Inspire, Summer 2009

CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 13 Ryan started out instructing a first-grade class, then stayed with the same students through second and third grades. “Initially, I idealistically thought I would make a huge difference,” he said. “But not only did I have much to learn about teaching but also about working with kids in general. It took me a lot of time and conversations with the principal, other teachers, and my teacher’s assistant to learn the ropes.” What he may have lacked in experience Ryan made up for in enthusiasm to influence his students. And the best way to do that, he found, was to build relationships with them and their families. One example is Teron, a third-grade student with whom Ryan formed an immediate connection. During the next school year, Teron’s mom called Ryan, explaining that Teron was unmotivated and not doing well in his classes. Ryan decided to meet one-on-one with his former student. “It was encouraging to watch him finally start to make steady progress,” Ryan shared, “and to see his behavior toward school change dramatically.” Earning the respect of parents turned out to be one of the most difficult parts of beginning his teaching career. They put Ryan through the ringer and expected him to prove himself to them. They wanted to know he was serious about educating their kids. But Ryan was up for the challenge. Take Aleyah, for instance, a hardworking, attentive girl whose mom questioned Ryan’s ability to work with her daughter, especially in the area of reading. But by the end of the school year, they had developed a strong relationship as Aleyah was then reading at a middle school level. “Aleyah still calls me on all major holidays and before big tests,” Ryan said, “even to wish my mom a happy Mother’s Day.” Through the ups and downs of teaching, Ryan had “to realize that God was already there doing amazing things and He just asked me to be a part of it.” He also had to learn to be careful in the words he used and in how he behaved. “I definitely felt uncertain about coming into an all-black, inner- city school,” he said. “But I realized that if I work hard — 12-hour days plus Saturdays and summers — and want to provide the best instruction possible, then those barriers can be seen as superficial. You learn that people are people wherever you go. The parents here value their kids 100 percent … just like at any other school.” Looking Forward Through working at the Promise Academy, Ryan has not only grown as a teacher but has also seen the school develop into a thriving institution. Since the school was still forming when he came on board, he had a chance to be involved from the ground up. “We all had to hold together,” he said. “We didn’t always know what we were doing, but by making sure our decisions put children and families first, we can see that we are making a difference. Our kids are outperforming schools not only in our district but also at the state level.” His teaching experiences in Harlem have encouraged Ryan to pursue additional education. He eventually hopes to move into a school leadership role and perhaps earn a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership. But until then, he is happily embracing the process of changing lives — including his own. Sounds like the movie of his life is just getting started. Ryan ’00 and Jessica (Lutz) Sparzak ’00 live and work in Harlem, New York. Jessica works with the organization Hope for New York as a volunteer coordinator, and Ryan continues teaching at Promise Academy schools. To learn more about the Promise Academy and the Harlem Children’s Zone, visit www.hcz.org . You may contact him at ryansparzak@gmail.com . Sharyn Kopf enjoys her role as senior writer for the marketing department at Cedarville. She has worked previously as a newspaper reporter and spent more than seven years as an award-winning radio writer for Focus on the Family. You may contact her at skopf@cedarville.edu . Spending one-on-one time with his students enables Ryan Sparzak ’00 to build relationships that extend beyond the classroom. i