In the Fall of 2000, I entered ECU as a Teaching Fellow. I was a first-generation college-goer that had plenty of great support from high school teachers that filled some voids that my parents were not able to fill when it came to the college process. Despite the support, like most teenagers with a new-found sense of freedom, I proceeded to have a really good time in that first semester of college. Hopefully, many of those exploits remain as skeletons in the closet, but it can easily be deduced that academics were not my first priority...or second...or third really.
The director of ECU's Teaching Fellows program at my induction was Dr. Ronny VanSant. Dr. VanSant was a legend in the world of the Teaching Fellows program throughout the state. She had very strict expectations for how we dressed and behaved as representatives of the program and as recipients of the scholarship dollars. It didn't take me long to recognize that Dr. VanSant didn't seem to care much for my attitude or appearance sometimes. I associated mainly with a group of other students that seemed to not fit in as well. I can't say that I blame Dr. VanSant one bit for recognizing that I did not display what she wanted from me. She was proud of her program, and I wasn't always bringing good things her way.
Several things happened after that first semester though. Many of my friends had failed courses and were on academic probation. It became pretty clear that they would lose their scholarships. And while I was not in their position, I knew that I wasn't doing what I should be doing either. My grades were not what they should have been and I knew I was dialing it in. I didn't exactly have a backup plan and joining the military with several of my friends that knew they were leaving didn't sound appealing to me at 19, so I decided to distance myself from some of my distractions and start trying. Now I do not proclaim that I made a quick turnaround. I still struggled to change throughout that Spring semester, but I had some help.
Dr. VanSant had to leave her position due to illness and an interim director took her place. Mary Beth Corbin took over and fortunately, she didn't have the same first impression that I had given before. Mrs. Corbin never treated me like anything other than a great student. She was always welcoming, easy to talk to, and overly helpful. I went from being someone that dodged the Teaching Fellows office, to someone that stopped in to say hello or ask for help. I joined committees and volunteered. And while I doubt Mrs. Corbin even knew of the influence she had on me at the time, I'm eternally grateful to her for the fresh start that she gave me.
This week we begin a new semester in a school year that has seen record student failures due to the pandemic and the nature of schooling. At the end of the first 9-week period, about 43% of courses were failing in our school. By the end of the semester, that fell to 28%. While that's great progress, it's still a staggering number. But it does show that many of these students recognized a need to change and at least started that transformation. As a student that has been in those shoes, I am telling you just how important it is for you to be the leader that gives them a fresh start. Embrace them despite their past. Encourage them when they struggle. Lift them when they fall. The opportunity you give them can be just as influential as it was for me.
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