Jan. 9, 2025

Unlocking Resources for Lifelong Learning

Discover how education can transform lives with Dr. LaKeshia Adams, affectionately known as Dr. A, as she guides us through her unexpected journey from a public school math teacher to a pivotal role in the Correctional Education Association. Dr. A shares personal stories and insights on how her career path evolved into working as a transition specialist within the correctional system. She reveals the significance of organizations like the CEA in providing critical support and networking opportunities that have been instrumental in her professional growth. Through heartwarming tales of students transitioning from incarceration to higher education, Dr. A sheds light on her mission to make a substantial difference in the lives of those within correctional facilities, while also candidly discussing the challenges of maintaining contact post-release and the intricacies of reintegration.

00:00 - Success in Education and Correctional Services

07:30 - Connecting Educators With Valuable Resources

WEBVTT

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Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company.

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I am Devin Pintozzi, your host, and I am here at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics with Dr Lakeisha Adams.

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We will refer to her as Dr A, is that right?

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Yes.

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Ok.

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Dr.

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A is currently the Regional Director-Elect of Region 8, as well as the South Carolina State Representative for the Correctional Education Association, otherwise known as CEA.

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Yes.

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All right.

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So, Dr A, can you tell us about your experiences that led to being in these particular capacities within the CEA?

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Where you started, and that whole journey?

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We'd love to hear about that.

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The whole journey, which is kind of interesting being at a math conference, because I started as a bad teacher in the middle in the high school public schools and then left there thinking I didn't want to teach anymore, but got a phone call and was offered a position for a job I never applied for in adult education.

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Oh wow.

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and from there looking for something a little more, a little different.

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I ended up in the state correctional system as a transition specialist and getting there in that position I found out it was new.

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So professional organizations are very important when you're in a workspace because when there's no one to tell you how or tell you what once was in your area, if you're part of a larger body, you have support, and that's what I found at CEA.

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Wow, that's wonderful, and what has your experience?

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What other capacities could you share that have helped you, also with the CEA work that you're doing?

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I think everything has come full circle with the Correctional Education Association.

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Of course, a lot of our individuals in custody are adults.

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So my experiences working in adult education prepared me to kind of deal with that mentality, those teaching styles.

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Instead of a pedagogical thing, we do androgogical things, just making sure we meet the needs of the learners in front of us and, having that math background, that know, that's the problem solving, that's the critical thinking.

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So, yes, it was a challenge of being in something new, but you problem solve, we think critically, we find the pattern and you go to other states, other people, who's doing it?

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And that's what CEA allowed.

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It made networking easier.

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That is wonderful.

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I'm so happy that the organization, the CEA, has helped so much and now you're giving back by being in the leadership.

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That's great.

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Can you tell us a little bit about your academic journey?

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You know how you got your doctorate and the things that you chose to pursue academically.

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Again, my academic journey is probably not the normal route.

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I always knew I didn't want to work hard, I just wanted to enjoy life and math was easy to me and I like to help people.

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So math is easy.

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You like to help people teach math.

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So that's how I decided on my first degree, undergraduate, was a Bachelor's of science in math education.

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Got into the classroom and it wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be.

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I thought I could just teach and go home.

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I didn't realize it was so much more to being a teacher and I was a little nervous and uneasy because I didn't think I was meeting all the needs of my learners.

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And that was very important because I'm a helper, I want you to have everything you need.

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So, um, next degree was a master's of education in instructional accommodation.

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Because you're not, you don't qualify for special education services, but the traditional educational services are not meeting the needs.

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So that divergent learner kind of fell in that pot.

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But still I wanted more and I kind of wanted some different and thought maybe out of the traditional classroom on like a technical college level or so.

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So I got the next degree in curriculum and instruction with a focus on K-14 math, but that didn't take me to the technical college in the capacity in which I thought.

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Instead of being a professor, I ended up being an adult ed instructor.

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So it kind of you know, still stayed in the math field, science, and added in career development.

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So, being able to help these adults finish their secondary credential and then move into the desired career field or move into a post-secondary institution was very fulfilling until my children got in school.

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And now it's like, hmm, maybe I don't want to only work part-time because there's no one home let me go into full-time work and that's how I got into corrections in that transition space.

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Because of the experiences with career development in the adult ed space, I just continue to work with adults in a different capacity.

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That is really wonderful.

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Do you have any stories you could share about maybe a student, a certain student that was impacted through your work with the adult education, through the CEAs in the correctional facilities, where you're like this really was?

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You know, this person just did really well.

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Well, one downside I would say of being able to have a lot of those success stories working in the correctional space is there are limitations on contact once your person is released.

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Okay, there are limitations on contact once your person is released.

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Okay, there are limitations on how you interact with them for a certain amount of years, so you don't immediately get the feedback.

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But I do remember getting a call one day for a student who we were able to get him while he was still incarcerated.

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We were able to get his placement test done for technical college.

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So we had everything lined up you know times and dates and everything as far as just sitting down with the enrollment counselor because placement tests were done, he met the mark, he was ready, and I got this call and it was like I need you to call them and let them know that I'm here.

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I'm like who is this?

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What are you talking about?

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And what it was is just the newness of release is something I don't think that is talked about a lot.

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Yes, they are ready to go home, they want to go home, but home is different and reality is different and he was nervous.

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I'm like they know you're coming, all of your stuff is okay, just go on in.

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He was like, but just call and let them know I'm here.

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So of course I did, but just to have him reach back, call to the facility to get transferred into me, it's like okay, he trusts that the connections that we built you know the handoffs with these different institutions and getting the assessments done he trusted this system is going to work for him and that's kind of like what I love being connected to a bigger entity.

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When your students need something, you know someone who can.

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You may not be able to do it, but you know someone who can get it done.

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Gosh, that is wonderful, and you know what a great way to you built such great rapport with that individual.

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That's wonderful.

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Well, that's great.

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Do you have anything else you'd like to share with the South Carolina math conference community?

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Yes, I am here at this conference today representing SCETV, south Carolina Educational Television, which is the South Carolina Public Media Affiliate, and we have resources that you can go online to knowitall.

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org and there are resources there for math teachers and not just math teachers All educators can benefit from the services there.

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Oh, that's wonderful, Wonderful Well, Dr.

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A, thank you so much for sharing about your life experiences and the things that you're doing in our Spotlight for Success series here.

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Thank you so much, really appreciate your work and I hope you have a great rest of this conference.

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Thank you.

Unlocking Resources for Lifelong Learning

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