An Ozark Junior High teacher is the winner of the Teaching America 250 Award from educational nonprofit the Jack Miller Center.
Cherese Smith is an eighth-grade history and civics teacher, one of 51 educators from each state and Washington, D.C., to receive the $5,000 prize that will go toward a project celebrating the United States Semiquincentennial.
Smith tells Ozarks at Large Daniel Caruth that since graduating from Lavaca High School, teaching has always been her goal.
Daniel Caruth: Obviously, you are passionate. You care about teaching. You've been doing this 23 years. How did you get into teaching? Why did you know this was something that you wanted to do?
Cherese Smith: Well, I have never thought of anything different. I'm a first generation to go to college. My parents were factory workers, and my mom says that I came home from kindergarten and told her I was going to be a teacher. I don't remember that. But that's kind of the story in our family, and so I've never really thought of anything else. It was just what I wanted to teach. And history was something that was really big in our family and meant a lot to me. And so that's kind of where I started.
Caruth: Wow. Yeah. And I mean teaching. So you teach us history and civics. Can you talk about was that something that you. Is that where you started out teaching or is that something you moved into? How did that become kind of the passion or the area you wanted to go into teaching?
Smith: So, I love U.S. history. And my very, very, very favorite is Arkansas history. So I started doing that just because that was the job that was available. But I love Arkansas so much. I love everything about it and all of our just things that people live here that don't even know. And so that's my very favorite.
Caruth: Yes. Yeah. Well, can you tell me a little bit about that, that teaching, getting to teach Arkansas history? I imagine a lot of the kids, even, you know, when they come in, maybe don't know a lot about the history of the state that they're living in. I mean, even I now will, you know, talk to someone and get some piece of information that I had no idea about. So I think a lot of us are maybe not as informed as we should be here in Arkansas. What are so what is it about teaching about the state that you enjoy so much? And what are some maybe surprising or interesting things you've discovered as you've been doing this?
Smith: So I just love that where we live is so beautiful and I think underrated. I don't think people know about the companies and the job opportunities and the things that we have here to take advantage of. And so I love sharing that with my students. And one of the things that I've really gotten involved in is during COVID, I wanted to visit all of the 53 state parks. And so I was able to do that. So I have a lot of firsthand experience traveling all around our state. And then when something comes up, I've pretty much been there. And so I love to share that with them and get them excited about where we live and the things that are here. And hopefully they'll stay here and go to college and have jobs and make a family here.
Caruth: Yeah, absolutely. Best state park that you've been to?
Smith: It's hard to pick, but that's a tough one. I really liked the Plantation Agriculture right outside of Little Rock is a really, really good one. And the oil one down in Smackover. My son would say the diamond. He loves digging for diamonds. So the diamonds. It's a tough one. That's like you got to go at the right time of year. It feels a little oppressive. And I don't like getting dirty. So it's not my favorite, but it's probably the one outside of our state that people know the most and.
Caruth: Well. So, you know, I'm talking to you today because you're the recipient of the the Jack Miller Center Teaching America 250 Award. Congratulations on that.
Smith: Thank you.
Caruth: Just tell me a little bit about, you know, how you found out that you'd won the award and, you know, how you learned about this?
Smith: So I have been writing grants. My school is a poverty-area school, and I've been doing it pretty much my entire career. And I've won a lot of money and trips and technology and supplies for my classroom. So I'm always looking for things. And I heard about this project on Facebook, on a site that kind of gives teachers some grants and scholarship help and opportunities that come around. And I thought, well, you know, why not try? You can't win unless you try. And so I had to come up with something that involved the Declaration of Independence and a lesson and a field trip to some place in our state, and then put a project together, send it off and hope. And then I learned about it right before Christmas. But then I had to keep it quiet. So they informed me in an email that I had won. And then they were going to announce it here in January.
Caruth: And so can you tell me a little, just a little bit about that project that you submitted? Declarations in art, I think is what your project is.
Smith: Yes. So my, um start was had involved the decoration and I wanted something that was special about our state that no one else has. And so I immediately thought of Crystal Bridges and taking my students there because my students from a low-income area don't have opportunities to go see that art and the sculptures and all that's there. So I thought of teaching them about the Declaration of Independence and specifically focusing on what a declaration is and making it personal to them, and then taking that idea after learning about the Declaration of Independence and what a declaration is going to Crystal Bridges, and looking at the art, but looking at it through the eyes of what declarations do you see these artists making? What are they trying to declare with that sculpture, or that painting, or that piece of modern art? And then to culminate the project, the students will come back here, and then we'll use the art supplies from the grant to create their own art project that declares their own personal declaration. So it might be in clay. It might be with music or fashion clothing. It might be with charcoal or painting watercolors, just however they would like to express their personal declaration and show that in an artistic way, just to make the whole idea very, very personal.
