Indya Tisdol
6th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Radium Springs Middle Magnet School of the Arts
How long have you been teaching? One year.
What inspired you to pursue a career in education? I was raised by my grandmother on my paternal side. She didn’t have much education, but she made sure to place me in a position to receive the best guidance and influence in the community by enrolling me into a program by the name of Save Our Kid’s. We had meetings weekly to discuss education, politics, current events and how to manage our emotions. The problem really had a major impact. It gave me the push I needed to get through school and even graduate with honors. I am the first of my seven siblings to graduate college. I want to make a difference in society and give back by pouring into the future and their education.
What is your favorite thing about teaching or your biggest success story? Interacting with my students by finding creative ways to keep them engaged and seeing their growth each day! My biggest success story is that my students and I understand each other, and they all feel comfortable speaking to me about their studies. I assigned an assignment one day after Christmas break and the students were not feeling it. So, I took the opportunity to engage them by reaching them on their level. I created a list of words the students could not use in my classroom to get an uproar out of them so that we could get on task. It worked! It was mostly slang terms and song lyrics. As I began typing the list, the students laughed and told me other words to add. Before I knew it, we had over 30 words on the list. The list even went viral. It was discussed on the Sherri Sheppard Show, Fox 5 DC, Radio Stations, and shared virally on many social media play forms. (Yes, I am Ms. T from Albany, GA!)
What challenges do you face in the classroom? I wouldn’t say that I face any challenges, but more so strides because I show up each day mentally ready to redirect and engage the student(s) if I see that any situations may arise that will get us off task.
How do Gallopade products or Gallopade Curriculum help you in the classroom? I use Gallopade a lot to introduce the content material because it breaks it down for the students so that they can understand it better. The Clickbooks are life savers! We normally use Gallopade at least twice a week (during the beginning of the content and to review for formative and summatives)!
What is something that every student should know about teachers? Students should know that their teachers are there to support them especially when/if they are struggling. I always tell my students if you don’t know something, or if you don’t understand the material or how I am teaching, please speak up so that I can assist them better.
What advice would you impart to a new teacher or someone who wants to become a teacher? Everyday in education is different and understanding your students is very important in order for you all to succeed. Make sure that students understand there are boundaries between teacher and students, but the one common interest is support! As long as you support the students while teaching, I feel that they will always try their best. Trying is better than doing nothing so learn ways to differentiate and approach is student according to the academic needs.
What do you love to do when you're not teaching? I love reading and baking! Check out my baking on Instagram! Ha! (@the_bakeher) Do you know educators who go above and beyond the call of duty to inspire their students? Nominate them to be our next Teacher Spotlight!