Metamorphosis: Reflections of a First Year Teacher Working in an Inner-City School

The experiences that Ms. Matlock-Phillips had with the students in her first classroom taught her to consider their needs and the environments that they came from when teaching. Administration and mentoring teachers were not able to help her to learn the individual need of her students. She developed meaningful relationships with each and every one of her students because she was able to understand why they behaved in the ways that they did. In other words, Ms. Matlock learned to respect the values that her students had learned about life and survival and developed teaching strategies that corresponded to their life lessons.

Simone Matlock-Phillips lives with her husband, Stephen, and son, Stefonn, in Springfield, Massachusetts. She has been working in the field of public education for nine years. She received her Masters Degree in Special Education from American International College and has taught children in preschool to grade eight. She is a mentor to new teachers and has given seminars in the field of Special Education. Ms. Matlock-Phillips believes that "reading opens the door to academic success" and we must find ways to stress the importance of reading achievement.