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Students say Coach Gloria Isaac is more than a teacher or a coach.  Malikh McCray says she's a parent, “She's a good teacher and she really digs deep in us. She's really like a parent to us. She acts as a parent.  She really gets on us and if we get the question wrong or something then she'll help us with it.  She won't doubt us” says McCray.

Isaac gets personal in the classroom by sharing lots of stories to connect with students from the same neighborhood where she grew up.  “I tell my students how I grew up.  I grew up with a single parent, mother who raised 7 children all by herself working 3 jobs.  We lived in what is now called the projects.  I live right across the street in Dennis Homes.  So I can relate to most of my children here and I let them know that nothing is impossible, everything is possible.  Education will get you wherever you want to go.  So I try to give personal experience so they know that I’m for real and that’s the way I teach my classes” says Isaac.

LaPorcha McCray says it’s the special relationships beyond the classroom that set her apart from other teachers.  “She connects with us.  She talks with us when we're feeling down or had bad day at home.  She says don't let something at home bother you at school” says McCray.

Isaac says she works hard to build personal relationships with the students and she constantly encourages them.  “My personal motto is that your attitude determines your altitude – how high you will go” says Isaac.