Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacie McClam.
Hi Stacie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a teacher turned filmmaker. I was born and raised in Los Angeles County and was bused to schools outside of my neighborhood from the age of six years old. Being bused to school left a lasting impression on me because I didn’t understand why I didn’t attend my neighborhood schools. I did not like waking up early even though I loved my elementary school that was about a 30-minute school bus ride away. My local elementary school was around the corner, an easy walking distance, but I did not attend. At an early age, I knew that schools were different.
My grandmother was a teacher in segregated Virginia. As a child, my mother spoke about how her family was respected in their small community for the simple fact that her mother was a teacher. Thus, I placed teachers on a pedestal and wanted to become a teacher because I valued their work in the community. In addition, my great aunt was a principal, and my aunt was an elementary school teacher. Education was always a priority in our family. Throughout my childhood, my education was deliberately planned and researched. Through my aunt’s suggestion about gifted schools, my parents found a reputable kindergarten and a top elementary school. I was in gifted programs throughout my K-12 educational career and often wondered why all students didn’t have access to quality curriculum and schools.
As a student, I observed many inequalities in the public school system when I reached middle and high school from tracking to curriculum that was not culturally relevant. Also I was discouraged by my high school counselor who left a voicemail message on my parent’s answering machine telling me not to apply to certain colleges and universities. As a teacher, I observed many inequalities from lack of school funding to teacher trauma. I taught elementary school for 10 years across the United States from Washington, D.C. to Denver to Los Angeles County. I also taught abroad in Japan and Kuwait. The school where I taught in Kuwait had a strong phonics curriculum, and the students excelled in reading even though English was not their first language. I often thought about why the United States reduced the necessity for phonics in the curriculum. Although it was rewarding to work with children and to impact learning, I felt unheard and powerless as a teacher in the United States.
People thought that I was a good teacher, but I felt like I could have been even more effective if certain systems were present. Even with well-intentioned school administrators, there were systemic issues that were outside of their control and prevented students and teachers from getting the help that they needed. In between my teaching career, I went to law school to learn how to advocate for education justice. After graduating, I returned to the classroom to work directly with students. I still felt ineffective because I could not address my needs or my students’ needs in the classroom. The issue stemmed from poor school culture, lack of resources, and systemic low expectations for some schools. Some students suffered from trauma. Many students were re-traumatized at school. There were not any mental health professionals to address the needs of the students or teachers. I needed help.
In 2018, I resigned from the teaching profession and wrote a book entitled School Dismissed: Walking Away from Teaching where I described why I left the teaching profession and the trauma that some students and teachers experience at school. Some aspects of teaching were frustrating. I suffered from secondary traumatic stress and was diagnosed with PTSD. After resigning, I surprisingly sought to expose education issues through film with the intent of education policy reform. I formed a production company called, School Dismissed, LLC and am now a filmmaker. I’m also a co-author in an anthology called Courageous Enough to Launch which is about women business owners who overcame their fears of starting a business. My chapter is entitled School Dismissed: Teacher to Filmmaker and describes my journey from teacher to filmmaker. My upcoming book is called School Dismissed: Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic which discusses some of the problems that existed in the educational system prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and solutions beyond the pandemic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Quite frankly, it’s been an extremely difficult transition! I guess it could be called unexpected growing pains. Change is hard. I resigned from teaching at 38 years old with three degrees so to start a brand new career takes time. I’m still in transition. There was a lot of self-doubt about what I was doing with my life. I felt confused and felt like I wasted time in a profession that I wasn’t happy with.
When I left the teaching profession in 2018, that was my second time leaving the profession. I returned to teaching after leaving the first time because I couldn’t find a job and needed work. I felt stuck because even though I no longer wanted to be in the classroom, I had trouble getting hired for jobs. I couldn’t get a job as an education consultant because I didn’t have educational leadership experience, and couldn’t become a school administrator because I hadn’t passed the administrative credential exam. In addition, I wasn’t successful getting a legal job because I hadn’t passed the bar exam and didn’t have legal experience because all of my experience was in teaching.
I questioned why I even went to graduate school! My mother always reassured me by stating that no education is a waste. Without a job, I was disappointed that employers didn’t value the skills that I acquired as a teacher and failed to see my skills as transferable to other professions. Finally, I obtained temporary jobs doing legal document review, loan processing, and substitute teaching. I do not believe that I would have enjoyed being an attorney, an education consultant, or a school administrator. I am at peace now using film to raise awareness about issues that occur in schools on a daily basis.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business, School Dismissed, LLC, is a film production company that inspires rage to change education on a systemic level. I intend to make documentary and narrative feature films about education issues. What sets me apart is that I bring a legal and education perspective to film. My goal is to use film as a form of advocacy for education justice. When I resigned from teaching, I hired a screenwriting coach to help me write a narrative feature script. After completing a rough draft of the script, I thought that it would be easier and cheaper to make a documentary as my first film instead of a narrative film. I was wrong. A documentary has not proven to be easier or cheaper.
In 2018, I was a guest on a show on Tribe Family Channel created by Beverly Black. I interviewed a mother named Kelley Williams-Bolar. Later, Kelley was a guest on my show, Teacher Talks, on Tribe Family Channel. Kelley’s story moved me as she was jailed for using her parent’s address to enroll her daughters into her parent’s school district after her home was burglarized. When I was in law school, I wrote an article in my law school newspaper about a mother in Denver with a school residency issue so this issue had already been important to me. I contacted Kelley in December 2019, and began production in January 2020 for my first feature documentary called, “Robbed: A Mother’s Peril – The Kelley Williams-Bolar Story.” Join our email list at www.RobbedTheDoc.com for exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and videos and our latest updates!
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My parents were always introducing me to different activities and experiences. My family would often go on fun road trips during the summer to other cities in the region. The weekends were dedicated to new adventures like going to the museum or seeing a performance. I attended a performing arts school on the weekends where I learned ballet, tap dancing, and piano. I played piano on a keyboard until my parents bought a piano. I have pleasant memories of my mom or dad taking me to gymnastics class on Saturday mornings when I was about 4 years old. My dad would take me to our local bookstore in the mall to buy a new chapter from The Babysitter’s Club series or other books that I enjoyed. I had a library in my room and loved reading as a child. I also enjoyed riding my bike in the neighborhood.
My favorite childhood memory was being with my family during the holiday season and eating my mom’s delicious food. She made homemade rolls and desserts from scratch. I especially enjoyed her chocolate cake and her scalloped potatoes with sour cream and cornflake topping. The house was always warm, smelled delightful, and my dad would play Christmas music on a record player that filled the house with joy. Each year I would snuggle on the couch and read the same big, red Christmas book with stories and poems for kids. These were fond memories during carefree times, and I will cherish them forever.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@schooldismissed.com
- Website: www.schooldismissed.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staciemcclam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staciemcclam
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/staciemcclam
- Other: www.robbedthedoc.com
Image Credits
Gianna Dorsey
