Guided by her devout faith and dedication to helping students most in need, a young professional on course for a corporate career, switched to teaching where she now leads both students and teachers.
Manor Middle School teacher Summer Williams said colleagues in a former profession kept telling her what her parents had told her for years, that she was naturally gifted as a teacher.
Already armed with a degree in broadcast journalism, she entered a summer teaching program called Teach America and started her new career in the Atlanta area.
Working with a partner educator in an impoverished area, she found a new sense of purpose.
When Williams and her soldier spouse moved to the Fort Hood area, she started teaching at Liberty Hill Middle School.
Now, she is an eighth grade English teacher and instructional coach at Manor Middle School. She is also a KISD STEEL Award winner for the month of November.
While working in the business world, Williams said she didn’t think she had the patience to spend her days with students.
Convinced by friends and family, she returned to school, where she studied public administration and learned the extent of inequities many students face across the nation.
Her first experience teaching in an impoverished neighborhood was eye opening. “It was so fun. I enjoyed seeing the light bulb turn on. (My students) wrote me heartfelt notes. I thought, ‘This is so gratifying.’”
At the same time that she was finding purpose in her work, she was experiencing spiritual renewal as well.
“Once I got to a place with God, bringing him into my career, I started to feel like I was living out my true purpose.”
The combination of teaching and coaching at Manor seemed ideal. “I can reach the students and help other teachers as well,” she said.
“Building relationships with students has impacted me the most. (I enjoy) seeing students reach their goals and grow more confident. Seeing them start to lead their own learning is rewarding for me.”
Last spring, Williams was part of a series of five All-Star Saturday learning sessions with students coming to school on the weekend for breakfast, lunch and a variety of learning.
“When they showed up on Saturday morning, I realized we were part of something bigger than ourselves.”
When KISD senior leaders joined campus administrators to honor the Manor teacher, she was in the library doing administrative duties. An assistant principal pulled her into the celebration.
“I heard a lot of noise and thought someone won a grant,” she said. When she realized she was winning an award, she grew nervous and uncertain.
At the same time, Williams said she was in need of a lift. “It was right on time,” she said. “I felt valued and appreciated.”
In addition to teaching students and instructing teachers, Williams leads the Manor English department. She and her husband have five daughters aged 4 to 16. She’s also working on a doctorate degree.
Now eight years into teaching, she said she has learned the importance of bringing empathy to the classroom.
“Meeting students where they are (is so important.) We all come with our own experiences and struggles...We have to look below the surface and not just see the behavior. Really, it’s just about caring for people.”