“GRPS Champions” is a web series published every Monday celebrating the incredible work of GRPS team members.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) -- For Carmen Dunbar, teaching is more than a profession - it’s a calling. Reflecting on her more than two decades of experience in education, Dunbar shared one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.
“There are so many things I enjoy about teaching. One of the most important is when I see a student who has struggled a bit finally ‘get it,’” she said. “The connections are finally connecting, and they are putting it all together to be successful. It’s like a lightbulb has turned on in their brain. You know, when you turn on a light in a dark room and you can see exactly where everything is without bumping into everything. A scholar’s mind has just been unlocked to doing so much more and building upon that. It makes me so proud to see.”
Dunbar’s journey with Grand Rapids Public Schools began in 2001 when she relocated after getting married. Her passion for teaching led her to GRPS, where she felt her skills could make the greatest impact. Today, she serves as a third-grade teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy.
“I always knew that my skills would be best used in the inner-city schools,” Dunbar explained. “I have a passion for teaching. I’ve been equipped to do it and have been doing so for 26 years!”
Dunbar recognizes the significance of her role as a mentor and role model.
“I believe I am showing my students of color and others who I come in contact with that there is nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it,” she explained. “When I’m hard on my scholars, I tell them I’m giving them that ‘tough love.’ One of my first graders said, ‘What is that?’ I said, ‘It’s when I love you enough to want to see you do better when I see you doing wrong. I’m a little harder on you because I only want the best for you, and I want you to take responsibility for your actions.’”
Through her dedication, Dunbar has not only taught scholars how to read, write, and solve problems - she has also instilled in them a belief in their own potential. Her work exemplifies the transformative power of education, and her story serves as an inspiration to students, colleagues, and the entire GRPS community.
