Congratulations to Mrs. Talicia Smith, the 2017-18 DBMS Teacher of the Year.

My teaching philosophy is that every child can learn, we must only figure out how to reach them. Everyone is gifted at something. As an educator, it is my job to try and find that gift and help the child to see it. Discovering our strengths gives us the courage and fortitude to strengthen our weakness. I try to help my students see that challenges and failures are all apart of process that leads to success. In the words of Albert Einstein “You never fail until you stop trying. I have had the privilege to work at DBMS for six years. My first year was spent volunteering at the school and I discovered that some of the greatest and most talented children in Cumberland County are right here in the Douglas Byrd Community. There is greatness here! As a community, we must continue to expose and push our youth toward excellence. We have to help them see past the immediate and help them build dreams for the future. We must remind them of the great possibilities that await and the decisions they must make in order to be successful. We must support, encourage, and challenge them to be the best versions of themselves.