SC education chief tells teachers they must reach students' hearts

South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman urged teachersThursday to do more than just lecture the children in their classroom.

Spearman was in Timmonsville addressing teachers, faculty and staff of Florence School District Four as they prepare for their students' first day of school on Monday. She spoke to the group about the importance of what they are doing.

“(My parents) set high expectations for us but we didn’t have a lot at home in the education world," Spearman said. “School was the place that opened the world up for me. It was full of people who saw something in me, who believed in me, who pushed me and gave me opportunities I didn’t even know to ask for. That’s what school was for me; that’s what school is for a lot of children. I know that’s what school is for a lot of children right here in Timmonsville.”

Spearman said teachers need to do more than lecture.

“First, they’ve got to know that you love them and they’ve got to know you're here for them,” Spearman said. “I know you understand that. If you can’t reach their hearts, you can’t reach their brain. You’ve got to believe in them and show them opportunities they didn’t even know are out there. What you are involved with is the most wonderful occupation in the world.”

After her address, Spearman gave the faculty and staff an opportunity to ask her questions about anything, including the state’s involvement in the district.

Spearman said extra resources have been provided to District Four, including but not limited to money. Department of Education staff members have been in the district, assisting the administration. New financial software was purchased by the state and is being installed; this will allow the state and the district administration to know what state the district’s finances are in.

When it came to the timeline for the Education Department’s labeling of two of the district’s three schools to be in a state of emergency, Spearman apologized if things were handled indelicately.

“I can’t imagine living through it,” Spearman said. “If I said anything improperly at the time, I apologize. I went into the office in January 2015. Over that summer, I asked my office where the schools were that we really needed to be in working the most. They immediately said Florence Four was one place … when I saw how the children were not performing well, I knew that I needed to do something. It wasn’t time for messing around. We needed to get on it and that’s what I was trying to do.”

Spearman said the Department of Education is doing all that it can to help the district become self-sustainable again.