A familiar face to many has joined the staff of the East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies (ECCAS) this school year. Instructional Coach E.C. Setser has taught every grade from kindergarten to high school senior, including second grade at Laurel Hill Primary School and Gifted and Talented (SAIL) classes at Pinckney Elementary School.
Senior Rush Ivy was taught by Setser in both second grade and SAIL, and was reunited with her when he received an ECCAS award for his role in the broadcast journalism program.
“She was actually the one who awarded me the Beacon of Light, and that’s the first time I’ve seen her at the CAS. So it was definitely a really nice surprise to see her face again,” Ivy said. “She was very fond of grasping opportunities and seizing your moment, and I think a lot of what she taught is why I’m here now.”
Since the beginning of the year, Setser has made it a mission to reunite with as many of her former students as possible.
“It was great to see that [Ivy is] really … still thriving, and I think that’s the biggest thing for me … I’ve been on a quest to find … all of the kids I’ve taught before, and make sure they’re okay, and see what I can do and see how I can help … It’s inspiring to see that the things I did made a difference,” Setser said.
In her new role, Setser’s focus has branched from educating students to also supporting their teachers.
“I’m here to support the teachers, to support the administrators. Kind of … a go-between. [Principal Jeff] Blankenship likes to call me the ‘supervisor of morale,’” Setser said. “It’s a different kind of impact. I feel like now, I’m kind of looking out for [students], but I’m … more the teacher advo- cate here. I’m supporting the teachers and helping them when they have an issue or when they don’t have an issue, how to celebrate … or get them excited about self care or getting them working on their lesson plans,” Setser said.
The classes at the ECCAS include pathways in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which Setser also emphasized in her previous classrooms.
I hope that was a spark that I started, and now they’re keeping going.”
After 15 years teaching primary and elementary school, Setser’s return to high school brings with it many changes.
“I think these kids in high school have bigger problems … I think the same problems are still there … but the kids can’t control it in elementary school. They can’t control if they come to school … In high school, they have a lot more control over that because they’re starting to see the real world. They have bigger problems and real world problems … that’s bigger feelings and stronger feelings,” Setser said.
Amidst these bigger problems, students like Ivy now have a familiar face to turn to at the ECCAS.
“She was a very kind teacher. She taught me a lot about character and … just how virtues tied hand in hand with … character development,” Ivy said.
When it comes to the future, Setser has goals to improve student and teacher experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.
“I hope to get teachers doing more innovative stuff in their classroom … I would like to see a lot more active learning happening, and hopefully that trickling over to the home schools as well, having a lot more engagement and getting kids excited about a future career,” Setser said. “I feel so excited to be here, and it’s such an amazing place. And the teachers are incredible. The kids are incredible … and it’s such an honor to be here.”
