Tales from the Tutors: Dionne

As an elementary student in the Little Rock School District, Dionne Jackson’s favorite place in the classroom was always the reading corner. She loved looking through the books and picking out what she wanted to read. Her second favorite place on campus was the school library, and to this day, libraries top the list of her favorite places to go.

“I have very fond memories of my elementary school experiences in Little Rock,” Dionne said. “I had great teachers who developed in me a love for reading, and I appreciated that.”

In addition to loving reading, Dionne also enjoyed playing school. She made worksheets for her siblings, graded them and gave her “students” feedback. She continued playing school through early middle school when she would help younger siblings with their schoolwork.

She also looked forward to the third Sunday of every month, when the youth at her church (Saint Mark Baptist) got to teach Sunday School. She taught the adult women’s class and thought it was fun developing the lesson plan each month. Later in middle school and high school, she started tutoring through an after-school program.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year of college at Hendrix, though, that she realized that she belonged in the education field and changed her emphasis as a Biology major from pre-med to teacher licensure.  She worried about what her mother would say when she told her about the change, but her mom was not surprised at all.

“She had always known that I was an educator, and she was just waiting for me to discover it,” Dionne said.

“I have very fond memories of my elementary school experiences in Little Rock,” Dionne said. “I had great teachers who developed in me a love for reading, and I appreciated that.”

In addition to loving reading, Dionne also enjoyed playing school. She made worksheets for her siblings, graded them and gave her “students” feedback. She continued playing school through early middle school when she would help younger siblings with their schoolwork.

She also looked forward to the third Sunday of every month, when the youth at her church (Saint Mark Baptist) got to teach Sunday School. She taught the adult women’s class and thought it was fun developing the lesson plan each month. Later in middle school and high school, she started tutoring through an after-school program.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year of college at Hendrix, though, that she realized that she belonged in the education field and changed her emphasis as a Biology major from pre-med to teacher licensure. She worried about what her mother would say when she told her about the change, but her mom was not surprised at all.

“She had always known that I was an educator, and she was just waiting for me to discover it,” Dionne said.

She started her career as a seventh-grade science teacher and made the move to higher education after earning her master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a Doctor of Education from Baylor University. Most recently, she served as an associate professor of education and vice president for diversity and inclusion at Hendrix College.

One of the most rewarding aspects of a career in education has been seeing her students grow and go on to make a positive difference in the community and around the world.

“There’s nothing like seeing my former seventh-grade students who are now leaders in the community, working jobs, graduating from institutions, starting social movements – even my graduates from Hendrix College who are all over the world doing great things,” Dionne said. “For an educator, your mark is left by the seeds you planted in them when you were responsible for them.”

As much as she has loved watching those seeds grow, and also loved serving as chief diversity officer at Hendrix, the commute from Little Rock to Conway took its toll, and Dionne decided to look for work in her home city.

“This is where we have committed to raising our family and living,” she said. “I wanted to give back to the city that has given so much to me.”

Dionne had first heard about AR Kids Read through her students, like Keianna Cunningham, a Hendrix alumnus serving as a VISTA for AR Kids Read, who contacted her about recruiting more tutors for the program. She was inspired by the mission and vision of AR Kids Read and was excited about the opportunity to be in schools to work directly with the teachers and students.

“It was exciting to think about the fact that I could be at a nonprofit that is doing such great work promoting equity in education by focusing on the literacy of students who struggle with reading,” she said.

AR Kids Read’s executive search committee was excited about Dionne’s extensive experience in education and her vision and passion for improving opportunities for students in Arkansas.

“We had more than 100 applicants and a strong field of candidates who were interested in furthering the mission of AR Kids Read, but Dionne stood out above the rest,” Keith Riggs, the executive search committee’s chairman, said in a press release. “She is organized, direct and eager to make an impact on central Arkansas through reading. We are excited to work with Dionne and are certain that our supporters, tutors and partners schools will be thrilled with her leadership.”

Since accepting the position, Dionne has received a lot of support and encouragement from friends and acquaintances who are familiar with the AR Kids Read program. Through this, she has seen the impact that AR Kids Read has in the community, the positive relationships with tutors and the strong partnerships with schools and organizations.

One of the individuals close to Dionne who has been a supporter of AR Kids Read is Raymona Ellison, the children’s pastor at Saint Mark Baptist Church. Raymona has tutored for a total of six years with AR Kids Read and said she enjoys working one-on-one with inner city students and being able to have an impact on their reading level.

Raymona and Dionne went to Hall High School together, and they serve together at Saint Mark, where Dionne teaches children’s church for third graders. Being familiar with both Dionne and AR Kids Read, Raymona feels that this position is a perfect match-up.

“This is a perfect spot for her with her skill set, personality and ability to engage with littles,” Raymona said. “She has that heart and passion for kids and seeing them succeed.”

Dionne started with AR Kids Read on May 13, and she is looking forward to getting to know the stakeholders as the organization formulates its next five-year strategic plan. She plans for the organization to grow in some key strategic areas, like increasing our fundraising capacity and building more collaborations in order to have an impact on additional students.

“I truly believe our community has only seen a fraction of what we can do as an organization, not only for central Arkansas, but our entire state,” Dionne said. “I always want to see us grow in the way we impact students. We will never settle regarding the number of students we reach and communities we are able to impact.”