When we share our stories, we encourage others and give them hope. Sharing our stories creates a special connection between us, and helps us move forward in challenging times. Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” In keeping with her words, I only desire to follow in her footsteps and share my own story.

In so many ways we are caged birds to ourselves, each other, society, the past, the future and even to our own desires. Only after regaining its strength through encouragement and hope, the caged bird will break the bars and chains that enslave it to soar on to its journey of freedom. This is the story of how I teach students to aviate in the right direction. 

Deidre Henriques speaks to the importance of emotional intelligence in education.

In 2018, I moved back to Connecticut after living in Spain for 20 years. Having taught Science and ESL in American and Spanish International Schools, I decided to advance my career by earning a Master’s in Education Leadership at NSU, under the mentorship of Dr. Angela Goodloe and Dr. Ferguson. Their leadership inspired me to take my profession to the next level. To acclimate to the American way of life again, I decided to become a substitute teacher. After attending the East Hartford and Minority Teachers networking events (hosted by the CSDE Talent Office) to help connect certified teachers of color with high-needs school districts, I was hired by Domus Kids at Hartford Juveniles Detention Center (HJDC). I saw this as a great opportunity to spread my wings! The network was coordinated by CT State Department of Education, Talent Office and was the first step of my formation as a certified teacher with the State of Connecticut. My communication with individuals there multiplied the passion and compassion I have as an educator with a duty to care. To sum it up: It takes a village to raise an educator.

I taught in urban and suburban schools in the Hartford and West Hartford public school districts. Working as a substitute teacher transformed many aspects of my teaching and leadership style. As a well-versed educator, I have acquired the skills to set the tone for any classroom. As a substitute, I ensured a smooth transition while the teacher was out. Before the start of class, I would read the students a letter of encouragement to motivate them. This simple letter would set the tone for a successful day. I began to realize that student success is not driven by grades. It is fostered by encouragement. This encouragement inspires hope, which can prompt excellent conduct. 

My most rewarding assignment was at HJDC. The decision to substitute there was one of the most rewarding professional choices I have made. It has given me a diverse perspective on how I view education and its transformation over the last three decades. Educating students to live in the globalized economy and digitally connected world has challenged me to devise a formula.  My students know it as EQ= WH: The Essential Question = Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Who am I? is one of the most vital questions there is to answer.   

A former student of the HJDC, who is now a successful financial officer, said to me recently, “If you know who you are, and you are alone, you are in good company.”  J.T. had to resolve many issues over the years. He shared with me his past, and the dark place he used to be in, which gave me a tool to empower my students to put more value on who they are and the difference they can make in our ever-changing global society.  

When you look back, you can be proud of all that you’ve achieved. The way to accomplish this is to dig deep into who you are and find the attributes that will support your dreams and help you find freedom and hope.

Many would say that who we are is a product of our environment—that is true to some point. The only thing that connects us all as people are common values and emotions. Who we are is how we see ourselves in the present, with the accumulation of events and memories that occurred in our lives. Allowing your past to define you is up to you. We have all been through many trials and disappointments (for some, more challenging than others). Facing adversity with grit and grace is the path to living life with a purpose.

The experience working as a substitute teacher—especially at HJDC—has empowered me to create a safe place where strong relationships are built. Emotional connection plays a vital role in supporting growth and readiness, engaging students in essential techniques that will ensure long-term success. Many of my scholars at the detention center have multiple  issues that hinder their academic achievement, which is calculated using a Grade Point Average (GPA). I have pioneered a strategy to be used in a trauma-sensitive environment, also known as GPA, but redefined as: Goal, Purpose, Attitude.  My version of GPA provides encouragement in a population where many students have lost hope in themselves, the system and their future.  

Students at the Center will encourage and inspire hope with their GPA (Goal, Purpose, Attitude). They have presented inspirational thoughts which gives them a voice when they thought they had none. GPA gives them a compass to hope while they are locked up doing time for a crime. No matter what happened in the past, they come to a place where they are not incarcerated youth, they are my scholars in my class. Prison-to-classroom is indeed another route. They are not delinquents to me; they are just troubled teens looking to me as their educator/mentor. They are birds with clipped wings, chained and shackled with life’s burdens. 

Amazingly, the students transmit a powerful synergy of encouragement and hope by expressing themselves through words, and in doing so, they make the first step in defining who they are and finding their voice. The amalgamation of quotes is a poem that describes who they are and their GPA: Goal, Purpose and Attitude. 

This empowers them to understand themselves, their family and their community. 
 

Using God-Given Gifts with Grace. 

I encouraged students to dig deep to find their God-given gifts, talents and abilities, and to share it to benefit others. I gave an assignment for students to create a poem or quote. The next day I received a note: 

“You told me to write a quote about my life. All my life I have been watching people struggle, close ones mainly. It makes it hard for me to move forward. Struggles lead to determination, Determination may lead to success, I am determined to do my best. At the end of the day it all starts with me. ” —TJ.

“Face your trials with grit and grace.” J.L.

A constant Pursuit to fuel your Passion with Persistence and Perseverance

I try to tell my students that having a purpose and living it with passion is what drives them to keep hope alive. Here’s what they wrote:

“After difficulty comes ease.” —A.A.
“Life is a privilege, You earn it.” —M.W.           
“Don’t let negative comments define your worth.” —P.A. 
“Take a rest from the hustle of life, relax and take it with strides. —T.P.                      
“Find the true you, waiting inside.” —D.N.     
“Keep the beauty within and share the emotions with others.”—I.R. 
“God knows how to take something small and magnify its greatness.”—T.J.
“Life without faith is life without passion.” —I.C.
 

Attributes for Achievement.

Finally, I encourage them to find the attributes inside them that will support their dreams. Here’s what they wrote:

“The treasures of darkness are refined jewels.”—Q.J. 
“When life gets hard, change the altitude of your gratitude”— J.L.
“Surround yourself with a small group of people who will protect and care for you.”—C.T.
“Pay attention to the moment. The past has gone, hold your head up and move on.”—I.H.
“You can’t change what was done but mend what is broken.”—D.G.
 “It is not the position that one has in life, it is knowing who you are that makes a difference.” 

A student at the Center asked me one day, “Mrs. Henriques, what crime did you commit to end up here?”  I quickly answered, “A simple crime to care.” He subtly smiled. Little did he know that smile made my day. 

I am an educator, with a duty to care.These students have many trials and one with a sentence to do time. I tell them, “Take advantage of the present, the past has gone. You have done what you did and are incarcerated. When time seems hopeless and dim, a gust of wind will come, freedom rings. Seize the moment, carpe diem. Hold on to the present moment giving it all you’ve got. Your inner compass will guide you through the journey of life.” 

It does not matter the position that one has in life, making a difference is what matters most. At times I wonder if I made the right decision. I have a purpose that fuels my passion. I am  a role model for many good children who have made bad choices, the reasons are countless. However, to me, they are my scholars. I have a responsibility to mold lives, to teach them to break their chains and to search for wisdom and truth, in turn giving them hope, enough to lift their wings and the journey begins, beautiful birds ready to take flight. 
 

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