PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (October 5, 2021) – In recognition of World Teachers’ Day on October 5, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) celebrates the career and accomplishments of graduate degree alumna Sebrina Shields-Taylor ‘01, whose more than 25 years of experience has earned her recognition as a stellar student advocate.
Sebrina Shields-Taylor ‘01
“The most meaningful thing in my career has been to see the fruit of my labor through my students,” said Taylor, the lead counselor at Steve Mead Middle School in Aldine ISD. “I have mentored, counseled, and advised so many wonderful students who have gone on to become educators, engineers, actors, doctors, lawyers, nurses, and college professors, just to name a few. So many of these students were first-generation college students who didn’t believe that college was even a viable option for them.”
Taylor, who received a Master of Arts in counseling from PVAMU in 2001, taught science for more than two decades at the middle school and high school levels before pursuing a degree in counseling. Yet, throughout her career, her focus has always been on student development and success.
“I always tell my students at the end of the school year that their only job is to make their mark on this world and to always leave a place better than how they found it,” she said. “So, that’s why I do it. I want to leave my mark on my students and to make them better and equipped for life.”
World Teachers’ Day calls for recovery efforts
First held in 1994, World Teachers’ Day is celebrated annually to honor educators all over the world. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which organizes the annual commemoration and its activities, issued a statement on its website proclaiming World Teacher’s Day as not only as a celebration of every teacher but as a call “on countries to invest in them and prioritize them in global education recovery efforts so that every learner has access to a qualified and supported teacher.”
Centered on the theme “Teachers at the heart of education recovery,” the 2021 World Teachers’ Day events “will focus on the support teachers need to fully contribute to the recovery process” as countries across the globe begin to approach the two-year mark of the pandemic.
As an educator and counselor, Taylor has seen firsthand the impact of the pandemic on her school, its students, as well as the faculty and staff.
In 2018, Taylor says she was asked by the principal at Grantham Academy, where she was counseling, to assist with opening a new middle school, which would combine student populations from two rival schools.
Despite the struggles of the first year, which included learning how to establish a culture among students from two different schools, Taylor and her colleagues never envisioned the challenges they would face after media reports of a novel virus began to dominate the news.
“Just as we thought we were about to turn the corner and have everyone on one page, the pandemic hit,” she said. “So as we say in Aldine, we had to pivot and find new ways to not only teach our kids, but just simply reach our students. And not just our students, but also our staff. As a counselor, you’re always in the middle, and if no one else can get it done, we will get it done.
Taylor says she and her team hit the streets running. “We made countless home visits. We had Zoom and Google conferences. We did whatever it took to stay in touch with our students and staff to let them know that we cared and were there for them. I did it because that’s what we are all called to do.”
Michael McFrazier, Ph.D., dean of Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at PVAMU, commends Taylor for her tenacity and driven spirit, especially during the challenges posed by the health crisis.
“She is an exceptional educational leader who helped facilitate opening Mead Middle School in the midst of the pandemic,” McFrazier said. “Middle school is a critical development stage for preadolescents, and Ms. Taylor has impacted the lives of countless students as a middle school counselor.”
As a testament to the kudos received from McFrazier, Taylor echoes the importance of middle school development on young, impressionable minds who look to role models wherever one can be found.
“Counselors are teachers too,” she said. “We are very critical, especially at the middle school age. It is here where we prepare them for high school, a career, or college. We help students develop the skills they need both academically, socially, and behaviorally. We also assist with multiple concerns that students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the school community may have. As a school counselor, you are on 24/7.”
PVAMU all the way
For Taylor, choosing PVAMU as her graduate school of choice was a no-brainer after receiving her Bachelor of Science in biology from Texas Southern University.
“I am a true fan of all HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities],” she said. “When I knew I wanted to pursue a counseling degree, PV was my number one choice. One, because of the proximity to Houston—the satellite campus—and because it was an HBCU with a proud tradition of excellence. I had some excellent professors in grad school, and I was well-prepared to take my counselor certification exam.
Taylor’s advice to students is simple: “There are so many opportunities out in the world today. Prepare yourself and take advantage of those opportunities. Education is definitely the key to success. If you can dream it, you can do it. Your job is to go out into the world and make your mark!
Thank you, PVAMU, for giving me this opportunity to share my story. PVVVVVV…you know!”
On October 5, 30 iconic buildings and landmarks at the 11 universities in the Texas A&M University System, including PVAMU, will light up blue in recognition of World Teachers’ Day. The buildings to be illuminated in blue at PVAMU include the Wilhelmina R.F. Delco Building and John B. Coleman Library. The Delco Building is home to the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education.
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