Reviewed by: Callie Morrison
Why seasoned + new teachers love teaching at i3 Academy
Reading time: 6 minutes
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Every teacher goes into the profession because they want to make a difference in a child’s life. According to three teachers we spoke with, i3 Academy in Birmingham has created a culture where that dream is possible every day. Plus, they’re hiring, including an immediate opening for a 5th grade teacher. Keep reading for all the details.
What is i3 Academy?
i3 Academy Elementary (L); i3 Middle (top R); i3 High at Jeff State (bottom R) (i3 Academy + Jacob Blankenship / Bham Now)
i3 Academy is a network of three tuition-free public charter schools that will serve K-9th graders beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Learn more about i3 in this story about why parents love it.
Want to work at i3? Check for current openings now, sign up for a Jan. 30 Recruitment Fair + check back in the new year for more.
Meet the teachers
(L-R) Kenneth Williams, Julie Ramsay, Antonio Shackelford (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)
- Kenneth Williams is in his 25th year of teaching and his second year at i3 Middle, where he teaches Earth and Space Science and was recently chosen as Teacher of the Year.
- Julie Ramsay is a National Board Certified Teacher who has spent her entire 29-year career in middle school. She’s taught 6th grade English Language Arts at i3 Middle since it opened in 2021.
- Antonio Shackelford is in his fourth year of teaching and has always taught first grade at i3 Elementary.
Bham Now: What does the term “i3 family” mean to you?
Williams: “What that means to me is working together. It’s not just about a student, or just about a teacher—it’s about everybody. I didn’t know what that looked like until i3.”
Ramsay: “This is the first place I’ve felt that the people I work with are truly interested in you as a person beyond the classroom. That’s part of what’s different about i3—it’s very much about the whole person—not just academics for the students, and not just instruction for the teachers.”
Shackelford: “I think of the love and care for one another, the support and the collaboration. We have people with several years of experience and some who are fresh with new ideas. Most importantly, the administration welcomes innovation.”
Bham Now: How do you collaborate to provide outstanding experiences for all i3 students?
Williams: “The administration is always there within minutes when I need something. We have so many people being brought in to collaborate with us, like the Teach Like a Champion program that I’m part of that helps us become better teachers.”
Ramsay: “Collaboration is our superpower, and it’s crucial to our success. The students get more out of it when they can see how all the learning is interconnected, and then connected beyond the classroom walls.”
Shackelford: “I’m a member of our leadership committee, which includes representatives from different grade levels, the administration and support staff. We come together to talk about things that are good, things that could improve and potential solutions.”
Bham Now: What specific freedoms do you have in a charter school?
Williams: “The freedom to think outside the box.”
Ramsay: “Teachers have autonomy over how we teach. Dr. Maddox says ‘You’re the expert in the classroom, not me. You know those students better than I do. You do what’s best for them.’ If that means creating an accelerated class, book clubs or a 40-book challenge, it’s fine, because she knows it’s tied to academics. You don’t have that at other schools.”
Shackelford: “We have the freedom to use technology and to understand how things should be taught through the relationships we build with the kids.”
Bham Now: What makes you excited to get up and go to work each day?
Williams: “I was a poor student and not considered proficient. Now I get an opportunity to help identify students who may have been in the same role as me, and also push the students who are beyond that—to collaborate with them and let them teach me because, as I tell them, I did not write the Internet.”
Ramsay: “My students, 100%. I love my colleagues, school, our mission and the autonomy, but I get up to see my students every day because I have a plan. I’m going to reach the kid I didn’t reach yesterday. I try to teach the way I wish I had been taught. If I’m not having fun, they’re not going to have fun, right? It’s just that easy.”
Shackelford: “My passion for kids. I was a youth director and am now the youth minister/associate pastor at my church, which I’ve been doing for over 20 years. When I went into education, the 20+ wonderful kids I work with each day are what gets me going.”
BONUS: i3 High at Jeff State opens for rising 9th graders in fall 2024
If you’re looking for an innovative high school environment for your rising 9th grader, you need to check out the new i3 High at Jeff State. Lottery applications close on January 15, and there’s a preview party on January 17.
i3 is hiring, including for the new i3 High at Jeff State. Check out open jobs today—and check back in January for more, sign up for the Recruitment Fair or follow i3 Academy on social: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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