Richland County School District Two: A MEMBER OF THE DISTRICT'S PREMIER 100 INITIATIVE IS THE JANUARY ROOKIE TEACHER OF THE BLOCK

Press release from Richland County School District Two:

1/11/2022

Xavier Spann is the new Rookie Teacher of the Block (RTOB) for January 2022. Fresh out of college Spann joined the faculty at Muller Road Middle School and is a sixth grade resource teacher. He decided to get a head start on his new job by starting his journey in Richland School District Two in the SOAR (Summer Opportunity for Academic Readiness) program teaching 7th grade English/Language Arts. 

Spann says he decided to teach to impact and shape the next generation of young people. What he loves most is seeing students when they grasp a new concept. “It is important to influence, motivate, and be a light to the students we serve. Educating for me goes beyond teaching content but forming relationships that will last forever. Purpose keeps me driven to complete the assignment of impacting students daily.”  Richland Two recruited Spann as part of the PREMIER 100 initiative that was created to broaden the diversity of male teachers of color in the classroom. It is the district’s goal to recruit and retain 100 minority male teachers by the year 2024. Spann earned a Bachelor of Arts in PreK-12 Multi-categorical Special Education from Coastal Carolina University in May 2021 and was also a member of the College's Call me MISTER Program. Lead teacher for the Leadership Academy at Muller, Emily Eberlin nominated Spann for the award. “Mr. Spann is one of the rare few that seems to have been born to educate. When dealing with a challenging parent or student, he never allows his feathers to ruffle. When a student gets upset by something and begins to act out, he seems to almost have the ability to sense what comes next and can calm the student down or move the student to a more appropriate location to continue the conversation. The same is true for parents,” said Eberlin.  RTOB winners receive a plaque to hang outside their door, a nameplate for the door, discounted tax preparation from H&R Block, a unique trophy designed by the 3D printing class at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2), and a bag of Richland Two goodies from Human Resources. Each month a RTOB is chosen and then an overall winner, Rookie Teacher of the Year, is selected. The award is sponsored by H&R Block, a dedicated partner of Richland School District Two.

This press release was produced by Richland County School District Two. The views expressed here are the author’s own.