Ask Terry Stotts about his job as the construction and technology teacher at the Multiple Career Magnet High School, and his eyes light up.
Stotts could spend hours talking about all the reasons he loves his job teaching practical skills to students with special needs in Dallas ISD. But, by far, his favorite part of the job comes in December when his students give away the rocking horses they spent the first part of the year building by hand.
This year was no different, and Stotts smiled wide as his students gave away their rocking horses on Dec. 11 to the Ronald McDonald House, which provides stability and resources for families with a seriously sick child. Donating the wooden horses to the Ronald McDonald House is especially close to Stotts’ heart, as his daughter survived a battle with cancer when she was young.
The rocking horses are among the presents given to children at the Ronald McDonald House, and they are always some of the first gifts to go.
“These rocking horses are so well built, and such a timeless gift, that kids and adults are always amazed at what our students can accomplish,” Stotts said. “These kids work their hardest every day and complete projects that you wouldn’t believe.”
The vocational students this year also donated rocking horses to students at N.W. Harllee Early Childhood Center and the Maya Angelou High School, which is housed in the same building as the Multiple Careers Magnet. The Maya Angelou school supports students who are expectant teen mothers.
Stotts said the rocking horses are just one of many impressive projects his students complete every year. The ultimate goal of the program is to give the students skills needed to succeed in the workplace. The Careers Magnet includes a career and tech teacher who helps place graduates with a job and supports them throughout the process.
“We set these kids up to succeed well beyond school,” Stotts said. “I feel blessed to be able to work with these incredible kids and help them meet their full potential. I might have the best job in the world.”
The rocking horses are among the presents given to children at the Ronald McDonald House, and they are always among the first gifts to go.
“I feel blessed to be able to work with these incredible kids and help them meet their full potential,” he said. “I might have the best job in the world.”
