth to be productive, well-respected citizens in today's society,” the Sumter native said.
In the fall, Wilson, a mother of two, will start her new role as a first grade teacher at Lemira Elementary School. However, she is no stranger to Sumter School District. Growing up, Wilson attended Willow Drive Elementary School, Alice Drive Middle School and Sumter High School and graduated from Mayewood High School. Additionally, she served on the Parent Teacher Association at Wilder Elementary School and the Parent Teacher Organization while her daughters attended. Adding to those experiences, she will begin her full time teaching career at Lemira after having served as a paraprofessional at the school on Fulton Street. To top it all off, she is the school's baker and decorator for all events.
“I have two daughters …My oldest daughter is 33, and my baby is 21,” Wilson said. “I was a very supportive mom, and I was an advocate for my babies. … It gave me the opportunity to see what was going on within the schools and have a voice within it. And then I had opportunities to attend different workshops, and I gathered things from being a part of these organizations that I took back home and I worked on with my children, and I poured all I could pour into them, and I instilled in them the importance of getting an education because without an education, you can't go far in life.”
Wilson was hired by Sumter School District in 2009 as an instructional paraprofessional with an associate degree in early childhood education from Central Carolina Technical College. From there, she became even more motivated to continue her education journey. But, it wasn't always easy.
"Many times, I wanted to give up, and there were times when I even had to take a leave of absence from going to school because I was enrolled at the University of Phoenix, but there was something within me that just kept saying, 'No matter how long it takes, just keep going,” Wilson said. “I am grateful for the support team that I have in my daughters, my niece and my sister. I wouldn't dare forget to mention the administrators and my cooperating teacher and my colleagues here at Lemira that prayed for me, gave me a word of encouragement, that loaned me a book, even those that patted me on the shoulder and said, ‘You got this.’ It just motivated me to keep going on, and I will forever be grateful.”
While being hired as a full time teacher is an accomplishment she attained in 2021, it is not Wilson's only milestone.
“I was recently able to mark off my bucket list one more thing: I received my Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education from the University of Phoenix on April the 30 this year, and what makes that even more special was that my youngest daughter graduated from Winthrop University a week later,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s desire to inspire and care for students was what motivated her to continue in her education journey.
“The time that I spent pursuing my goal to become a teacher was stressful, but when I think about the impact that I will have and the difference that I will make in maybe just one student's life, it changes everything,” Wilson said. “It only takes one person to be a light in someone's life, and no matter how many bad days I may have or how many times I may feel like quitting, I will always think about the difference that I will make in a child's life. ... It's always been my belief that you must possess a true passion for this profession, and if you don't have that true passion and if your heart is not in it, then you need to find another profession.”
That passion will help navigate one of the added difficulties teachers face in dealing with each student's life that happens out of the classroom.
“To me, that ‘good morning’ or that hug that I could give that baby could be the only hug that they might get because I don't know all that might be going on within their home,” Wilson said. “...There's going to be those students that we see potential in, but they just sit back and not focus, not pay attention, and we're going to want to make sure we're doing all we can to move them, so that's going to be a challenge.”
Wilson credits her accomplishments to the support of her friends in the district and her family, but, similar to many other teachers, Wilson also has teachers from her past whom she thanks for her inspiration and drive to be in the classroom.
“Through those characteristics of being loving, caring, compassionate, empathetic and funny, I saw that they weren't in the profession just for the money; they had a true desire to impact the lives of the students that they taught,” Wilson said. “My kindergarten teacher, Ms. Sandy Duncan, was one that I can really remember because she truly had a heart for her students. She had that rapport with the students, and she had that relationship with the parents. She was like that surrogate mother to me — my mom away from my mom."
Wilson's dedication to her daughters and students and passion for education have gained her the respect and admiration of her now-colleagues at Lemira.
"I first met Ms. Wilson when I served as her daughter's school counselor at Wilder Elementary. She was a very active and dedicated parent, always volunteering throughout the school. The one thing that stood out about Ms. Wilson is that she not only demonstrated love, compassion and care for her own child, but for all of the children. You could always find her assisting other children,"said Vanessa Canty, Lemira principal. "When I arrived at Lemira, Ms. Wilson was here doing the very same thing. She displayed patience and gentleness not only toward the students, but also to all adults (staff and parents), and that made them gravitate to her.
"Everyone around her knew that she possessed the marks of an excellent educator and continued to encourage her to follow that passion. She knew how to inspire students and make them feel that they could learn and be successful. Ms. Wilson demonstrated as a behavior interventionist that she could motivate and bring out the best in a student, even when they were sent to the Refocus Room."
Wilson has come a long way. From teaching her dolls using a chalkboard and old books, to volunteering in her daughters’ schools to stay close to their classrooms, to now having her own classroom and preparing for students she will teach this coming school year, Wilson’s passion will continue to fuel her teaching endeavors at Lemira this fall and, she hopes, for years to come.
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