STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Alcorn Social Studies Teacher Dashia Wider Overcomes Homelessness and Personal Struggles to Achieve Her Dream

When Dashia Wider moved to Columbia from Georgia in July 2012, she came to the city with nothing but two bags of clothing, two pairs of shoes and hope.

She was homeless and had been sleeping out of her car for six months. One of her best friends found out about her situation and helped her move to Columbia.

“When I came here, I was at rock bottom. The only thing I could do was look up,” she said.

Fast forward to today, and Wider is in her second year teaching social studies at Alcorn Middle School. She says she wouldn’t be where she is now without the support of the staff members and administrators she’s met throughout her time in Richland One.

“I’ve met a lot of good-hearted people here that have motivated me and pushed me to where I’m at today,” said Wider. “I didn’t believe that I could do it because I went through a lot of stuff. When I started to believe in myself and have that support and encouragement, I started stepping forward and growing.”

Wider started her Richland One career in August 2012 as a substitute teacher at Southeast Middle School. The moment she says she realized that she belonged in Richland One came one month after she joined Southeast. Wider says the school’s administrative assistant saw her crying in the restroom one day and offered to help.

“There was a rainstorm that day, and I was crying because I was soaking wet. I was trying to dry myself off and dry my shoes off. The secretary [Delores Goodwin] came into the restroom, took her shoes off and put them on my feet,” she said.

“That moment changed my mind and I knew I was in the right place. Ever since the secretary put those shoes on my feet, I have not looked back. I’ve been stepping forward ever since.”

Among the other positions she’s held in Richland One before becoming a teacher, Wider was a clerical assistant in the guidance office at A.C. Flora High School for one year, an intake secretary at Richland One Adult Education for two years, and a paymaster and secretary at W.A. Perry Middle School for seven years.

Wider has a bachelor’s degree from Troy University in business administration and a master’s degree in human resources from Webster University. However, she says she always wanted to be a teacher and give back to students the same way her sixth-grade teacher did.

“My teacher encouraged and motivated me. She let me and my classmates know that whatever circumstance or situation we were in, we didn’t have to stay in that position. She said to know that, in our minds, we can go far,” said Wider.

Richland One’s Project R.I.S.E. (Recruiting, Inspiring, Supporting and Educating Prospective Teachers) program helps aspiring educators earn their teaching certification while allowing them to teach in the classroom. Wider joined the program in July 2023 and earned her teaching certification in January 2024.

“Project R.I.S.E. is a great program because you have a lot of people like me who were in classified positions and have degrees, but they don’t have the teaching hours and certification and they don’t have the income to go back to school,” she said.

Wider says she wanted to go into social studies because social studies teachers are great storytellers, which is how they get students motivated.

“A lot of students might think history is boring. I have to bring out a little excitement about history. The students enjoy it,” she said.

By the end of the school year, Wider says she wants her students to not just know the material she teaches, but also be able to understand and explain it.

“I want them to put on paper and explain what a feudal system or a monarchy is to me. When they’re able to explain things, I’ll know for a fact that my students are walking away learning something,” she said.

While she says she’s still getting used to teaching, Wider says she hopes to become a mentor for other teachers in the future. For now, she says she just wants to be a successful teacher.

Wider says those who may be in the same situation she was in should have hope and a strong support system.

“If you see where I’m at today, you can be there, too,” she said.

November 18-22, 2024 is American Education Week. For information about teaching opportunities in Richland One and to apply, click here.