Monica Cheney Bergeron

I attribute my success to the way I was raised. My mother and my grandmother inspired me a whole lot. My mother is a hardworking woman and a pastor who was so heavy on education - she would always call me to the table during summers and set out work for me to do, even when school was over. She taught me at a very young age, at age 10, how to actually balance a checkbook and manage finances. My mom was one of the top auditors for the state of Georgia, so that finance background really shaped me. But I cannot leave out my grandmother, Marian Womble, who taught me perseverance - to persevere through it all and not let obstacles keep me stuck with my back against the wall. She taught me, most of all, to love unconditionally, just like Christ loved us, and to give everyone opportunities and chances because God created everyone. I also have two fathers - my biological father and my stepfather who has been in my life since I was 5 years old, and I'm about to be 45, so he's been in my life for 40 years. He treats me just like I'm his own. Both of my fathers have played a great part in my life, teaching me and showing me that I am gifted and just encouraging me. I have a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who have always backed me along the way and continue to encourage me. That keeps me going and helps me continue pouring into these children. Having your family to back you is everything.

I would tell them, most of all, be confident of what you can bring. Do not doubt, because the very thing that you are doubting may be the very thing a person may need. And of course, I must be honest, I'm a Christian school, so I would say keep God first, and if you keep God first, then everything will work out for your good. I teach that here for the kids as well. You can do anything that may seem impossible in your mind, because you have so much faith that God will help you.

In the next 5 years, I would love to see the literacy rate really rise compared to what it is today. I want to see kids more involved, see more parents involved, and see the community involved even more when it comes down to kids' education. It's so important that the people in leadership, especially those on the state boards in education, understand what really happens in the classroom. They need to be able to have a hands-on experience, maybe even have a day or two where they come in to teach, to see how important this field is. The problem is that once you're just pushing a kid along, they're going to miss out on a lot of opportunities when it comes down to their academics. That school year has been shortened to where they were not able to process what they needed. We have this policy in America that says no child left behind, but we have a lot of our kids that are being left behind. My thing is to get busy and make sure these kids are on grade level. It may take more time, maybe a year to get them where they need to be, but the thing is to make sure that they are solid and grounded academically. As an educator, it's not respected in so many aspects, but I always tell everyone, before you have become what you have become in life, you had to go through a teacher.

My number one value, I must say, is God. I'm a Christian person, and God is my everything. I have leaned on Him for everything. I have trusted Him for everything. I make sure I pray and talk to him daily, because I cannot do any of this on my own. I run this small academy of almost 30 kids, and I also tutor kids as well. I must say that of course God, of course love, and just embracing everyone - not just having a pick of different people. My school is culturally diverse, so with that being said, I don't look at us as all different. I look at us as one. We are one being. Love is everything. Love has no color.