1. MEET SUPERHERO EDUCATOR: PRECIOUS SYMONETTE
A creative writing teacher who inspiresher students to find their voice, build their confidenceand be
resilient.
A ten-yearveteranof teaching,PreciousSymonette hasalwaysknownshe wantedtobe aneducator.“I
rememberplayingteacherinmyroom.I wouldputall my stuffedanimalsinarow,andI wouldteach
them,”she says.
Raisedbya single mom,VelmaJones,in Hallandale,Florida,Preciousgrew upina lovingandnurturing
environmentsurrounded byfamily. Atayoungage,she learnedthe powerof words.She usedwritingas
a way to expressherfeelingswithouthavingtospeakthemoutloud.
Preciousrecallstwopeoplewhomade significantimpactsto herlife.The firstpersonwas Ms.Peyton,
herhighschool Englishteacher.“Iwouldneverforgether.She wasan amazingwritingteacher,”says
Precious “She wasverycharismatic,verycaring,andshe toldme ‘youare a writer,butmore
importantly,youare a teacher.’ IstoppedresistingwhatMs.Patton wastellingme,andIacceptedit.”
The secondperson whoimpactedherlife was FeliciaBrunson,one of hermentors.“Ms. Brunson was
the one who taughtme the powerof spokenword,”saysPrecious,“Iwasan introvert, more
comfortable writing,ratherthan speakinginfrontof people.Ms.Brunson toldme I wasbeingextremely
selfishbynotsharingmythoughtswiththe world. She encouragedme torecite ‘PhenomenalWoman’
by myfavorite author, Maya Angelou.WhenIsteppedonstage andstartedspeaking,Ijustcame alive.
From that verymomenton,Istartedwritingmyown things,andshareditwiththe world.”
Afterfive successfulyearsof teaching atCharlesR.Drew Middle School, Precious feltsomethingwasstill
missingfromhercurriculum.She didn’twanttobe the teacherwho toldherstudentshow tothink,but
rather the teacherwho taughther students how toexpress themselvesfreely,withoutrestraints. She
wantedtoinspire, motivate and helpguideherstudentstobe the best.
While conductingresearch, Precious stumbled acrossthe novel “TheFreedom WritersDiary” by
CaliforniateacherErinGruwell.“Ireadthatbookin one day,and I waslike okay,thisisthe methodology
of teachingthatI needtoadapt,” saysPrecious.Withinaweek,she integratedthe novelintoher
curriculum. "Iwantedto teachmy studentshow tobe resilient,and toknow theycouldbe great.”
“At the time I wasn’tan official FreedomWritersteacher.Iwasjust a teacherwitha novel,andIwas
teachingitinthe wayI feltmystudents couldrelate,”saysPrecious. Hernew teachingapproachwas
verypopularamongstherstudents. Theystartedsharingandpostingabouther on social media. This
buzzcaught the attention ErinGruwell,whoinvitedPrecioustoCaliforniatotrainto be an official
FreedomWritersteacher. There are currentlyabout470 official FreedomWritersteacherworldwide,
but Preciousisthe onlyone inSouthFlorida,fornow.
Preciouswasthe firstteacherwhoMr. ReginaldLee hired whenhe became the new principalof Miami
NorlandSeniorHighSchool,home of the Vikings.Mr.Lee was alreadya bigsupporterof Precious,and
knewfirst-handthe kindof impact she made atCharlesR. Drew Middle School.He wasconfident her

2. FreedomWritersprogramwouldmake anevengreaterimpact onthe lives of the studentsat Norland.
In the past 3 years, 450 studentshave gone throughPrecious’ VikingsFreedomWriters program. All of
themare published writers,all performspokenword,andmostwantto helppayit forwardandgive
back to theircommunity.
Like the majorityof educators,Preciousstruggledforyearstryingtofindthe rightwork-life balance.She
wantedtobe a great educatorforher studentsanda great momfor hertwo boys, Xay'vierandDaemyn.
Precious’life changedwhenshe came tothe realizationthatshe didn’thave toseparate the two.“Why
shouldIfeel guiltyforgiving motherlylovetomy students,especiallytothose whodon’tgetanylove at
home?”
“Growingup withsomuch love wasamazing,”saysPrecious,“I’ve had greatpeople supportingme soif I
run intoone of my students whodon’thave thatexperienceorless,itmakesme feel guiltyfornot
givingmyall to them.”The familycommunity Precious hasbuiltforherstudentshave beenlife altering
for some. Atthe endof the day,Preciousknowsherstudentsare goingtobe fine because she has
shownthemhowto create a supportsystem amongstthemselves.
What’snextfor our SuperheroEducator? “The sky’s the limit,”saysPrecious,“Rightnow,I’mgoingto
continue tobe the best educatorI can be,and continue tobe openandreceptive towhateverthe
universe throwsatme. I’ve beenextremelyblessedinmylife.Ihave afamilywhoI absolutelylove,and
theylove me. Iget to workwithgreatpeople andhelpstudentseveryday. Teachingis amazing.
Everybodyshouldbe ateacher,it’sa wonderful thing.”
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