Caruth: Yeah. Well, can you talk a little bit about that, you know, I mean, teaching civics especially, you know, to eighth grade students, I can imagine that it is tough maybe, to be able to get them to think of these abstract concepts and to find ways to relate this to their own life. You know, how is it, as a teacher, to try and make these really important topics and issues around civics stick and feel like I don't know that students can relate to some of those issues and, you know, grow up to be engaged citizens?
Smith: That's my hope. So I hope that just going over it a lot. They've covered it in seventh grade and then in eighth grade we just review. So going over it in class and then actually talking about just what it means to them. Then seeing the artists there and how they're different ways of expressing a declaration. My hope is that they see creativity and sadness and feelings and happiness and hope. Just all kinds of emotions expressed and that makes it more real. And then to come back and have so many opportunities of where they feel comfortable with sharing their own private declaration in a way that's meaningful to them, like having choices so that they could if you're into art or rap or whatever it is, that you can express it that way.
Caruth: And how is it teaching history and civics today? I can imagine that's maybe can be tough a little. You know, there's some political charge around it, I'm sure. But, you know, also having to break it down for eighth grade students. How is it right now to be able to to teach these subjects and, you know, have it be done in a in a way that's conducive to learning for everybody?
Smith: I would say it's difficult. It's always hard to get the material that we need to teach them in the frameworks and do it in a modern, meaningful, fun way. And there's also a lack of focus on education in general, I think. COVID didn't help us any there. And so there's a lack of parent engagement, too. So just trying to find creative ways to do it and get your parents involved and your community involved. And you're not going to be successful all the time. But hopefully projects like this maybe are things that they'll remember and hopefully learn from, but that it is very challenging.
Caruth: Yes. Yeah. And well, I mean, you know, hopefully a project like this, this helps out. You're one of 51 people across the U.S., shining a spotlight on Ozark. Can you tell me a little bit about why you like working at Ozark? I know, you know, it's a rural district. You maybe get over-shown a little bit by some of the bigger schools out there. What's what's special about Ozark and unique about the place where you get to teach?
Smith: For me, I grew up in a very small rural school district, and I had wonderful teachers and opportunities. And so my philosophy of teaching has always been that I wanted to work in a smaller district like that, so that I could give the students here the same opportunities as any other district in the state or anywhere else. So I wanted to make a difference in working with students like myself who were from low-income poverty-area families where education really wasn't a priority. And so I've always wanted to do that. And I think our town is special in that there's a lot of hard-working people here. And the students, for the most part, are very kind and respectful and hard-working and fun to be around, and they're very proud when people here succeed and do things well. And so that's a nice place to be able to work.
Caruth: Absolutely. After this has happened and the students get to have this experience and you're, you know, hopefully sending this off and letting other people around the country be able to see what you've done here in Arkansas. What do you kind of hope, you know, is the legacy of this or the impact of this project?
Smith: Well, I think America's 250 birthday is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I think that a lot of us don't even realize how amazing it is that we're celebrating that, that this country has been here that long and we're able to celebrate it. And so I hope these students remember that it was a focus in their history classroom and that, hey, when they were eighth grade and everybody was having all these celebrations, they got to take a trip and they got the center in Philadelphia to help them and make that possible and to just make it where they remember it. And it's fun.
Caruth: And for people who maybe, you know, if you were able to talk to someone, some maybe outside of the state of Arkansas who's, you know, excited about this America 250 or, you know, just as curious about the 50 states, you know, what's a pitch you'd give to them? Like why they should be interested or take an interest in Arkansas?
Smith: I think that it's so amazing. And the first thing I would have him do is one, come here for a visit and let me take them and show them around. And let me put any mis-conceived ideas, maybe that they have of Arkansas out of their mind and that for us, we're an important part of this country. And for us to be able to show off our proud of being the 25th state and this 250 anniversary, that's a very big deal.
Cherese Smith is an eighth-grade history and civics teacher at Ozark Junior High and a recipient of the Jack Miller Center Teaching America 250 Award. She spoke with Daniel Caruth earlier this month.
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