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#WhyIChoseEducation: ‘If I Can at Least Reach One of These Kids, Then It’ll Have a Domino Effect,’ Says Oneisha Leonard-Henry ’23MAT

A photo of Oneisha Leonard-Henry with the quote: If I Can at Least Reach One of These Kids, Then It'll Have a Domino Effect

Whether it was her mom, a nurse, flipping through the pages of a novel at the end of a long day, or her grandmother, a pastor, hosting Bible studies and book clubs, Oneisha Leonard-Henry ’23MAT remembers growing up surrounded by family members who loved to read. 

“My mother would take us to the library,” said Leonard-Henry, an English language arts teacher at Neal Magnet Middle School in Durham. “Her biggest thing was she always wanted us to learn more, read more, just gain some type of knowledge.”

At school, Leonard-Henry only grew as a reader, falling in love with the genres of fantasy and mystery — her favorite author is Edgar Allen Poe — before going on to major in English at Winston-Salem State University. 

Leopard-Henry had initially planned to become a journalist, but graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging for her to find a job in that field. Instead, inspired by the experiences of her two younger brothers, who both have autism, she took a position as a teacher assistant at an alternative school in Granville County, where her principal soon convinced her to consider teaching full time.

“Within the first month, I was telling him, this is what I want to do,” Leonard-Henry said.

Her next step was to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching at the NC State College of Education, where she loved the opportunity to learn from experienced faculty and even attend her first-ever conference, held by the North Carolina English Teachers’ Association in Greensboro. 

Since joining Neal Magnet Middle, Leonard-Henry, who in March was named the school’s Beginning Teacher of the Year, has taken every opportunity to share her passion for literature with her seventh-grade students. 

When they studied Poe’s poems, for example, she showed them the photos she took on a visit to the author’s home, and when her class read The Hobbit, she made it more exciting for her students by employing visuals from the graphic novel and films while also creating a game that allowed each student to go on their very own hero’s journey. 

After finishing the book, some of her students asked if they could read The Lord of the Rings, too. While it wasn’t on the curriculum, Leonard-Henry made sure not to pass up the opportunity to introduce them to what could be their next favorite book. 

“We can’t read those in class, but I can take you to the library,” she said. 

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why I Chose Education:

I started with an alternative school because I have two younger brothers who are autistic, and I had always been a volunteer. I was always on the PTA. I thought, I’ve done this before; maybe I can do it on a bigger level. 

Then as a teacher, I had a class that, after one month, the students said, “You’re still here. We haven’t had a teacher that’s been here that long.” That’s what really hurt me because I had only been there four weeks. This is an actual problem. If I can at least help solve the problem, at least a little bit, if I can at least reach one of these kids, then it’ll have a domino effect.

How Education Shaped Me:

I had some of the best teachers growing up. They were always very involved in our lives. One teacher tutored me after school, and when I didn’t have transportation, because my mother worked, she would drive me home. She was like, “I don’t care how far you live from school. I’ll take you.” I always had a great education, and that’s also where my love for reading came from, because I had the best English teachers. 

What I Enjoyed Most About the NC State College of Education:

It is such a close-knit family. The classmates that I had in my first class, I still talk to. Everybody was very respectful with each other; everybody was very helpful.  Even outside of the classroom, I have been able to text a couple of people to be like, “Hey, I am working on this lesson plan, and I need some help.” Everyone is always just continuing to push each other and the professors were some of the best professors I’ve ever had.

What Others Should Know About the College of Education:

The College of Education will prepare you for what you need. Even though I graduated in 2023, I still keep up with my professors and my classmates. When I was having an issue with my Praxis, [Assistant Teaching Professor] Drinda Benge and [former Associate Professor] Candy Beal, even in her retirement, were there for me. That is the kind of love and kindness that you’re going to get from the College of Education because they’re going to give you the tools to succeed. 

The Last Thing That Inspired Me:

One of my first students I had coming into Durham, she’s going into ninth grade now, but she recently sent me a message during the summer, saying, “I really appreciate you and everything you’ve done because you really care about us, even though we are not your students anymore.”

I’m just a side character on my students’ mission, but the fact that I have some sort of influence, some helping hand in what they’re doing, that’s what really inspires me.