Meet Jason Terrell | Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Terrell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I spent my childhood in South West Atlanta, off of Campbellton Road. My parents were pushed into parenthood in high school, so a village of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and community members raised me and contributed to my growth and values.

Growing up, I have always believed in the importance of innovation and creating something tangible out of the intangible. I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My father has his own business, my grandfather pastored a church, and my aunts and cousins constantly innovate with various side-hustles. I pulled two valuable lessons from my childhood:
If you do not see an opportunity, create your own
My superpower is to be a capital connector

I have a natural ability to be innovative and resourceful. Growing up, I was the middle school kid who sold candy out of my locker, and I had a lawn care service (Clean Cuts & Cars) at 13.

I have used this gift to innovate and connect with others to help my community access all types of resources (social, financial, cultural, etc.). I began my career as a middle school teacher, where I connected my students to cultural and intellectual capital to navigate the world through language, writing, and self-expression. I quickly noticed that I was one of few men of color who taught in my building. My students inspired me to co-found and lead a national agency dedicated to increasing the 2% of male educators of color who teach across the country called Profound Gentlemen (PG).

Through PG, I’ve focused on building social and financial capital. I am building bonds between men of color and links between investors, policymakers, students, and parents who share a similar belief.

What should our readers know about your business?
Currently, I serve as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Profound Gentlemen. I co-lead a team of over 30 coaches, program officers, development officers, partnership directors, and finance officers. I have had extensive leadership coaching, and I feel very comfortable building a team culture and leading a team towards core goals and outcomes. The secret to my success at PG is relationship building. Relationships between funders, educators, partners, and external stakeholders, are vital to gaining support and growing our educators.

Starting and leading an organization has pushed me to learn quickly, remain flexible, and keep innovation top of mind. During my time at PG, the most important thing I’ve learned is how to “build the plane while you fly it.” Our organization is continually changing, and we have had to build the organization through experience. We often try an idea, assess its results, and either discard it or acquire it for the program. This means that our staff has to have constant supports in place to ensure their effectiveness. Recognizing the need for more support, we provide staff members with an annual $1,000 professional development stipend. Team members can take courses, receive coaching, enroll in therapy, etc., to ensure that they can be their best selves. As a leader, I’ve had to model this development. Over the past seven years, I have completed a certification in Nonprofit Management, taken courses through the Corporate Finance Institute, and I am in the process of receiving a CAP (certified advisor in philanthropy) designation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
During COVID-19, I would have to be mindful about where I’d take a friend. Right now, we would probably do the following:

Food:
– Soul Vegetarian
– Coffee at Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain
– Breakfast at West Egg Cafe

Activity:
– Golf at John A. White Course
– Drinks at Gathering Spot
– Workout at Decatur Boxing Gym

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate a shout-out to a student I taught named Jada. I taught students who are culturally, academically, and spiritually brilliant. Unfortunately, our educational system only measures brilliance against the metrics outlined in standardized testing. If you have ever been a teacher or worked in a school, testing is probably the most stressful time of the year. You measure the whole year in a 60 question, 3-hour test. Although my students grew exponentially every year, I have never been a teacher who had 80%+ proficiency on the NC 8th & 7th Grade English End of Grade (EOG) Test. However, a particular student, Jada, who, despite hated reading, grew by more than two years in her reading proficiency and scored a 4 (proficient) on the EOG. Jada was social, athletic, and hated picking up books. She was intimated by words, and reading aloud in class was a frightening experience. Jada’s issue was confidence; Jada just needed specific books she enjoyed and literature tools to grasp and apply. Jada’s taught me a few valuable lessons: 1. Specific, targeted interventions are the best to grow students. Jada needed additional support and even book recommendations that were unique to her journey. Standardized supports do not always lead to growth.
2. Confidence is a roadblock that inhibits growth. Jada operated in a system that promoted the idea reading was useless and taxing. She needed the confidence to overcome the stigma around reading. Once she found out she enjoyed it, her confidence grew exponentially.
3. Success is a game of inches, not yards. Jada did not make a 4 without small wins. Over that school year, she started completing quizzes, tests, and class assignments with more diligence. Her success was incremental.

Website: profoundgentlemen.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brionterrell/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brionterrell/

Image Credits
Proufound Gentlemen