The Honor Role
Meet the people who make Fayette County Public Schools great. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys on The Honor Role.
The Honor Role
Charmaine Courtney
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Robert J. Burch Elementary SPROUT program teacher Charmaine Courtney plants seeds of learning in her students.
Congratulations, you've made it to the Honor Role. I'm Chris Dunn, and I'll be introducing you to the people who make Fayette County Public Schools excellent. Our district annually ranks among the best in both the state of Georgia and nation academically, and we want to shine the spotlight on everyone who helps our students thrive. Behind every successful school day is a team of people worthy of recognition, and they each have their own story to tell. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys on the Honor Role. Welcome to the Honor Role. Please introduce yourself.
Charmaine CourtneyHi, my name is Charmaine Courtney. I teach pre-K Special Needs. It's called the SPROUT program here at Burch Elementary.
Speaker 1Awesome. Thank you so much for being here. Let's get started. Tell us a bit about your early life, where you grew up, and went to school, and all that.
Charmaine CourtneyOkay. Well, I was born in Jamaica, West Indies. But I grew up in New York where I received all of my entire formal education. I went to St. John's University and Hofstra University, where I majored in special education for both my undergrad and my masters, and majored in early childhood, birth through second grade, I think it was, special education. And so I've been pre-Ker pretty much all my life. Like you mentioned, a lot of people want to be teachers, and I actually didn't. I wanted to be an occupational therapist. Okay. And I volunteered in schools for occupational therapy. And somewhere along the line, I just saw the teacher and I was like, wait, I think I want to do that one instead. And so that's how I got to special education. Also, I read a book called Dibs: In Search of Self, and it was all about play therapy. And that really intrigued me, and that's where I got stuck.
Speaker 1And so can you give us kind of an overview of what you teach here in this class? Is it kind of a mix of occupational therapy with teaching?
Charmaine CourtneyWell as a yeah, as a teacher, we do everything here in the SPROUT program because they are three and four, and then some who already turned five. So we look at all areas of development, cognitive, social, language, gross motor, fine motor, self-help. So, yes, I work with occupational therapists working on fine motor skills, I work with physical therapists working on gross motor skills, being able to move, and I work with, of course, speech therapists, language, and we are language-based programs, so everything in this classroom is language-based and social-based because as three and four-year-olds, they don't really have emotional regulation. So, that's what we work on heavily with our kids. We of course do self-help skills, so we do a lot of m, you know, teaching them how to use the bathroom. And yeah, just all those areas, as well as cognitive skills, right? They're in there too.
Speaker 1So, really, it's like you're kind of giving them a whole array of foundational skills.
Charmaine CourtneyEverything you need to learn in pre-K in life, you learn in pre-K. Yep.
Speaker 1So it's the goal is kind of like when they're done with your classroom, it's like they're ready to jump into as best they can into the another classroom.
Charmaine CourtneyYes. Some of my students may leave me to go into the lottery program if they're ready. Some may stay with me for two, maybe three years, depending on when they came to me. A nd then they go off into kindergarten, whether it be regular kindergarten or a special program. So it all depends on where they are and what they're ready for.
Speaker 1And do you get to maybe work more closely with parents than a regular classroom teacher? Because and it's like you teach them the skill in class and you need them to reinforce it at home.
Charmaine CourtneyExactly. that is our goal to be, you know, definitely family oriented, to make sure that they know what's going on with their child. Parents love that. We communicate through notebooks and of course Parent Square. And I love to send pictures home of the children of what they're doing, how they hold the pencil, and just sharing that information with the parents and so that they can work with them at home. Right now I have a child who's using a communication board. So we use it in school, and then we have one that goes home with him, so he can practice using that too. So we want them to practice all the skills at home as well.
Speaker 1And then for you, I'm sure then like you can't really just have a cookie cutter approach to your whole class. You've got to kind of be able to adapt to each different student and how they learn best and things like that.
Charmaine CourtneyYes, our program is the definition of differentiation. Being able to know what's going to puzzles, what's going to work for that child, because you know, some I provide visuals for. I had a student last year who was nonverbal and they said they weren't sure whether she was going to be ready to talk or not. Turns out she was a reader. And so all I had to do was write the sentences down for her, and she would read it and then she would say it. It started out with tickles. I wrote the word tickle down one day, and she said tickles, and then I said, I want tickles, and she said, I want tickles. And then from there on she was just reading and requesting.
Speaker 1So, what's that feeling like for you when you see kind of like a concept click?
Charmaine CourtneyThat is why I teach. That is the a ha moment that we love so much. That is the best feeling in the world.
Speaker 1It's pretty gotta feel like such a cool achievement when you get to share it with their parents, like, oh, she picked up this new skill today.
