Meet Dr. Monique Watkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Monique Watkins.

Dr. Watkins, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been an “educator.” When I was four, attending Kindergarten in Japan, I would often get in trouble for taking over the classroom to teach others. My parents said that I always gave them the rationale that it was my job to teach them “because they didn’t know!”

In my late teens, I worked in my mother’s early learning academy as a certified assistant director. Upon graduating from high school in 2001, I entered the public school system as a substitute teacher. I did this for three years but decided to shift my interests toward other areas of expertise. By pursuing an undergraduate degree in business, that was my attempt to denounce my calling.

After our third child was born, in 2009, I dipped my toes back into the field of education by returning as a long-term substitute to help out a local principal who had a position open and needed someone temporarily. When I started, I began as the in-school suspension facilitator. After a few months, I was pulled into the classroom to replace a paraprofessional. Why did I do that? I swore that I would never be an educator upon giving up that experience in 2005. However, once I stepped into that classroom, it was over. My calling was exposed. My gift for curriculum, instruction, and leadership opened several doors and led me toward my journey in obtaining a master, specialist, and doctorate in education.

Over that course of time, I was sought after to present at state-level conferences. I was offered opportunities to plan and present at local conferences and to serve on district content committees where I was given the opportunity to write curriculum and support instructors on the implementation of strategic, data-driven, research-based strategies to increase student achievement. I was also blessed to serve my local schools in various teacher leader positions to help the school-building leaders met and exceed school improvement goals and to ensure on-going success for students and teachers.

Today, I know and realize that my call and gift have brought me to a place where I enjoy what I do on a daily basis. I am blessed by the connections that I make as well as the lasting impacts that I leave with each student and teacher. There was no way for my parents or me to know that getting in trouble in school, as a four-old-year, would lead me down this dynamic path to teaching others strategies that they just didn’t know prior to their encounter with me. I am a firm believer that we perish for our lack of knowledge. Therefore, I am glad that I have been called to be in a position to empower others’ ability to seek, acquire, and apply knowledge daily!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh my! NO! The road certainly has been far from smooth. Education is a dynamic profession which requires one to be quite purposeful in their endeavors. This is a profession where one encounters all types of unforeseen circumstances and must be prepared to address underlying situations in order to achieve designated outcomes. The day in the life of an educator can be quite challenging.

Despite the challenges, I am purposeful in maintaining my attention on the learners. Of course, there have been many things that have surfaced to cause me to question my ‘purpose’ and ‘why’ I chose to pause my business pursuit. However, when I think about the lives of the learners that I get to impact daily, I am driven to continue to forge through the challenges and seek intentional ways to implement innovative practices that will increase student engagement and achievement.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
While I do coordinate events, I am currently focused on my career as an educator. I am a dynamic educator who serves as an instructional coach and mentor to new and veteran teachers. I am an innovative leader who seeks and implements current, research-based strategies that challenge the status quo of traditional learning and teaching. I enjoy traveling to speak and motivate others who are seeking to spark or reignite their passion for what they have been called to do within the profession of education.

Over the past two years, I have worked to bridge gaps between learning and community. This work has afforded me the opportunity to build working relationships with several entrepreneurs in our community, a few of which have been featured by VoyageATL (Formeka Watkins, CEO of Purses of Hope; Darlene Felix, Owner of La Place Salon; Nika Taylor, Founder of Healing Women of Atlanta) and many more that are not featured but are dynamic impacts to our local communities. As an instructor of entrepreneurship and financial services, the partnerships between the classroom and industry have provided a unique opportunity for business leaders to enter the classroom to provide authentic connections for learning to their application within the real-world.

Students are able to work with businesses such as Purses of Hope and Healing Women of Atlanta to utilize classroom content knowledge to plan and organize events where they are empowering the local community to increase their awareness of local needs. I am in a great position where I am able to expose students to real opportunities to work and serve within their community; in other words, allow theoretical learning to transcend into applicative experiences. Additionally, I have implemented advisory committees that involved input from parents and community members where they are able to directly engage with the learning experiences at the classroom level.

I specialize in building the capacities of others. I am that educator that people call upon when they want to sharpen their tools and reach beyond the boundary to spark an ‘aha moment’ within their content area. I am a specialist in research and innovative practices as it lends to strengthening curriculum writing, planning, and implementation. I specialize in leading others in a dynamic, engaging, instructional experience for themselves and their learners.

I am most proud, believe it or not, of the challenges that are in education. I get to use those challenges to drive what I do toward establishing my philosophical beliefs for education. Without those gaps, I would not be able to realize the purpose for developing frameworks and tools that bridge the gaps that are currently experienced in retaining strong educators, increasing student achievement, and providing an active voice and partnership between the school and the community.

What sets me apart from others in this profession is my drive! It is one thing to know you are valued, but you operate through a whole different lens when you know your worth. Because I am aware of my worth, I dare to take uncharted risks that will reach students that others have discarded and expose them to possibilities that they never knew were attainable to them. It is because I am aware of my worth to this profession. I am not afraid to volunteer my time to share valuable knowledge and strategies as I coach other educators.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The passion that I have for student achievement allows me to go beyond the norms of the traditional instructional style to implement innovative strategies to ensure students are successful. It is essential for any educator to be willing to do what it takes to put their learners first in the learning environment.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @EducatorWatkins
• Twitter: @EducatorWatkins

Image Credit:
Photographer: Norma Williams, Miracle Eye Shoots

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