COLUMBUS, Miss. (CMSD) – Davin Goulde knows his way around a school. He swept the floors, served food in the cafeteria, protected the hallways, and now he’s teaching lessons in the classroom.
“I know how important each role in the school is to the students. I build relationships easily. I learn about the needs each student has, situations they face, and kids that need a little love. Everything led me to this,” said Goulde.
Goulde has worked for the Columbus Municipal School District for ten years. He was a custodian for a semester, then moved to child nutrition for four years. He spent five years as a school safety officer with CMSD Police Department at Columbus Success Academy.
Now, he’s spending his first full week in the classroom as a teacher. His new assignment is teaching 9th-grade government and economics.
“So far, so good. It’s a transition going from an SSO to a teacher, but everyone has made me feel welcomed,” said Goulde.
Goulde is teaching in the same building he graduated from in the early 2000s. He walked in the door with a mentor. Goulde’s former 9th-grade government and economics teacher, Hattie Petty, was there to greet her former pupil with all the information and advice, such as classroom management, he would need to start his class.
Goulde has always wanted to work in a school.
“I always wanted to be a principal growing up as a child. That’s still my goal. My family and my parents pushed me to pursue my dreams. I had a picture of my late grandmother on my desk as motivation to keep going,” said Goulde.
He also credits his CMSD supervisors for pushing him to continue his academic and professional goals. While all were supportive of his dream to teach, Goulde says CMSD Police Department Chief Natashea Brown gave him the confidence to move forward.
“She really pushed and encouraged me. It was really encouraging having her support for me professionally and personally,” said Goulde.
Chief Brown was happy to provide the guidance.
“He spoke with great confidence about what he wanted to accomplish in his career, and he believed it would come to pass. I was so moved by his faith that at that moment I knew it was my job as a leader to help him get there.
It brings me great joy to see him live out his dream. He worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices to reach his goal of becoming a teacher,” said Brown.
Goulde graduated with his associate's degree during the pandemic and recently completed his bachelor's degree at Belhaven University. Next month he starts working on his master's degree at Belhaven University.
Yet, he still has more goals to reach for inside the classroom.
“I want kids to walk away with confidence. Some walk in not believing in themselves. I want them to be proud of their accomplishment of passing classes and going to the next grade and maybe even proving some people wrong along the way,” said Goulde.