Going to Juvenile Detention
Ms. Angela Moore picture on the far right with her teaching team
An Interview with Ms. Angela Moore
When teachers thrive, students thrive. The Dream Center exists to show the love of Christ to students and families of Title 1 schools in DeSoto County, and often some of the most forgotten students in our district are those spending time in the Juvenile Detention Center and other schools supporting students facing barriers to success. As the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for schools such as the Juvenile Detention Center in Hernando, Magnolia Elementary School and DeSoto County Alternative Center in Horn Lake, the DCDC provides ongoing support, encouragement and resources to the faculty and staff of these schools who haven’t historically received parental support.
The JDC teachers support students 13-17 years-old and each day in the classroom is different, with anywhere from 20-40 student residents. We wanted to take a moment to celebrate the incredible work of the Juvenile Detention Center in Hernando by interviewing Lead Teacher, Ms. Angela Moore.
Kelsey: What does a typical day of school look like here?
Moore: “…every kid who comes in here, we develop an academic plan for if they're here longer than 10 days. It's a fully developed academic plan. So we request school records. And so we make sure we’re meeting them where they're at- what classes are they in, what classes are they struggling with that they might need tutors. And we put tutors with them one-on-one…literally an adult pulling up a seat right beside them and saying, ‘okay, let's stop and go back and work through this lesson together’. We don't want them to be overwhelmed. They're dealing with stuff on the legal side. So we want school to be as seamless as possible when they come in.
Ms. Moore and the JDC team take a “whole child” approach to supporting incoming students, identifying any additional psychological, social or emotional needs a student may have, and providing holistic support during their time at the JDC through casework management and community partnerships. Their goal is to help each student transition well to whatever their next steps are, whether that is going back to school and continuing their education, or sometimes they must go to the adult courts.
Kelsey: How long have you been teaching, and how did you end up working here?
Moore: “So I taught regular high school for 15 years before I came here. I was at Horn Lake high school for two years, and then I was at DeSoto Central High School for 13 years… I always wanted to shift towards alternative education with kids who were at risk, because that's just where my passion's always been. And I really felt like once I finished, you know, in the public school system, I wanted to transition to someplace like youth villages, but I felt like I needed some experience working with at-risk kids before I try to make that transition after I retire...So when this position came open, [my principal] was like, I've got the perfect spot for you!” And I've been here ever since. This is the end of my 24th year.
Kelsey: What motivates you to come to work each day?
Moore: “The kids. Definitely the kids. Because we don't see them how other people see them. People come in and they're always so surprised because when you say, ‘you want to go into the school at the jail?’ and it seems like it would be really scary and chaotic. And then people come in, they're like- ‘this is not at all what I thought this was going to look like,’ but it just shows us- in the right circumstances, with the right People working with you and [when students are] in the right frame of mind, they can sit down and do schoolwork and be successful..”
Kelsey: You never know how long a student will be with you and your team, and every student’s situation is unique. Do you have a particular student “success” story that stands out in your mind?
Moore: Yes, we had one that jumped right out at me. He was in here a lot. It was a bad home situation, and CPS (Child Protective Services) was continually involved. He had some issues that he got resolved in his time here…we helped get him registered [to attend Northwest Community College] while he was here, and he was graduating in December and in January he was able to transition to Northwest. And, you know, for kids in foster care, CPS- you know, if they're in CPS custody when they turn 18, there's not always someplace to go from there. And our staff and the local high school staff, they helped get him moved in and get settled. People made donations. Long story short, he ended up finishing the automotive mechanic program at Northwest, and he graduated- got a certificate, got a job, got a car, got an apartment, got a girlfriend, and he's doing really well now! So those are some of the things we celebrate here.
Kelsey: How would you say a PTO program is beneficial for teachers and staff like yourself?
Moore: “...our community partners [such as the Dream Center] have done a really good job of supporting us [presently], but I think in the past, people didn't even know that we were here. And you know…I think there's probably some hesitancy for some people to come in because it is scary if you don't know what it is…When you work someplace like this, the things that you see and the things that you hear are sometimes really sad. Things that the kids are dealing with, their home situations, things that have happened to them, and it can get kind of heavy. And so people probably underestimate that even something just like a small, happy, makes our staff so happy. It's just a bright spot in the day,” said Ms. Moore.
The PTO Program is vital to the Dream Center’s commitment to DeSoto County students through the support of school staff like Ms. Moore. With the help of consistent volunteers who “adopt” the schools in our PTO Program, the DCDC is able to provide small and large encouragement to staff and students. The Dream Center partners with the JDC to help make sure students are able to have the supplies that they need, holiday parties when students are unable to be with their families, and support and resources to help meet the specific needs of individual staff and students.
Ms. Moore is just one of many teachers and staff supported by our PTO Program who have a similar passion for supporting at-risk youth. It’s the amazing JDC team working together, who create a safe and welcoming environment for incoming students. Please join us in praying for students at the Juvenile Detention Center, students experiencing poverty, or difficult situations at home that can often act as a barrier to their success in our DeSoto County Schools. For more information about how you might get involved with the PTO Program or Teacher Appreciation Initiatives, please email info@desotodreamcenter.org.