She jingles when she walks

In these columns I sometimes highlight the role a particular teacher has played in the life of a child. I always want to write about the merits of people who are like me – in the trenches of our local public schools battling against so many obstacles that have nothing at all to do with the subject we teach. It’s important that our community is offered just a glimpse of what the battlefield looks like.

But we aren’t the only ones fighting like warriors. Our students are, too. Some don’t make it. Others do. This is a story of a young girl who is going to make it — and make it big.

I’m going to call her Destiny, and I’m sure it will become obvious why.

As a freshman at Jordan High, she joined the ranks of our ROTC program as an eager cadet – eager to learn, eager to please, eager to grow as a human being. That’s just her nature.

The first time the new troop of cadets wore their dress uniforms to school, Destiny beamed with pride. She entered the hallways of Jordan with an identity she had never felt before – camaraderie. Destiny’s mother passed away when she was 3, leaving her in the hands of a father unequipped to raise a child. She was abused for three years, until the state finally brought her out of a terrible situation and placed her in foster care. There she stayed until the age of 8.

With the uniform on, Destiny found a place of belonging. She wrapped herself up in a purpose, a calling, and a sense of worth. She recognized the power of the uniform even as a 14-year-old freshman in high school.

This young ninth grader lined up for inspection shoulder to shoulder with many other ninth graders. But Destiny noticed something her classmates never could or would realize. She heard the sounds of promise through the jingle of the first female Command Sergeant Major of the school’s entire battalion. The short but dynamic commander’s presence entered the room before her feet crossed the threshold. Her accomplishments and rewards for her hard work and dedication hung on the jacket of her dress uniform. Medals proclaimed her merit both in sight and sound, and she jingled when she walked.

Destiny heard the proclamation and made one of her own: “I want one day to jingle when I walk.”

I’m a high school teacher. I don’t hear words of prophecy like Destiny’s very often. I hear things like, “I’m going to play in the NBA” from kids who don’t like to listen to their coach and hate practicing their free throws. I hear kids say, “I’m going to Harvard to become a lawyer” from students who have a 1.5 GPA. But every once in a while, there’s a spark — a kid gets it. The power of a truthful self-prophecy. The power of molding their destiny with the claiming authority of their words.

The stories are, unfortunately, endless about students who have to overcome adversity. Destiny’s story is different. Hers is about a young girl who grabbed her own destiny — who saw her own potential and spoke life into it.

She was plucked out of foster care by her great aunt at age 8, thank God. Destiny lives on “the wrong side of the tracks,” as most of us would label her address. She doesn’t have much, according to the world’s standards, but she does have a tremendous smile and giving spirit. She does have a work ethic second to none. She does have a potential unmatched by many of her peers.

Because, you see, Destiny worked hard not to be defined by her circumstances. Destiny worked hard to climb out of her desperate and horrific beginnings. She heard what hard work sounds like, and she resolved to pursue the sound.

So, she worked hard. She studied. She shot guns. She climbed ropes. She served. She marched. She about-faced her way to her senior year, and I can hear her coming to first period before she even arrives. Because now, Destiny’s uniform is decorated with medals proclaiming her merit both in sight and sound, and she jingles when she walks.

Destiny’s resolve inspires and uplifts me. Once she was motherless, abused and in foster care. Now she’s the second female Command Sergeant Major of Jordan High’s entire ROTC battalion with a full-ride ROTC scholarship to Columbus State University. She wants to teach high school social studies so she can help others jingle when they walk.

If more of our students could grab hold of the same warrior spirit Destiny has, wouldn’t our community thrive? Imagine.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "She jingles when she walks."