DANVILLE — Many young teachers in Danville District 118 schools have found the perfect balance between their professional and personal lives because they’ve called Vermilion County home for much or all of their lives.

Some never wanted to leave, while others, such as East Park Elementary School fifth-grade teacher DeMarko Wright, never thought they’d return.

“I never thought I’d be back here after college, but here I am,” he said.

The 1993 Danville High School graduate attended the University of Tennessee and almost stayed to pursue a career in semi-professional basketball.

But ultimately, the call to duty back home won out.



Wright, also a city alderman, became interested in working with kids after doing community service work with his fraternity. He earned his teaching certificate and master’s degree through Eastern Illinois University’s cohort program.

Now in his third year of teaching, he knows he made the right choice.

Teaching in his hometown offers a lot of advantages. He knows the community and feels he communicates well with parents.

He’s also been able to serve as a mentor to students interested in teaching.

“A lot of high school kids come up to me and ask for guidance,” he said.

Wright also has served the district as a recruiter at job fairs. He said Danville needs to emphasize the strengths of the district and the town — competitive pay and benefits, as well as opportunities for career growth.

“They definitely have their work cut out for them,” he said of District 118 recruiting teachers to fill voids left by retiring teachers, especially for much-needed special education, math and science positions.

“Young people coming out of college are looking for someplace where they can grow and still feel at home.”

Wright knows young professionals want places to meet others like them. He hopes groups such as Vermilion Advantage’s Young Professionals Network can fill in the gap Danville sometimes leaves.

Though Danville is smaller, it’s ideally situated near many larger areas such as Champaign and Indianapolis, which also works to the town’s advantage, he said.

Career change

After working for the Sears portrait studio for 10 years, Title 1 Meade Park Elementary School kindergarten teacher Julie Turner was ready for a change.

Like Wright, she got her teaching degree from Eastern.

“It seemed like a natural transition for me,” she said.

Turner, 29, is a native of Bismarck. She was a student teacher, so she already knows the lay of her building.

“I haven’t had a hard time adjusting,” she said.

Turner initially interviewed in Westville, but she’s glad she ended up in Danville.

“I had forgotten how well I liked the kids. I really liked the teachers who were here,” she said.

Meade Park has among the highest concentration in the district of young teachers — but that’s to the school’s advantage, Turner said.

“It’s exciting. We bring in new ideas,” she said. “We get ideas from the veteran staff as well. I think it’s great.”

The high number of retirements in the next few years doesn’t bother her.

“I’m not worried,” she said. “I’m confident we’ll have the resources. Nothing is really lost. It’ll be exciting and new.”

She also likes Danville’s proximity to larger areas, while the city retains a small-town atmosphere.

“Danville is big enough but small enough to be comfortable. ... I feel safe here,” she said.

Camaraderie

Fourth-year third-grade teacher Kristin Smiley, 25, believes Meade Park is a great place to work.

“This school has a lot of camaraderie,” she said.

The helpfulness of the administration and the enthusiasm of younger teachers make everyone’s job easier, she said.

Fellow third-grade teacher Scott Warren, 29, is in his second year of teaching. The Danville native was a teaching assistant at South View Middle School before he went back to school at Eastern.

His inspiration to go into teaching began when he was in grade school and he had a male teacher for the first time.

Warren is one of only a handful of male teachers in the building. He knows he serves as a role model for many of his students.

Others might not see him any differently than their female teachers.

“It’s all in student perception,” he said.

But Smiley thinks Warren’s presence in the classroom is different, and students respond to him in different ways.

Warren feels being a good teacher is the most important part of his job — regardless of how his students see him.

“It’s important to be effective,” he said, especially when the district is on the verge of such change.

Meade Park’s situation — with more and more young teachers filling faculty rosters — signals what likely will happen all over the district between now and 2009, as more than 80 retire.

“You definitely notice the turnover,” he said.

Besides being able to ask more experienced teachers questions, Warren and Smiley serve as resources for each other.

“It’s nice for me to be with Scott,” Smiley said. “There’s a support system on both sides.”

Both are glad they can lean on each other as they share many of the same struggles.

“I’m really feeling like I’m giving it my all,” Smiley said, who still wonders if she’s doing every thing she can to prepare her students for their futures.

Home

Warren said some of his friends who’ve moved away ask him what he’s still doing in Danville. When he tells them he’s teaching, they always congratulate him.

“They’re more than proud,” he said. “They think it’s cool.”

Danville might not offer trendy nightspots and shopping centers, but it’s where he and his wife’s family are from.

His wife teaches at Cannon Elementary School.

“We feel blessed … to have positions in Danville,” he said.

Smiley lives in Hoopeston, and also likes the closeness of home.

Like so many others, both teachers want to make a difference in Danville.

“They’re here because they care about kids and the future of our town,” Warren said.

Coming up

Look for stories Monday and Tuesday about:

-- New teachers in the district from outside the area

-- How teachers and mentors work together

-- And how peer support can make all the difference