Black educators series: admiring Aliceson Nobles
In honor of Black History Month, BluePrints is featuring Black educators in Clarke County School District in this series of brief stories. “Admiring Aliceson Nobles” is written from the perspective of Aiden Dowling, a former student of Nobles’.
Aliceson Nobles entered the Clarke County School District with the goal of making a positive impact on children in need. As my own third grade teacher, I can assure you she did just that.
Currently the principal of Barnett Shoals Elementary, Nobles graduated from the University of Georgia. She began her teaching career at BSES as a pre-K teacher for three years, later moving to third grade, where I was fortunate enough to experience her classroom.
“I’m from inner city Atlanta, so when I came to UGA, I came for diversity because everything growing up was all Black. I said, ‘Okay, let me go and choose a school that’s different from how I grew up,’ but I always planned to go back home,” Nobles said.
However, Nobles’ plans changed.
“After getting involved in the Athens community, I saw the same reason I was going back to Atlanta: to make a difference in the lives of those African American kids. There were kids in Athens that reminded me of home. I decided instead of going back to Atlanta, I can make that same difference here,” Nobles said.
When teaching African American history, Nobles finds it essential to provide beyond what is explained in textbooks. She believes it is crucial to give students relevant examples of African American figures.
“When we do our spotlights on notable Black people we don’t just do America, we do right here. Let’s start at home first,” Nobles said. “I think it’s time for us to take a look at where we start and end when we’re talking about Black history. Each grade level has those groups of famous Americans they study, and I think we need more representation when it comes to the African American part of that history.”
When I reminisce on my third grade year with Ms. Nobles, her “We are the Best” poem always pops up into my head. Our class would recite this poem led by Nobles frequently, setting an optimistic mood for the week. This poem came from a prominent African American figure in Nobles’ life. On the wall of Nobles’ office is a framed photo of her and Dr. Josephine Jackson, her elementary school principal and author of the poem.
“She was the reason I wanted to get into education. She was that difference for us. I wanted to emulate that and be a difference for others,” Nobles said.
Below is a variation of the “We are the Best” poem recited by Nobles daily when she was a child in elementary school, written by Dr. Jackson.
WE ARE THE BEST
We are the BEST!
We don’t BELIEVE in being like all of the rest.
Because in Mrs. Nobles’ class
We know that we are the BEST!
When we get tired and we want to stop,
we keep going until we reach the top!
We believe in ourselves and don’t hesitate
to let others know that we are GREAT!
We expand our minds and continue to GROW
because we will always be the STAR of the SHOW!
We strive to achieve excellence in all that we do
because there is no limit to what we CAN do!
We shall THINK before we ACT,
WORK before we REST,
and let the WORLD know that
WE ARE THE BEST!
