Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
Growing up, Patrick Evans often played the teacher in a pretend classroom in his home. Although he did his best to educate his two 鈥榬eluctant鈥� students, Evans, a recent graduate of 兔子先生鈥檚 online elementary education program, recalls that his younger brother and his brother鈥檚 friend didn鈥檛 like his school. 鈥淎t times, they were miserable and weren鈥檛 interested in learning, but they went along since I was the babysitter. Their favorite part of the day was P.E. when they could play outside,鈥� he chuckled.
Evans has been an instructional aide at Charles F. Hard Elementary School in the Bessemer City School District for the past two years and received the district鈥檚 Support Staff of the Year award in May. This fall, he will teach third grade as one of only two male teachers at the elementary school.
According to his Principal, Dr. Armentress D. Robinson, as a paraprofessional, Evans consistently demonstrates a servant鈥檚 heart and doesn’t mind rolling up his sleeves to help whenever, wherever, and however needed.
鈥淒uring his internship, he exemplified how dynamic he would be in the classroom when he transformed the atmosphere, and the student鈥檚 attendance, behavior, and academics improved tremendously,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淚 am very excited for him and the third-grade students who will be blessed this August to have Mr. Evans as their teacher.鈥�
Knowing how vital a male teacher and role model at this young age can be, Robinson asked Evans to reach out to a student who missed a lot of school and was not engaged in class when he began his internship.
鈥淢y goal this past semester was to get this young man not only to come to school regularly but also to want to come to school. I also wanted him to open up and start talking and participating in class,鈥� Evans said. The first day the student came to class, Evans talked to the student and expressed his desire for him to be at school. He also asked if there was a reason he wasn鈥檛 coming to school regularly. After their talk, Evans encouraged the student to go home and try to tell his family, 鈥楬e had to go to school.鈥� From that moment on, Evans recounted, the boy鈥檚 attendance improved dramatically, and he became engaged in classroom lessons and discussions. Teachers who had known the student since kindergarten began to see a completely different side of him.
鈥淗e needed someone to notice and pour into him. It鈥檚 a great feeling to know I made a difference in his life, but many more students need a male role model at such a critical time,鈥� Evans added.
This sentiment is the mission of Man Up Teach, a non-profit organization based in Memphis, Tennessee, organized to recruit and train men of color as educators who can be impactful in any school setting. Evans, the first Alabama resident accepted as a fellow in the organization鈥檚 Man Up Teacher Fellowship program, will begin a tuition-free master of education degree in gifted education at Troy University this fall. He will remain in the fellowship program for five years.
Evans was also accepted as a fellow in the Teacher Quality & Retention Program (TQRP) and will attend its Summer Institute in Houston, Texas, this summer. The program provides high-caliber training and mentoring to its fellows through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the nation鈥檚 largest organization exclusively representing the black college community. The 10-day, all-expenses-paid Institute provides rigorous, hands-on training to better equip TQRP Fellows with the knowledge and skills they need to enter and succeed in competitive and challenging teaching environments. In addition, the Institute helps educators further develop their pedagogical skills and work to acquire the tools needed to become teacher leaders on their campuses and beyond.
No matter what grade Evans has served in over the past four years, he says that what he enjoys most is making connections with the students.
鈥淓ven though I previously said I鈥檇 never want to teach middle school, when I became an instructional aid in a seventh-grade classroom, I loved the relationships I built with the students and how I could mentor and guide them. When I went to a first-grade classroom, I loved the hugs, their excitement, and the curriculum.鈥� In third grade, he found the perfect balance.
鈥淭he kids were young enough to listen and look up to me for help, guidance, and support, but they weren鈥檛 so young they couldn鈥檛 work independently,鈥� Evans said. It moved him when his third graders told him he was the first male teacher they鈥檇 had. 鈥淭o know I can help influence and shape kids鈥� lives when they鈥檙e so young motivates me to push through the hard days and keep going.鈥�
Evans says he is forever grateful to for providing him an opportunity to work and gain experience while earning his degree. 鈥淚t was an adjustment for sure,鈥� he acknowledges, 鈥渂ecause I鈥檓 a people person and prefer face-to-face instruction, but I enjoyed applying the information I was learning with the students simultaneously. My professors were excellent and understanding, and though I wasn鈥檛 on campus, they helped me feel connected. This program was life-changing for me. I would not have been able to accomplish all I did without 兔子先生.鈥�
Over the years, many have poured into Evans, including his mother, Adriene Evans, a 32-year veteran educator and an assistant principal at Jonesboro Elementary School, who initially tried to dissuade her oldest son from following in her footsteps.
鈥淢om had reservations about it at first 鈥攂ut she understood I just couldn鈥檛 step away from my calling. I don鈥檛 know if I would have been interested in teaching if it wasn鈥檛 for watching and imitating her.鈥�
Evans also credits mentor teachers Antwarnikkie Lewis, whom he worked alongside when she taught first grade at Hard Elementary, and Rashida Hughes, his mentor teacher for the 2023-24 school year, for being so inspirational and encouraging.
鈥淭hey have been role models for me.鈥� Lewis, who became the district鈥檚 second gifted teacher along with Daphney Shade, was instrumental in Evans鈥� decision to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in gifted education. 鈥淭he first year I was at Hard Elementary, I helped Ms. Shade and Ms. Lewis with the gifted and enrichment summer program. They have continued to pour into me the entire time I鈥檝e worked on my elementary degree and kept me in the loop about the program as much as possible. They told me that even if I didn鈥檛 plan to go into gifted education right away, the degree would help me no matter what grade I teach.鈥� Evans also credits Ms. Tabitha Moore, the school鈥檚 reading specialist, who was crucial to his internship success. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I would have done without her. She greatly influenced my ability to teach reading effectively.鈥�
Many educators at Hard Elementary, including Principal Robinson, have told Evans he would make an excellent administrator someday. Right now, teaching is his heart and passion.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 rule out the idea since I鈥檓 only 22,鈥� he noted. 鈥淏ut if I decide to pursue it, I believe the more years I spend in the classroom, the better administrator I will be. It will also give me more time to grasp what leadership is, witness different leadership styles, and better understand the teachers I may lead one day.鈥