Charmaine CourtneyMy parents, when I call them, because our principal loves for us to have positive communication. Yeah, so I'll call a parent and they'll say, is everything okay? And I say, No, they peed in the potty today! Woo! So, yeah, I love making those phone calls.
Speaker 1So let's double back a bit. Tell me who were some of your inspirations that maybe kind of, even if you didn't think about the at the time, kind of like helped push you down this career path.
Charmaine CourtneyMy answer is funny, because it's actually every child that I've ever worked with. I've been working with kids since I was probably in, I don't know, high school. it's just I love being around them. I love making sure that... I love the a has. I love that they get things, and then of course becoming a mom myself, them teaching me that this is the growth pattern, this is what their children need. They need love and affection before you can make them sit down. so of course my family is my inspiration as well. You know, my children have taught me a lot, my own personal children. And but honestly, it's the families and the kids who have been my inspiration.
Speaker 1Because for all the teachers that you know helped your kids along the way, you get to pay that forward for your students.
Charmaine CourtneyI've had some of my children, some of my children's teachers in the classroom. It's funny. Because we used to be students of staff.
Speaker 1Gotcha.
SpeakerGotcha.
Speaker 1And so you you said you you grew up in New York. How did you how did you find your way down to Tyrone?
Charmaine CourtneyWell, we tried another route in New Jersey. It didn't work. We tried to buy a house out that way, but it didn't work. So, but my husband's from Georgia, so that's how we ended up down here. Gotcha. And I don't regret it. I love Georgia. I t really is a nice school system. Fayette County is really great.
Speaker 1So probably don't miss the snow.
Charmaine CourtneyNo, I don't. My children do, but I do not.
Speaker 1So how long have you been here at Burch?
Charmaine CourtneyI've been here for 13 years. I came out here in 2000, well, 99, and we built a house, and then we I came out here 2000, I was at North Fayette for 10 years, Hood Avenue, FES for a year, Craba pple for two years, and then Burch.
Speaker 1So you've gotten to dip your toe into several of the county schools.
Charmaine CourtneyYep, I have. 26 years.
Speaker 1have you always taught at this level the the pre-K early learning age?
Charmaine Courtney10 years in New York, all in pre-K. I am just a baby.
Speaker 1Since you've been here a while, what do you love about working at Burch?
Charmaine CourtneyWell, I love the fact that we have become a Leader In Me school. Because for me, with my kids, it's always been about social emotional and development and becoming independent and using your words. And I think the Leader In Me has really pushed that leadership and knowing those just the great habits, which define pretty much what I push in this classroom. So I like the way it follows through and it's I can work with it with my guys.
Speaker 1Because if if you don't care for the whole student, like they might come into class and be disruptive, but like if you treat them with respect and teach them how to be good students and friends and all that, like it's good for everyone.
Charmaine CourtneyYeah, they have to understand independence, they have to understand that they need to go ahead and step up and do what they need to do. Yeah, it's great habits to learn. All starting in pre-K.
Speaker 1it's truly it's the foundational years, and hopefully they learn to love school now, it can carry them through life
Charmaine Courtneythat's another reason why I love being in pre-K because even though parents are the first teachers, I get to be the second and I get to teach them to love school. Right. So they get to love on me, I love on them, and then take that love to the next level. And if you can't get your child to sit, it's gonna be hard for them to learn. Right. So we work on those skills in a fun way.
Speaker 1And so how we like to close every episode is asking, what is your why?
Charmaine CourtneyWell, that is my why. just seeing the a ha's, seeing the the everyday little steps that they take, the smiles. You know, there are plenty of days of being challenged. And I am challenged constantly in this classroom. But it helps me grow. It helps me be able to see the bigger picture of things and understand what their needs are and just try to help get them there.
Speaker 1And it's gotta be really special to see kind of like where your student is on the first day and see just like the incredible milestones they'll hit by the end of the year.
Charmaine CourtneyYes. I just had a another teacher email me, a new teacher, and she was asking me how do you get them to stay in the center? And I wrote back, time. Everything takes time. You know, you just have to give yourself grace, give them grace, and it'll come in time.
Speaker 1And you're really just with the students, you're just you're helping them find their skills and find their confidence, and they're putting it all together, hopefully.
Charmaine CourtneyYes, we're just here to guide them.
Speaker 1Well thank you so much for talking with us.
SpeakerWell, thank you for making it easy.
Speaker 1This has been an official podcast of Fayette County Public Schools. For more stories from our district, visit us online at fcboe.org, where you can also find links to our social media channels. If you know someone you would like to see featured on a future episode, email us at dunn.chris at fcboe.org. And don't forget to like and subscribe. Thank you for joining us on the Honor Role Class Dismissed.