Sarasota Teacher of the Year: Building long-lasting relationships
What set Ronnique Major on a pathway to becoming a teacher? Simple.
“I have always loved school,” she said. “I knew there was nothing else I wanted to do than be a teacher.”
Now in her thirtieth year in the classroom, the Sarasota County Schools Elementary School Teacher of the Year has been around schools all her life, and she loves that. Her mom taught sixth-grade science at Sarasota Middle School and before that, home economics. She remembers all of it, the smell of empty perfume bottles, the sound of blocks from her kindergarten classroom at Booker North Elementary School.
Her dad coached football and basketball at Booker High School and was later a school administrator in Miami-Dade Public Schools. She used to be a mascot for Booker High and recalls the excitement of riding buses to games, sitting with the cheerleaders, meeting the older kids.
Not only did she grow up in a home with educators, but she had amazing teachers. A product of Sarasota County public schools, Major said, “I just had the best teachers, so it really motivated me to love school even more – like, ‘this is where I’m supposed to be.’”
These experiences led Major to the University of South Florida, where she pursued her degree in education. During her senior year of college, she completed her internship at Emma E. Booker Elementary so she could be closer to home and support her grandmother, who was sick.
After graduating, Major taught for five years in Maryland. She remembers that first day, nervously walking toward her classroom thinking, “I’m going in by myself—nobody’s coming with me.” But she had been preparing all her life, even if she didn’t know it, and was guided by an unwavering belief in the power of relationships.
In Maryland, Major taught third grade because that grade was her most difficult during elementary school. She created and nourished an inclusive environment where no students, no matter their faith, race, socioeconomic background, or any other factors, felt left out or overlooked.
After five years in Maryland, Major returned to Sarasota, to Emma E. Booker Elementary, the very school where she had interned. There, she moved from third to fourth to fifth grade, which she loves “because it’s getting them ready for middle school and being real with them.” For Major, that means learning to learn holistically, not to just prepare for a test. It means taking time if necessary and of course building close and trusting relationships, because, as Major said, “It’s important to me that my kids really understand.”
The relationships Major builds go far beyond her students. As she said, “It’s not just the kids: it’s the whole family.” It’s her community. Major sees classrooms, schools, and families as inextricably linked, and through her church and her sorority– Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. – she is active in the community, modeling civic engagement to her students.
Major’s unwavering commitment to building relationships extends to her colleagues too. In a classroom adjacent to Major’s is a teacher who was her intern last year. Another intern now teaches two doors down. Major is quick to mentor and support teachers in any way she can.
As she said, “The reason I will always take an intern is that I had the best experience being one.” She lets her interns take ownership of the class and gives them freedom but will always keep them afloat.
Thirty years since she first stepped foot alone into a classroom, Major is as inspired as ever to teach – because it is still about students and relationships. Her students keep her going. “My why,” she said, “is my kids.”
And now, not only has she begun to teach her former students’ children, but she keeps in touch with many of her students who are adults leading successful lives and who still credit Major for believing in them.
Actress Javicia Leslie, who she taught in Maryland, has zoomed in and read to Major’s class. Major visited California to see a former student who is now a Hollywood producer. Another student brought Major to tears when she told her that she’d become a teacher too. And the boy who was always drawing in her class, whose doodles Major has been told she would throw away, the boy who is now a tattoo artist—Major has four tattoos that he has done.
For Major, the relationships she forms, built on the faith she has in all her students, don’t just wash off at the end of the school year. Long after her students have left her classroom, she wants them to know that she is there for them and to always remember: “If nobody else believed in me, Ms. Major did.”
About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County
The Education Foundation sponsors the Ignite Education Teacher of the Year Award Celebration in partnership with Sarasota County Schools. For 35 years, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County (EdFoundationSRQ.org) has supported students and teachers because education transforms lives. As a champion for life readiness, the Education Foundation provides personalized, comprehensive resources and relationships so that students can find their purpose and progress intentionally through their K – 12 schooling. Its mission is to enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching, and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Teacher of the Year: Building long-lasting relationships
