Growing up in South Florida, Jhaneil Thompson remembers playing school with her four sisters as a youngster.
“They always chose me to be the teacher,” said Thompson, who was born in St. James, Jamaica. “I just began loving teaching from there, even if I had imaginary students.”
Jhaneil Thompson
After graduating from high school, Thompson enrolled in a community college and when it was time for her to continue her education at a four-year-institution, it was Florida A&M University (FAMU) that welcomed her right from the start, even before she officially enrolled in fall of 2019.
At FAMU, Thompson began taking education courses in her major.
"I remember clearly the day she first sat in my methods class as a transfer student. Even then, her passion for teaching and her dedication to her future students’ success was undeniable—she does not play about her scholars," said Dr. Cheron Hunter Davis, an associate professor of reading education at Florida A&M University. "I often joke that I’d love to take credit for her remarkable abilities, but the truth is, she came with that drive and commitment."
It was Davis who nominated Thompson for the Urban Educator of the Year award that was presented to her last week in Cancun, Mexico at the International Conference on Urban Education--the biennial convening organized by the Urban Education Collaborative at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
"She is an extraordinary teacher whose humility, intellect, and authenticity resonate with everyone she meets,” said Davis. "Jhaneil’s impact as a scholar and educator is profound, and I look forward to her continued impact on our beloved profession."
By the time 2021 rolled around and Thompson was ready to graduate FAMU, she had already secured her first teaching position at Crossroad Academy Charter School of Business in Gadsden County, Florida—where Blacks make up the majority of the surrounding population.
“I think the greatest part are the children and playing a key part in their development,” said Thompson, who is now a fifth-grade teacher at Pineview Elementary School in Tallahassee. “When they move on to the next level, they kind of treat you like a celebrity and they’re saying hi to you in the hallways and stopping you and that’s the greatest feeling.”
Thompson’s connection to the community where her school is headquartered, has also proven beneficial.
“As a Black woman, I love that so many of my kids look like me,” said Thompson, who adds that the parents, the school administrators and the other teachers have cultivated a family-like atmosphere at the school and have been a champion for her success.
At 25, Thompson is already making a difference.
Along with the award and public recognition, Thompson received an all-expense paid trip to Cancun to attend ICUE, where she had the opportunity to network and learn from other practitioners.
“It’s really phenomenal to be recognized amongst your peers who are doing the same work that you’re doing. It’s really inspiring,” she said, adding that she was “star struck” to hear from renowned scholars like Dr. Leslie Fenwick, dean emeriti of education at Howard University and other researchers—many of whom she’s read and studied during her years as a student.
Alongside teaching, Thompson is also working on her master’s degree in education policy at Florida State University and is scheduled to graduate next month. She has plans to go on to earn her doctoral degree.
She said that urban school districts and the students who are enrolled in the schools, need dedicated and committed students to help them to achieve their purpose and to realize their potential.
Her advice to aspiring teachers: “Be true to yourself and your moral values when you step inside a classroom," she said. "Stick to who you are, and the world will adjust.”
