BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
D’on Jeffers no longer greets visitors at the front desk at Bradford Middle School, but her smile remains on campus in her new role as teacher.
Though her job changed when school resumed after the Christmas/New Year’s break, it was hard for Jeffers to get used to the idea that she’d no longer occupy a seat at the receptionist’s desk — job she held when she began working at BMS in 2016.
“I walked in the front office. I stood there and looked,” Jeffers said, adding “One of the teachers said, ‘I want to walk you to your classroom.’ I said, ‘I want to sit at the front desk for just a second.’ (The teacher) said, ‘Ms. Jeffers. You are not at the front desk anymore. Remember? You’re a teacher now.’
“I was so accustomed to going (to the front office), serving people and helping people. It was a hard adjustment leaving there.”
The upside was that Jeffers, who teaches seventh-grade Language Arts, was stepping into a new role she worked hard for, juggling work and her responsibilities as a parent while taking online classes through the University of Florida.
If she needs any affirmation that she made the right decision, all she has to do is talk to BMS Principal Danielle Rosson. Rosson said she had the opportunity recently to sit in on one of Jeffers’ classes as she and her students read a book together.
“Just the conversations the students were having with each other and with her were really impressive,” Rosson said. “They were creating questions from the story chapter they were reading.
“You can tell that they feel very comfortable with here in there, but they still respect her.”
Rosson said a teacher’s either got it, or they don’t.
“She’s got it,” Rosson said of Jeffers, adding, “She’s a pretty special lady. We’re very, very fortunate to have her here.”
BMS opportunity leads to inspiration
After graduating from Bradford High School in 2010, Jeffers attended Santa Fe College for a couple of semesters. She said she wanted to go to Florida State University, but was unable to get in. So she went to school for a couple of more years at Tallahassee Community College.
Jeffers moved back to Starke and began working at Walmart. However, she didn’t have a schedule that was ideal for someone who was a single parent. Her mother, Aleta Durant, who’s the administrative secretary at North Florida Technical College, pointed out that as Jeffers’ son, Josiah, got older, she’d need to work a schedule that would allow her to transport him to and from school.
Her mother made her aware of the position at BMS, so Jeffers applied. Thus, after two years of working at Walmart, she became the receptionist at BMS.
At first, the job at BMS was just that — a job. Over the course of two to three years, it became the inspiration for Jeffers, who had already been thinking about going back to college. She discovered that she enjoyed being around middle school-aged children and felt that she was able to connect with them.
“When I thought about going back to school, someone asked me, ‘What is it that you think you’d like to do for the rest of your life?’ Education just happened to be so convenient at the time because I was so influenced by the atmosphere (at BMS),” Jeffers said.
That atmosphere consisted of her BMS colleagues and their desire to see her succeed.
A show of support
When she made the decision to get a degree in education at UF, following the completion of completing the 12 credit hours she still needed to earn her AA degree, John Green, who was the BMS principal at the time told her he was there for her if she needed him, but he also stated the high expectations he had of her. Jeffers said he told her, “You do this school thing, you better finish. You better call me if you ever need help, but you better finish. You better walk across that stage. I want to see you successful. I want to see you finish school.”
Following through on that dream required making time for schoolwork when she wasn’t working at BMS or doing something for her son. She made sure Josiah would get his homework completed. Then it was time for Jeffers to do hers. Of course, that involved weekends as well.
“Saturdays were not normal. Saturdays were homework days and laundry days,” Jeffers said.
Rosson said, “She was juggling a lot as well as being a parent. She was dedicated the whole time. She was focused.”
Because of COVID-19, all of her UF classes were online, but that was a “huge blessing,” Jeffers said, as it allowed her to work her BMS schedule and gave her the time at home to be the parent she was determined to be.
Yet when Jeffers returned to school, she didn’t have a computer. She said she made trips to the Bradford County Public Library and even one of the libraries in Gainesville so she could use a computer.
“I saw her sneak up here at nights and on weekends to get her work done just to ensure she graduated on time,” Rosson said.
A group of BMS staff members bought Jeffers a laptop to help make it easier for her to reach that goal of graduation.
“I was so touched,” Jeffers said. “They didn’t have to do that.”
So many at BMS were willing to help in whatever way they could. Jeffers especially talked of the support she received from administration. She said Carla Dicks, a former assistant principal, helped her print items she needed for homework assignments as well as being that person who brought a sense of calm to moments of anxiety.
“I would go (into her office) just stressed out, saying, ‘Oh, my gosh. I don’t know how I’m going to get this done,’” Jeffers said. “She would sit there like, ‘OK. Let’s think about it.’”
Jeffers said she probably peeked her head into Rosson’s office “a million times a day.”
“I owe Bradford Middle School everything,” Jeffers said. “I don’t think I would’ve completed this if I did not work at Bradford Middle School. The love is there.”
Rosson said strong bonds exist between those who work at the school.
“We’re together more than we are at home (with our own families), really, during the day,” Rosson said. “Our students are our family. Our staff is our family. It is one community on this campus.”
Jeffers said, “We are a family. We care about each other. We love each other. We lean on each other.”
As you might imagine, Jeffers, who graduated from UF on Dec. 18, 2021, was thrilled when she had the opportunity to begin her teaching career at BMS.
“I practically shrieked,” Jeffers said, thinking back to when Rosson told her she was officially a BMS teacher.
Helping children
She may have graduated and is now teaching, but the support at BMS hasn’t ended. As Jeffers said of her fellow teachers, “They’re so open and welcoming to where I can ask questions. I can make a phone call or send email. It feels so good to be part of a good education system along with good educators.”
Her professional journey doesn’t have to end, either. Jeffers said the classroom may not be her final destination. She likes the idea of perhaps becoming a guidance counselor. She’d also like to do something for children outside of school, saying her dream is to start a nonprofit organization.
“My lifelong goal has been to have an organization to where I’m serving children in need, who need mentorship, who are in need of tutoring,” Jeffers said. “That way I can build up students to where they learn how to care about education, learn how to care about the things around them and be self-aware of the opportunities that are at hand.
“I think (teaching) is just the steppingstone so I can gain the experience.”
Whatever role she fills, her own life can serve as positive example to children. She returned to school while working and raising a child to earn her AA and bachelor’s degrees. Jeffers said she sometimes feels she’s just an “average Joe,” someone who simply took advantage of an opportunity. However, she does realize there was more to her journey toward than that. It takes a commitment and not letting obstacles put an end toward your goal.
“You can guarantee that we are going to face things that are going to be difficult,” Jeffers said. “We have the option to stop and give up, or we have the option to keep it moving and figure out a way to work through it.
“The best advice I can give is to not stop. If we stop, we don’t get anything accomplished. We have to work around roadblocks.”
By choosing to get past her roadblocks, Jeffers is now teaching. She may have left that front-desk receptionist job behind her, but what she found was that experience proved to be beneficial in her new role.
“Honestly, I think the transition from the front desk to the classroom made it a lot easier because I had already built relationships with parents and students,” Jeffers said. “When I came into the classroom, I already knew the faces, I knew the parents, and I already had a good feel for who they are as people. All I had to do was transition into teaching them something.”
Still, it is a learning process as a new teacher. Jeffers knows that, and she’s been up front with her students about that fact. She said she tells them all the time, “It’s not like I know everything. Some things we have to learn together, and I’m perfectly fine with that. As long as we’re learning and not stopping and giving up. That is the only thing I care about.”
“She’s doing a fantastic job,” Rosson said. “The students love and respect her.”
