We're shining a light on education success stories and talking about current trends and topics of importance to the education community. Join us in conversation!
Imagine a teacher so dedicated to her students that she welcomes them into her home during their toughest times. That's Kimberly Harrington, our inspiring guest on Spotlight for Success. With over 33 years of teaching experience, Kimberly brings her heartfelt stories and wealth of knowledge to the podcast as she shares her journey from a childhood dream to a rewarding career in education. Her passion for teaching and lifelong learning is unmatched, and she discusses how her mother's late entry into the teaching profession inspired her to change her path. Kimberly's dedication is evident, not only in her commitment to learning the latest educational trends but also in her personal connection with her students, making math more relatable and engaging for them.
Devin Pintozzi:
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. I am Devin Pintosi, your host, and we are here at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics. We are here with our special guest, kimberly Harrington, of Marlboro County Schools.
Kimberly Harrington:
Yes,
Devin Pintozzi:
Welcome, Kimberly.
Kimberly Harrington:
Thank you.
Devin Pintozzi:
what brings you to this conference today?
Kimberly Harrington:
Well, it's all about learning. One of the things that I tell my students is you should always be trying to learn. I consider myself a lifelong learner and although I'm almost completing my 33rd year of teaching, there's still more out there for me to learn teaching. There's still more out there for me to learn. So when I come to conferences like this, I'm always looking at something new to help with our evolving students. You know new trends. When I started teaching, we didn't have all of this technology and everything, so I try to stay on top of what the current trends are so I can better help my students.
Devin Pintozzi:
That is wonderful. Kimberly, can you tell us about your journey, why you chose to enter the teaching profession and what brought you to this point today?
Kimberly Harrington:
Yes, it's funny because I realize now, at 56 years old, that I knew at seven I wanted to teach. I used to play school with my sisters and my friends and make them do my worksheets. It was so good that my mother bought me a chalkboard and I would write on the chalkboard and make them do work and teach them. She wasn't teaching yet, but when I turned 13, she had gone back to school and she became a math teacher and I knew that's what I wanted to do. But as the world evolved, I didn't initially go to school to be a math teacher, but I quickly changed my major after I got into a computer science class and I realized it was. I didn't mind the hard work, but I wasn't talking to anyone and it just wasn't my cup of tea. So I changed my major to middle grades math and I taught.
Kimberly Harrington:
I started teaching middle school. I loved it. I sometimes miss my middle schoolers, but they're adults now, so but I decided then I wanted to continue to affect change with students and be a curriculum specialist. But I felt like I needed experience at the high school in order to do that. So I got my master's in secondary math and I start teaching at the high school um. I was in north carolina at the time teaching, so I did 30 and a half years in North Carolina. The last 16 were at the high school level.
Devin Pintozzi:
Oh, where did you teach in North Carolina?
Kimberly Harrington:
In Fayetteville, north Carolina. I taught in Cumberland County Schools, so the last school I worked at was Westover High School.
Devin Pintozzi:
Wonderful.
Kimberly Harrington:
So I retired in June and in August I was working at the Marble County High School in Marble County and that's where I've been two and a half years in with them. I still love it and as long as I have the passion I'm going to go and I tell my students all the time. You know I love it. I travel a little over an hour one way every day to teach and I don't miss work.
Kimberly Harrington:
They wish they had a sub. They're excited about today and yesterday because they had a sub. I don't miss work.
Devin Pintozzi:
That's awesome. Kimberly, can you tell us about a special story, perhaps with a student that you felt was impacted by the things you did in the classroom?
Kimberly Harrington:
I have so many. One of the things that I realized early on is the only way I can get through to the students to teach them math, which most of them don't like, is to learn about them. So it may not be an aha moment in the beginning about math, but about taking care of them. Over the years I've had five or six students who actually lived with me because of special circumstances. One of the stories that I remember is there was a young man and I noticed some difference in his clothing and all of that and I pulled him to the side and said what's going on and he told me that he couldn't wash his clothes or whatever. And so anonymously he probably still doesn't know that I did this. I found, because it was a small little town, um spring lake, north carolina, and I um uh, went and paid.
Kimberly Harrington:
I found I have access to the address, so I paid off the bill and and he says, um, when he came back because I was the only teacher, I think he had asked about it he says my mom found the money to get the bill paid or whatever, and so I can wash my clothes.
Kimberly Harrington:
And that just teared me up. But just this year I graduated from North Carolina Central University in Durham, north Carolina, and our high school, marlboro County School District, was in our homecoming parade and so one of my students plays the drums and so he was at the parade and his stick broke in the middle of the parade and they have a picture of him where it flew up and he's looking at it. It was so cute. So I told him, since he broke his stick at my college homecoming, I was going to purchase him some sticks, so he had to find what the sticks were, and I think that made a difference, because he works so much harder in my class now, whereas before he was intelligent but he was saying I don't feel like doing it, or I do it if I feel like it. Now he works and he tells all the other students he's the favorite that is so I mean I have a.
Kimberly Harrington:
I mean it's 33 years, so I have a lot of those stories. But the thing is not to do it for the accolades, it's to do it to let these kids know that somebody cares about them. You know, we don't, we're not the highest paid profession, but we need people in the profession that really care about children to be able to affect change and teach them.
Devin Pintozzi:
That is wonderful. Is there anything you'd like to share with the South Carolina math teacher community, or, beyond that, to the general population, about the joys of teaching?
Kimberly Harrington:
Well, what I would like to say to all teachers and those of us that I say you know we're on the front lines. It's like a war zone. Thank you to all of you who are willing to stay. I know it's hard, I know I mean I like that we can get together like this and kind of vent a little bit, but also to encourage one another. Children are children and children are going to be children. Do not give up. Please. Continue to try to reach the ones you can reach. One of the things that was hard for me, and I know it's hard for those of us that care, is that we can't reach all of them. So let's continue to reach the ones that we can and hopefully they will make a difference.
Devin Pintozzi:
That is wonderful. Kimberly, Kimberly, Harrington, Marlborough County Schools. Thank you so much for participating with us today.
