5 minutes with Shayla Williams, educator and real estate agent
We salute all educators. This week we sit down with Shayla Williams, a fifth-grade teacher working in a time of COVID-19, and when she’s not teaching your kids, she can sell you a house. Enjoy.
This interview has been edited.
Q. For the people that don’t know you, tell us about yourself.
A. I was born and raised in Columbia and graduated from Richland Northeast. I went to undergrad at Francis Marion University, and was the first African-American woman to be elected as student body president for two consecutive terms. I graduated with a degree in Education and started teaching middle school English Language Arts. I went to Columbia College and got my Master’s Degree in Divergent Learning. In the meantime, I transitioned from seventh and eighth grade English Language Arts to fifth-grade elementary school. I’m in my ninth year of teaching now. I love my students and many of the people I’ve met and worked with along the way. My team has become family.
Q. I understand you also sell real estate on the side. How did you get into that?
A. As we all know teachers aren’t the most paid-out people. If you know me you know I am a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. So I decided to explore my options and found real estate. That opened a whole new world, and I found a new career where I get to help people reach life milestones, while educating them about homeownership. I work with buyers, sellers, renters, property owners, investors, and partner agents. It’s amazing.
Q. As an educator, what are some of the challenges of teaching during a pandemic?
A. COVID-19 changed the game for educators and students everywhere. We went from daily interactions with our students to being thrown into a virtual world of teaching and learning that many were unfamiliar with. Don’t get me wrong, teaching virtually has its perks and freedoms, but there is nothing like real human relationships, especially with children.
I miss my students. The friendships and relationships we develop in our youth, the social skills we learn, and the skills we cultivate in school with our peers are a priceless building block that can’t administer through a computer screen. I want to hug my students and sit next to them in reading circles. The teachers, parents, and kids are overwhelmed because COVID-19 is overwhelming. It’s frustrating, and to be honest, the system as a whole wasn’t ready for virtual learning. But the only thing constant in the world is change.
Q. How do you find the time to be a real estate agent while teaching?
A. Teaching is my first love, and real estate is an extension and an enhancement of that. Being a teacher allows me to show my students something they didn’t know they could learn, then guide them through it until they master the skill. In real estate, the same is true. I work with a broker who is patient enough to train me in the field and a team of agents who are motivated and encouraging. Now I get to connect with people from all walks of life and help them grow. I’ve never seen an unhappy buyer or seller at the closing table. When God aligns things for you like that, it’s pretty dope.
Preach Jacobs, special to GoColumbia
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 2:24 PM with the headline "5 minutes with Shayla Williams, educator and real estate agent."