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Why do public schools work for Wisconsin?
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- By Pete Roller
- WEAC Community Relations Consultant
- Written for OnWEAC
Ouida McCurtis put it this way; “I want to make a difference for a group of kids who need to see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The “tunnel” she spoke of is the special needs that all of her students seem to have. She works as an educational assistant in a Starbuck Middle School classroom that provides special help to students who have been evaluated as “emotionally disturbed.”
“Frankly, that label is a bit misleading. What most of my students need is for someone to present them with a bit of structure and to show them some respect and attention,” she said. “When they tell me that they wish they had a mom like me, it makes me feel good and yet sad that something so important as a mom is missing from their lives.”
Born in Enterprise, Mississippi, McCurtis came to Racine in 1968.
“I was one of eight children. We were all taught the importance of education,” she said. “So when my own situation caused me to become the breadwinner for myself and my three children, I decided to go back to school.”
Her associate degree in human services and her education department course work at Carthage College enhanced her abilities to meet the challenging needs of the children in her classroom. For the past 23 years she has provided academic assistance, structure and personal support to students who need this special attention.
The love of learning is one key value which McCurtis brings to her students. She frequently mentions her own three children as examples of what can be achieved. One daughter is the assistant director of admissions at New York University; another is an adjunct professor of psychology at Loyola University; and her son is in the human services program at Gateway Tech.
“I have been a single parent for the last 17 years. But that was not an excuse for expecting less of my own children, and it is not an acceptable excuse for my students to use as the reason they can’t do well in school or in life,” she said.
But the value that seems to be paramount in her classroom is respect.
“When my students begin to have respect for others in the class, they start to value their own lives. I know that sounds pretty simple, but it’s the basis of all our human interactions,” she said.
“The lives of the kids I meet with every day are valuable. These kids are worth all the frustration and the extra effort it takes to deal with their individual problems and personalities,” she concluded. “So, that’s what I try to keep in my mind every day and I hope I make a difference.”
It’s clear that Ouida McCurtis is a wonderful role model for the students in her classroom and that she does make a difference. Because of her, a particular group of students at the Starbuck Middle School in Racine have a chance for educational success.
Ever wonder why public schools work for Wisconsin? Spend some time with Ouida McCurtis and you’ll discover one of the reasons.
Posted December 4, 1997
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