School of Education

Michael Clark

Senior, Secondary Education

Being the One Who Makes a Difference

When Michael Clark reflects back on his own high school education in St. Louis, he can name teachers who helped him with math or who encouraged him to stay focused on academics, but he can’t say that any of them really prepared him for the challenges he would face in life.

“I don’t remember having teachers who prepared me for what the world is going to throw at you and what it takes to be successful at college,” he says, “I want to be the teacher who helps students prepare for college and for life.”

This insight for the difference a teacher can make in a person’s life may be attributed in part to the support network he’s found at the IU School of Education.

“Staff and faculty members like Mr. Ghangis Carter, Dr. Stephanie Power-Carter, and one of the sports administrators, Mattie White, have really taken me under their wing and have made sure that I’ve had plenty of opportunities to get involved on campus, to have a voice and make a difference. They’ve definitely been a big supporting cast.”

“I really love Indiana University. It’s a great institution. It has truly matured me, not just as an educator, but also as an adult. I’ve met some really good friends here too.”

In addition to preparing to be a high school social studies teacher, Michael has gotten involved with student organizations on campus, such as Impact, and even worked for a time as the manager for the IU Women’s Basketball team.

“I really love Indiana University. It’s a great institution. It has truly matured me, not just as an educator, but also as an adult. I’ve met some really good friends here too.”

Michael transferred to IU after attending a community college in St. Louis for one year. His father is a senior associate athletic director at IU, and, after hearing his father talk about what a great school it is, he decided to see for himself and applied.

“It’s really a great place,” he says. “IU prepares you for society. At IU you can be who you are and be confident in that. I feel like in elementary and secondary education there’s a lack of good teachers, a lack of male teachers, and a lack of African American male teachers. There’s a desperate need, and I want to do something significant by filling that need.”

While Michael understands the power of teachers to make a difference, he didn’t know how much they could do to affect a student’s ability to learn until he started studying education.

“I didn’t know there was such a strategic way to teach, and that there are avenues and ways to motivate students to want to learn,” he says. Learning how to teach has made him even more confident about his decision to pursue a career in education. He’s decided that he wants to work in the Indianapolis Public Schools, and he’s already thinking about how to make social issues relevant to students when he’s in the classroom.

“Students know more than what you think. They’re more aware of society than adults give them credit for. It’s important to approach them with respect as future citizens, as active citizens. It makes a difference in how they respond.”