THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 17, 1996 TAG: 9609170273
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 125 lines
If Grace Clark's geography students at Bayside High School were to map the past 17 years of her life, they wouldn't draw the shortest path between point A and point B.
A graduate of Bayside herself and a former valedictorian, she left the College of William and Mary after three weeks and enrolled in private business school, where she did so well that they gave her a job. She bought a business, earned an associate's degree at Tidewater Community College and returned to William and Mary to earn a degree in government. And, a couple of years ago, she found herself student teaching at her alma mater.
Clark, 35, believes her rather roundabout journey has made her a better teacher, and others consider her exceptional at her job.
Indeed, she has just been chosen a winner of a Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Award for her work last year, an honor naming her one of the 51 best first-year teachers in the country.
``Grace is an extraordinary teacher,'' said Bayside Principal Michael Debranski. ``We knew that early on. She's able to challenge the entire spectrum of kids, which is no easy chore. She is a gifted, gifted professional.''
Her students give her above-average grades as well, particularly for the extra time she takes with them and her willingness to help outside of class hours.
``She was a really good teacher,'' said Mike Nowell, a 10th-grader who had Clark last year for world geography. ``I enjoyed her class. She really got through to me, and that can be hard.''
A self-described nerd in high school - ``valedictorian, yearbook editor, president of the Latin Club,'' she says with a grin - Clark was the first in her strict family to head off to college when she left in 1979. Clark's father never went beyond the fourth grade, and she relied on student loans to pay for her higher education.
After just three weeks at William and Mary, however, a world of new freedoms coupled with the concerns over finances led her to list the pros and cons of remaining at the school, Clark said. She decided it wasn't her time to be in college.
``I wanted more power and more control over myself,'' she said.
Rather than pursuing her planned accounting degree at William and Mary, she began taking classes at a private business school and soon became bookkeeper there.
She went on to become co-owner of the Reporting Academy of Virginia, a school for court reporters, and earned her associate's degree.
``But then I got bored,'' she said. ``It was time.
``It wasn't that I felt bad about leaving William and Mary, but it was something left undone.''
She returned to William and Mary to major in government in 1990 with an eye toward law school, but decided against another three years as a student. Concerned about Bayside's reputation and negative press reports about the school, Clark started volunteering in the school's library. She rediscovered her school and along the way decided to give teaching a try.
``I decided I could hack it,'' she said.
After taking classes at Virginia Wesleyan College and doing her student teaching at Bayside, she waited a year until an opening was available on the staff there.
``This is my school,'' she said. ``It was my answer to all the criticism. It's not fair to sit outside this building and criticize.''
Last year, her first year on her own in the classroom, she taught U.S. history and world geography.
Now, she's teaching the latter as well as coaching the girls' volleyball team and sponsoring the literary arts magazine.
Watching her lead a class through a day's lesson, two things are immediately clear: She doesn't believe in standing frozen behind a lectern, and she doesn't leave any student's question unanswered.
For a lesson on mapping, she hands out grid paper and has students draw in their classroom, reducing the size of furniture and other features to scale. Clark doesn't sit and have students come to her. She goes to them, kneeling by one desk, leaning over another. Even while in constant motion, however, she watches the group as a whole, keeping the young people focused on the task at hand and keeping the noise level amazingly low.
She answers her students' questions with more questions, and then works through the solutions with them.
``The table's at a diagonal. That's what's killing you, isn't it? You tell me the dimensions,'' she says to one.
``Let me give you a pass for after lunch,'' she says to another who has asked to return for extra help. ``You eat first, OK?''
``If it's a good day, you're exhausted at the end of it,'' Clark says during a break between classes. ``The kids have kept you moving. They feel free to ask questions.''
Interaction with students is critical to the committee that chooses the First Class Teacher Award winners. The honor is sponsored by the Student Loan Marketing Association, also known as Sallie Mae, which provides higher education loans nationwide. One winner from each state and Washington, D.C., is chosen by a panel of judges appointed by the American Association of School Administrators.
Winners must also excel in the areas of instructional skills, interaction with faculty and staff and with parents. Winners will be honored this weekend in Washington, and Clark will be recognized today by the School Board.
Bayside teacher Ann Garrett, who supervised Clark during her student teaching, always knew that great things were on the horizon.
``She was incredible,'' Garrett said. ``She was enthusiastic, she was creative, she was very devoted to her students and her needs.''
``She's such an asset to Bayside High School.''
Students agree.
Charles Smith, 14, said geography is his favorite class.
``She's always helping us. She takes time out for us,'' he said. ``She gives us clues to help us remember stuff.''
Tenth-grader Shamia Majette said, ``She always takes her time and makes sure everyone gets it.''
For Clarke, who makes a daily list of the things she could have done better or differently in the classroom, the award came as a surprise. At least in part, however, she believes the circuitous path to the classroom has helped in her new career.
``The people I met along the way and the things I did are a part of who I am now. And an essential part,'' she said. ``I was born to do this. It just took me a while to figure it out.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MORT FRYMAN
The Virginian-Pilot
Once a valedictorian at Bayside High School, Grace D. Clark now
teaches geography there. Here, she gives Shamia Majette a thumbs-up.
MORT FRYMAN photos
The Virginian-Pilot
Above, Grace D. Clark gives a geography pointer to student Chris
Mullins. At right, she explains the parts of a map for an assignment
to map the room. by CNB