When Ivonne Moton walks away from a 25-year teaching career in 2017, she hopes to leave a legacy that her students would remember and cherish for the rest of their lives.
The Germany native has been indefatigable in her devotion to her job, arriving early to school and staying until 8 p.m. each day to make sure her students are meticulously prepared to take standardized tests and college entrance exams, as well as earn good marks on their report cards.
But the best part of her job is deterring students from a life of crime by underscoring education is the best option to staying alive.
“If they are not educated enough, their options are the streets and jail, which can lead to death,” said Moton, who teaches Intense Reading for students taking the FCAT and ACT and runs the technology program at American High School.
Moton can add a top honor to her legacy, as she was named American High's Teacher of the Year for 2015-2016, and became the third member of her family of educators to win the accolade.
Her mother, Norma Vance, and sister, Glinda Moton, won Teacher of the Year honors for their respective schools.
She was American’s co-Teacher of the Year several years ago.
“I felt all that I accomplished in the school system and to be recognized for it, I was surprised and honored,” she said, while sitting at her desk in her classroom. “But I teach, not for the paycheck, but from the heart. My reward is how kids succeed and that’s teaching and working at 100 percent. When a student scores a 34 on the ACT, that’s my reward because when we retire, these kids are running the world.”
Moton said students’ success on exams lies in the hands of their teachers.
“Children love to be disciplined,” she said. “I teach my students to analyze each paragraph if they feel the tests are difficult. The key is how you teach them.”
American’s NAF, Be Future Ready program, has become a successful model for other Miami-Dade schools, Moton said.
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career and future ready.
Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho recently recognized Moton and the NAF program at American during a School Board meeting.
NAF’s educational design ignited students’ passion for learning and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment to include STEM infused industry-specific curricula and work-based learning experiences, including student internships.
Moton said she prepares her students for internship jobs by first disciplining them, then teaching them to respect their older peers, speak articulate and dress well for job interviews.
“I don’t allow them to chew bubble gum in class because it doesn’t look good for them to pop gum and blow a bubble on the job,” she said. “I teach them to say ‘no sir, and yes sir’ as a sign of respect for their bosses. And not to wear mini skirts but a shirt and a tie.”
Moton said both teachers and parents must play vital roles in students’ lives to help them become leaders and role models for their younger peers.
“I like to be the mediator between the children and their parents, and we teach them the word teamwork,” she said. “If there is a problem in school or on the job, we encourage them to work it out and don’t let it get out of hand.”
Moton said most of her students heeded her advice and they went on to successful careers.
“Some of my students are pharmacists, bailiffs, legal clerks, police and correctional officers,” she said. “I see them in Publix and they say ‘remember me, Ms. Moton? Look where I am today thanks to you.’ That’s the legacy you want to leave with them. I want to take them from A to Z and beyond.”
Moton was born in Germany, where her father was stationed in the military, and her family moved to Ohio when she was five-years-old before relocating to Miami.
She graduated from North Miami High and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Leadership from St. Thomas University and Master’s Degree from Southeastern Nova University.
Before pursuing a teaching career, she followed in her father’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Army, and she was honorably discharged from the military.
She taught at Edison, Norland, Lake Stevens Middle before she landed at American High in 2000.
Moton said she wishes technical courses can be part of the curriculum for all high schools to help kids who may not be college material.
“There should be other avenues they can take if they don’t want to go to college,” she said. “The school system should bring that back because you don’t want to leave them behind. Let kids know there’s hope.”
Moton has to retire based on the Teacher’s Retirement System pension program, but she would love to be a substitute teacher, while also running her Children Please Read Program.
“I am going to miss touching students’ lives,” she said. “I will always wonder how they are doing now that I am not here. I wish there were more teachers like me.”