My Story

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He screamed for two hours! I heard him and every teacher down the hall heard him. I thought,

“who was this child, this little six year’s old child screaming and why are they screaming?

Even though, I had those thoughts, I did not think much of them or the situation, until our First

Grade team met.

Jack was his name.  Our team met to discuss what to do with Jack. By this time, I was aware of African American teachers getting stuck with the behavioral African American boys, there seemed to be a trend of this.  In the meeting, I listened. I listened to a teacher share that she did not want Jack in her class and how it made the other students feel and how they did not want him there either.  I listened. 

Then, my principal, an African American man asked me to come to his office.  He wanted to ask and at the same time he requested that I take this little boy.  He felt, I could be Jack’s role model and lifeline.  Out of respect for my principal, I accepted the challenge, but still I walked away thinking, “why me, couldn’t he have told the other teacher to keep him.”

I prayed that night, “LORD, put Jack in someone’s room, not mine, but someone’s room.”

The next day, my principal decided to switch Jack to my class.

Jack screamed for two hours the first few days.  By October, he was down to an hour and 45 minutes.  By December, an hour, January, 45 minutes.  And by March, he only screamed for 5 or less minutes.

I started teaching because it was in me.  I loved working with and helping families. I wanted to be another solution for families who struggled. I wanted to be there when they felt their voices were not heard.  I wanted to be there to ensure that change was happening. If they did not know how or have the resources, or someone on their side, someone to back them up, I wanted to be the one – the teacher and parent advocate.  I wanted to be the voice, make a difference in my community and everywhere.

I do not know about you, but my 28 years of teaching was like a road.  A road filled with bumps, road closures, and detours allowing me to still go through it. 

When I started driving down this road, I came across challenges of demanding parents, students who did not want to learn, and sometimes administrators and other staff with negative beliefs of educating and seeing some children succeed.  However, on this same road, I came across successes of caring and supportive parents, children who loved and appreciated me as their teacher, and caring administrators who saw the need and built their school on positive vibes with their staff and families. I made it through my first destination on this road onto my second destination of gaining a Master in Curriculum and Education Degree.  This is what my teaching years were like.

Even though, I was on this road as a teacher, I learned educating children and adults was a passion of mine. So, I continued my education and received a culinary certificate and Master of Divinity Degree.

As I continued down this road, I became a parent advocate.  This time, the road was smooth. It had little bumps and detours.  It was a new road leading to more future successes and accomplishments as a teacher and educator.  A road that surpassed all that I had gone through as a teacher and exceeded my expectations while allowing me to fulfill other interests and talents such as becoming a dynamic motivational speaker, a director of an educational tutoring program, publishing my first autographical book, and becoming an actress and appearing as an extra on Tyler Perry’s Meet the Brown, Meet the Bully episode, and becoming a minister. 

Though, I wore many hats in the fields as education, entertainment, and ministry, I found my way back down the road of being a teacher in the classroom again.  This time making my way to my third destination and adding yet another accomplishment of obtaining a doctoral degree in educational administration. 

Was this journey long? Yes. Did I feel like giving up? Yes, but it was love, endurance, and determination that kept me going.  So, I say to you, let that same love and determination propel you to drive and keep going forward.   

J Limited LLC was established after being a caregiver for her parents and returning to the classroom.  Years later, after working with angry and frustrated families in the school system, Josiah dedicated her services to families in need.