Excellent Educators is a WAVY-TV 10 initiative to celebrate local teachers who have gone above and beyond for their students and communities during the last academic year. These Excellent Educators were nominated by their school divisions. Congratulations to these educators for all of their hard work and accomplishments!
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) – Inside Lindsay Middle School in Hampton, Natalie Clark is busy teaching 7th graders Language Arts.
“Teaching has been my passion since I was eight-years-old,” Clark said. “I’ve always wanted to teach.”
It’s obvious that passion has grown over the years, as well as her focus on really listening to the needs of her students — both in and out of the classroom.
“The first thing is I offer them a listening ear,” Clark said. “Kids need to be heard. A lot of the time, they feel unheard in life. So once I offer them that listening ear, I am able to build relationships with them, and those relationships go far, you know? In life, they come to me for a lot of things, not just language arts related, but just life related.”
Former student Jordyn Hargrove said she cherished her time spent with Clark both in and out of the classroom.
“She’s always there for her school, and she always has love for her students,” Hargrove said. “Even if you like, you know, mess up a little bit, she’s always there for her kids. I love her. She was always there for me when I needed her. I love her. She was always there for me when I needed her.”
“I appreciate her,” Clark said. “She’s my baby, actually. I love her. I really do.”
While Clark is always busy teaching in the classroom, her time out of the classroom is still hyper-focused on helping children and making their lives better.
“I’m one of the coordinators for the 21st Century program, which is an afterschool program that offers tutoring on every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” Clark said. “I’m also the house leader for the 7th grade team. I am an instructional leader for the Language Arts Department, and one of the things that I have created this year was I launched my ‘I Am More Than Cute Girls Conference Chat.’ We had about 42 girls attend on a Saturday, and we offered them workshops where they were able to pick four different workshops to help to build their self-esteem: things such as friendship, hair care, depression, relationships. We also had a brunch. So, we’re actually going to continue this movement. We’re going to have an event in the fall.”
WAVY.com asked Clark how she felt about being selected as one of our Excellent Educators.
“I’m blown away,” Clark said, “but I’m humble because I know what I do. I do it from the heart. I don’t do it to get accolades. I just do it because I care, and I love my kids. So, I appreciate that I have been recognized, but I just love what I do.
What the school division had to say about this Excellent Educator:
As an educator of 19 years, all at Lindsay Middle, Ms. Natalie Clark has been a pillar to the Lindsay community and an instrumental member of of the changing culture at Lindsay.
She is commended for being an instructional leader in the building as well as the school’s site coordinator for the 21st Century Program. As a 21st Century Program site coordinator she is responsible for implementing a full-scale after school, Saturday school, and/or summer school program for students over the course of a full school year and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of a 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) while adhering to federal and state regulations. Outstanding leadership skills and an analytical, detail-oriented mind are critical for success in this role. 21st CCLC programs are federally funded after-school programs that provide academic support, enrichment activities, and other services to students in low-income communities. The focus of the program is to assist students to improve in academics, attendance, behavior, promotion rates, and graduation rates.
In addition to her teaching and leadership responsibilities, Ms. Clark has organized an “I am More Than Cute” Brunch scheduled for Saturday, March 9. This event is designed for the young ladies of Lindsay to gather, share fellowship, and engage in discussions about their academic progress while focusing on emotional well-being and understanding their true beauty. Initially funding the event out of her own resources, Ms. Clark demonstrated exceptional dedication before the school provided financial support. Her proactive approach in recognizing and addressing the needs of her students exemplifies her commitment to going the extra mile as an educator. Ms. Clark is to be commended for her unwavering dedication to meeting the needs of her students.
