Full Circle Lessons: How One Citizen Schools Teacher’s Journey Inspires a New Generation
This Teacher Appreciation Month, we honor educators like Tara Hollins, whose journey from Citizen Schools AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow to classroom teacher embodies the power of giving back—and the impact of Citizen Schools.
Tara is a Middle School teacher at Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester, MA—the very school she attended as a child. It’s not her first time coming full circle: she also served as a Citizen Schools AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow at the Trotter School, another school she once called her own. “I love full circle types of things,” Tara says. “It feels nice to work in my community and to be an example of who you can become to my students.”
Through Citizen Schools’ Teaching Fellowship and TEACH Next Year programs, Tara discovered that her passion for helping others led straight to the classroom. “Citizen Schools helped me realize that I wanted to be a teacher by placing me in a classroom and allowing me hands-on experience to better understand what being an educator really entails, and what my students need to thrive.”
As she prepares to join Boston Green Academy this fall, Tara reflects on the lessons she continues to learn alongside her students: “Middle school students are trying to find out who they are and teaching middle schoolers has helped me learn a lot about myself as an educator. Together, my students and I are learning how we can give back to our community by being ourselves and understanding the value and talents we bring.”
By supporting Citizen Schools, you’re helping aspiring educators like Tara gain the tools, confidence, and community they need to make a lasting difference—in their students' lives and their own. Tara hopes to inspire new educators and those considering a career in teaching with this advice:
“Stay grounded in your core values and always come back to the ‘why’ behind your work. Every day, you have the chance to shape a student’s path. Think about how the lessons you teach can help students give back to their communities and how they can carry those lessons with them beyond the classroom.”
Tara shared that her experience with Citizen Schools also helped her build life-long friendships with other Fellows and that the lessons she learned continue to inform her work today. Finally Tara shares: "Thank you to Citizen Schools for offering such formative programs—not only for students, but also for young adults just beginning their journeys as educators and lifelong learners." Tara’s journey is truly a full circle story worth supporting and celebrating!
Your support makes stories like Tara’s possible. This Teacher Appreciation Month, invest in the next generation of educators and changemakers!