Science teacher Yolonda Agnew wanted to go into the medical profession because her science teachers at Cass Tech encouraged her. When she decided on a career change to teaching, she said she remembered those teachers and how much they meant to her. That motivated her, she said.
EEVPA at FINNEY: How do you keep your classes interactive?
AGNEW: I always try to make sure that I’m on top of the newest research that demonstrates evidence of student engagement and use the proper strategies to keep them engaged and try to make those real-world connections by incorporating field trips regarding STEM education, because the curriculum is not always that exciting. And I can admit that as a science teacher.
What challenges do you face while teaching your class?
AGNEW: Getting the students engaged and wanting to be in class is a challenge. … Getting students to know that even if you may not think you may not know if you want to go to college now, education is important.
What drives your inspiration to continue teaching at EEVPA?
AGNEW: Oh, I love the Ville; the Ville is home. It’s no other place like the Ville. I’ve been here since the Ville started. … I am a part of the DPS, and I had teachers that cared about me that knew their curriculum and that wanted me to succeed, so that’s what drives me. I want my students to know that I want them to succeed. I want them to know that I care about them, and they have somebody in their corner pushing for them, so that is what keeps me here. The Ville is home.
Where do you get your sense of fashion from?
AGNEW: Well, I will be honest, in the very beginning when I first got here, we had uniforms. So, for several years, I modeled that for the kids. I’ve been working on me and my wellness, and I can open up. I don’t just have to wear white and black and put some color in your life, so I just started to open up my fashion sense and bring color.
Do you have a favorite success story that you would be willing to share?
AGNEW: A student of mine, he’s here now working as an academic interventionist, but he was one of my students here at the Ville. He won the Bill Gates scholarship and that gave him a full ride for everything. I also have a couple of athletes who were my students who graduated college and made it to the NFL. It doesn’t always have to be something as spectacular as the NFL, just the fact that they come back, they graduated, they have a family now, they have a career, some became teachers, that’s what’s exciting. I’m very proud.
Research says that there is an underrepresentation of Blacks and Hispanics in the STEM workforce. What is your opinion for having more people of color going into science careers or courses?
AGNEW: I definitely think that’s important and that’s why I started two years ago taking my students down to Wayne State University to expose them to different stem careers and different opportunities. Right now I’m going to partnership with Lawrence Technological University so we can go down there because we are underrepresented in those fields and I have a strong love for science, but it’s not just science, it’s technology , it’s engineering, it’s mathematics, and it’s a whole lot of different careers you can get into. To expose students to STEM, especially Black and brown students, I think it’s very important because we don’t always see that.
