The Teacher Who Said, "I Think You Can Do This"

The Teacher Who Said, “I Think You Can Do This”

Every student deserves someone who sees potential before the student sees it themselves.

This summer, that student was my son Daniel, and that person was Dr. Kimberly Baxter, Head of School at C.H. Terrell Academy.

When Dr. Baxter recommended Daniel for the QISE Summer Academy, we were all a little apprehensive. Daniel asked the question most of us were thinking: What in the (world) is quantum?

Math and science have never come easily for him. Most of his educational experience has been Montessori, where learning is often rooted in curiosity, exploration, and mastery. Traditional academic settings, especially those tied to standardized education and testing, have sometimes been more challenging for him.

So this was a stretch.

But Dr. Baxter saw something in him. She believed he could do it. And sometimes, that is where growth begins.

Daniel stepped outside of his comfort zone and accepted the challenge.

The first week was an adjustment. He was in a new environment, surrounded by new students, learning new concepts in math, science, Python coding, and quantum computing. It was a lot. But after that first week, something shifted. He started to get into it.

He met new friends from completely different backgrounds. He began talking about what he was learning with more confidence. He learned the basics of Python coding and explored ideas that, just a few weeks earlier, felt completely foreign.

Then came the final presentation.

Now, anyone who knows Daniel knows he is pretty chill about most things. He does not usually stress about making a big impression. But this time was different. He was adamant about doing a good job. He wanted his presentation to be strong. He wanted to impress his instructors. He cared deeply about showing what he had learned.

That was new. And it was beautiful to watch.

By the end of the academy, Daniel left with a strong letter of recommendation for the college or colleges of his choosing. That is a tremendous gift, and I am grateful for it.

But what makes me proudest is not the letter.

It is the confidence.

It is watching a young man begin to see himself differently.

And there was another layer that made my soul happy. The programdirector and lead instructors were Black men. The students were mostly persons of color, but Daniel was the only Black male student in the academy. To see him in that space, learning from Black men in science and technology, and beginning to see himself as someone who could belong in that world - that mattered deeply.

Representation is not just a talking point. Sometimes it is the thing that helps a student imagine a future they had not considered before.

I am immensely grateful to Dr. Kimberly Baxter, the staff at C.H. Terrell Academy, and the QISE Summer Academy team for creating this opportunity and for seeing possibility in Daniel.

Programs like this do more than teach technical skills. They help students stretch, grow, and discover capacity they did not know they had.

Sometimes all it takes is one teacher willing to say, “I think you can do this.”

And sometimes, the student believes them.

Oh, another thing: During his presentation, he shared his future goals - to major in Kinesiology. One of the guests observers chimed in “I know a place where you can get a scholarship… just saying,” and he happened to be a professor of Kinesiology at Augusta University. How ‘bout that?!