Congratulations to Dr. Schnavia DeGourville, the JCPS Certified Employee of the Month!
Dr. DeGourville has been an educator for 16 years across North Carolina and has been with Johnston County Public Schools since 2022. She currently teaches 8th-grade science at Innovation Academy at South Campus.
She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's in instructional design, and a doctorate in educational leadership.
When she isn't teaching, Dr. DeGourville enjoys spending time with her three beautiful children and being the best mother that she can be.
Learn more about Dr. DeGourville's passion for making a difference in the lives of her students in her Spotlight Q&A.
What inspired you to pursue a career in teaching?
I actually wanted to pursue a career in engineering. I was on campus at North Carolina A&T for orientation and was asked by the dean of the School of Education to come and join a group for a meeting.
After the presentation, it was clear to me that I wanted a career in which I could not only make a difference, but also one where every day would be fun and engaging, but also different.
What lessons has the profession taught you about education, students, and yourself?
The education profession has taught me that meaningful learning happens when students feel supported, challenged, and seen as individuals.
A teacher can teach content all day, but effective education goes deeper than delivering content; it involves creating a classroom environment where students can feel confident and safe.
As an educator, building strong relationships with your students is paramount. What approaches do you use to create trust and bond with them?
As an educator, to create trust and to bond with my students, I show them that I care about them as individuals. My classroom is a place where students can be themselves without judgment. This is a place where they can express themselves openly as long as it is with kindness.
Describe a memorable teaching experience that had a lasting impact on you. What made it special, and what did you learn from it?
The most memorable teaching experience that had a lasting impact on me was teaching a student how to read. At the time, I was teaching 4th grade.
The student struggled with basic sight words, and his confidence when it came to reading was extremely low, to the point where he would put himself down and give up before he even began.
By the end of the school year, he was reading on a second-grade level and was proud to read to anyone who came into the classroom.
He went from saying, “I can’t read,” to “Let me read to you.” While he was learning from me, what I learned from him was that words have power. The things that we tell ourselves can hinder or contribute to our success.
Looking ahead in your career as an educator, what goals would you like to accomplish in the field of education?
Looking ahead in my career as an educator, I would like to write a book that provides a comprehensive look into special education.
For me, as an educator with minimal background knowledge in special education and also having a child that I like to call my neuro-ninja, having the knowledge and being able to convey it to others will be impactful both in the classroom and as a parent.
Also, I ultimately want to work as an administrator in a school that is child-centered, a place where the focus is on the whole child and not just their academic development.
This year’s theme is Forward, with a focus on our North Star - Student Achievement and Academic Growth. How do you plan to carry this theme into your classroom and continue building on your award-winning strategies?
With this year’s theme being Forward, I will continue to push my students to become their best selves. I plan to continue providing them moments where they can celebrate themselves and each other, even in their toughest moments.