Answering The Call of Champions: From U.S. Army Officer to Early Childhood Teacher

November 22, 2016

(Photo: courtesy of the White House for publication with this piece.)

This piece, which features 2014 Inspired Teaching Fellow Daris McInnis, was written by Linda E. Alberty and originally appeared on the Inspirational Blog by Cultivate Excellence Consulting.

The Inspired Teacher Certification Program is now accepting applications for its 2017 cohort of Fellows. Learn more at www.inspiredteaching.org/teacher-certification.

Those with equal rank or higher remember him by his nickname “Baby Captain.” Others earlier in his career remember him as Second Lieutenant McInnis, and still to so many four and five year olds living in both New Orleans and Washington D.C., Daris McInnis is no doubt their champion.

As a PreSchool lead teacher at Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., Daris serves 22 three year-olds children from the moment the bell rings to the time families greet them for dismissal.

Among Daris’ highest achievements—graduating The U.S. Army Officers Candidate School as a second lieutenant, leading 88 military personnel, cooks, chaplains assistants, and medics in the fuel dispensary, receiving a promotion to captain, and receiving a graduate degree in International Administration, Daris considers what he does today as an early childhood teacher his greatest experience. “If there was any other defining moment in my life, it has been working with my kids. They have changed my life,” Daris said.

Raised in the northwest of Detroit in Flint, Michigan, Daris never knew for sure what he wanted to do for a career (although his six-year old self was convinced that he’d be an astronaut), until his father joined the Army in 1990 as a tanker and modeled the Army way of life, retiring in 2013 as Chief of Military Pay. Like so many “Army brats” Daris gained a global worldview traveling from one duty station to the next, knowing one thing— The world is a diverse, interconnected place where all deserve an equal opportunity to become better. After earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from Angelo State University in 2008, the Detroit native enrolled into the Army as an active duty logistics officer.

During a volunteer experience at a local public school near his duty station, Daris discovered the love of his life. “I was at a place in my life where I knew my military service was coming to an end at Fort Lee, VA, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was sorely disappointed when some of the local schools lost accreditation and closed down as many students and families in the Petersburg area were greatly affected by these changes.”

Shortly after, Daris embarked on a journey to New Orleans with the Education Pioneers Fellowship (EP), an organization that has created a path for more than 3,000 new leaders in K-12 Education. Daris worked meticulously with Crescent City Schools in their turnaround of Paul Habans Charter School. It was after spending time with the students that he received the call to teach.

Daris responded to this new call from a place of passion, “I was so moved by the kids and the conditions of the school before the turnaround, coupled with my concerns about the schools that lost accreditation in Petersburg…” During that 10-week program, Daris decided to answer to this new call for his life. “It felt as if this was divine intervention, like I found my purpose,” said Daris.

After the incredible experience with the EP fellowship, Daris once again found himself at a crossroads on what to do next. He remembered that Washington D.C., was always on his wish list as a place to settle due to an experience he had while watching a TedxTalk overseas. “I distinctly recall agreeing with Aleta Margolis, Inspired Teaching’s founder and former executive director, on her idea that students need to be taught to actively communicate their own understanding of academic subjects and the world, as opposed to passively receiving information. This is how I was first introduced to Center for Inspired Teaching.”

Guided only by intuition, Daris set out to Washington D.C, with no job prospects or the promise of employment, instead only a handful of submitted applications to different teaching certification programs. “I was already drawn to Center for Inspired Teaching’s philosophy of improving the quality of education through student-centered teaching and learning.” With a newfound inspiration built around his previous experience at Education Pioneers (EP), Daris applied to the Inspired Teaching Certification Program, convinced it would work. And it did. In Spring 2014, Daris interviewed at selection day, and got a call inviting him to be apart of the Inspiring Teaching Summer Institute as a teaching fellow, where he learned to:

Become an Instigator of Thought
Help Children Think For Themselves
Help Children Become Problem-Solvers and Solution Seekers
Help Others See Education is The Gateway To A Changing World

Shortly after finishing Summer Institute and beginning his residency teaching year, from the Daris also received the opportunity of a lifetime from the least likely place. On September 12, 2014, Daris was invited to the White House to celebrate AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary. As a recent new AmeriCorps member through his Inspired Teaching affilitation, Daris stood beside his cohort of Inspired Teaching Fellows and other 2014 AmeriCorps members to to take the oath of service on the White House lawn.

He even had the opportunity to share a private meeting with President Obama and former President Clinton. “It was such an honor. I was speechless,” recalls Daris.

The man who puts his heart and soul into his children today, strongly believes that while he is on Earth, it must be to benefit others. “There is more to life than satisfying our needs, especially with so many who do not have access to education,” Daris said.

Below, Daris shares three simple ways to be more selfless and others-oriented:

Do Your Part (Big or Small) – Roll up your sleeves and get to work on a cause that makes your heart break.

Help Raise Awareness on Issues That Matter – In areas of justice, conflict, equity and poverty, make it a habit to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

Practice Inclusivity – Daris states, “We are not the only ones on this planet. We need to consider others and maximize our gifts for them.”

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.