Visited MLK Memorial Today...reminded why I do what I do!

The Bridge that Ms. Scritchfield Built....

I was in ninth grade (nearly 30 years ago) when a teacher changed my life by building a bridge to a Road less traveled.

The Year: 1981

The School: Central Jr. High School

The Location: Chambersburg, PA

The Teacher: Ms. Scritchfield, 9th grade English Teacher

The Story: One day Ms. Scritchfield opened up the class by telling us that over the next few weeks we would be studying poetry. I do not remember anyone jumping for joy after this announcement, but I do remember what followed this initial proclamation.  She went on to say that each of us would be responsible for analyzing, memorizing and reciting (in front of the entire class) a specific poem: "The Road Not Taken," By Robert Frost. It was that last part - the part about reciting for the rest of the class - that I had a serious problem with.

In ninth grade, I was passionate about pretty much one thing. Guess what! No, not girls. Like so many African American males then and now, I dreamt of one day being a pro athlete. To be more specific, I dreamt of one day being the next Tony Dorsett, running back for the Dallas Cowboys.

So, when I heard this assignment - reciting for the class a poem about Roads by a white man, named Frost...I could not see how any of it had anything to do with what was most important to me at the time. However, Ms. Scritfield could see.

When I "pushed back" to her about this assignment, she did something that all great teachers do: she listened to me and built a bridge from a football-dreaming-boy to the rough road that Robert wrote about.

I crossed over that "bridge" by analyzing, memorizing, and yes...reciting that poem for the entire class. But I did not stop there. I wrote and recited my own poem...about football. But I did not stop there. I went on to become an English teacher, a high school principal, an Assistant Superintendent, a Chief Academic Officer, and now the Deputy Director for Empowering Effective Teachers at the Foundation.

Great teachers do many things, but one of the most important is building bridges from where their students are to where they can be. Thank you, Ms. Scritchfield!


I am so excited about being a part of an effort to look closely at what great teachers do to understand how and why they do what they are effective. This knowledge and understanding will increase the likelihood that all American children learn from and with teachers who have the knowledge, skills and support to help students realize their dreams….and so much more.