GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — She thought it was just their typical Monday morning assembly. Really, 13 ON YOUR SIDE was there to surprise her as our next Teacher of the Week—and she could not hold back the tears.
Chamonique Griffith talked about some of the first signs that it wasn’t a normal day at school.
“Usually, we do our Monday morning meetings, and they were like, ‘hey,’ they were like, ‘yeah, make sure you put your makeup on today,’ and I was like, ‘it’s Monday,’” she said. “When I saw the news station, I was like, okay.”
In the gym packed with students, Griffith eventually learned she was being set up, and for good reason.
“I was kind of shocked and surprised but thankful. I think sometimes when you do this for so long – I’m going to get teary-eyed – it’s the small ‘thank yous’ that mean the most.”
Denishea Neal is the principal at Gerald R. Ford Academic Center. She told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, “I knew that she would be excited. I didn’t know that she would be so emotional, but it was awesome to see because it just truly shows where her heart is.”
“I often say I wonder do my kids remember me in their educational journey because they’re so young,” said Griffith.
She didn’t always live in West Michigan.
She explained, “I came here. I went to Grand Valley. I’m an alum and stayed. My mom always says, ‘I told you to go get an education. I didn’t tell you to stay.’”
She also didn’t always know that teaching was her calling.
“Funny story: When I first started college, I thought I was going to be a child psychologist and I went to my first child psychology class and I said, ‘oh, well let’s leave here and go to the student center and see what else we can do with children,'” said Griffith, laughing.
“She’s just an awesome teacher,” said Principal Neal. “Her heart is with the kids, and she works super hard. So, I think having that recognized by someone in the community was just overwhelming for her.”
“I feel called to do and love doing what I do, being able to pour into children. I pour into them like I would’ve wanted somebody to do to me,” said Griffith, full of emotion. “The kids that I have are the ones that I’m supposed to have.”
Gerald R. Ford is a themed school part of Grand Rapids Public Schools with a focus on academics.
“She’s known these kids for so long. She’s been here since the start of this program. So, she’s really helped build it. So, she knows our families, our community,” said Neal.
The recognition bringing on a wave of emotions.
“Because sometimes this can be a hard job – calling, not a job, and sometimes you just do and do and do and you – not that you do things for accolades, but I just feel like, me?” Tearfully, Griffith added, “It’s just very touching that I feel like somebody saw me. So, it’s very moving.”
“Even a smile, a wave, a card, something like this is awesome to let teachers know that what they dedicated their lives to do is super, super important because they are changing lives every single day and making a difference in our world,” said Neal.
“You never know how far your kindness will touch somebody. Just a ‘thank you’ sometimes. It’s meaningful to know that you are seen,” said Griffith.
If you have someone you’d like to nominate as our next Teacher of the Week, just text the word “teacher” to 616-559-1310.