VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - You could call it a family tradition. More than 10 members of the Clemons family have careers in education.
"The main thing is, I started all this, I started all this," says Betty Thomas, a recently retired assistant principal and Title I parent coordinator.
Betty Thomas is the first in her family to graduate high school and college. Some of her educators along the way inspired her to become a teacher.
"One motivation would be that my family had a big farm at the time, about 150 acres, and I didn't like to work at that time, so my motivation was to get off that farm and go to school," said Thomas.
Echoing that motivation, five of Betty's 11 siblings followed in her footsteps, including brother Owen Clemons, the Superintendent of the Brooks County School System.
"Our parents had no formal education, however they valued education and they instilled that in us," said Owen Clemons. "They couldn't help us with homework assignments but they made sure we had the resources to get it done."
After college, brother Abraham Clemons decided to take the business route, but it didn't add up to what he wanted, and pursued his dream job, a coach. He works at Lowndes High School as an ISS instructor, head coach of the JV boys basketball team, assistant coach of the varsity boys basketball team and assistant coach for the track team.
"One suggestion for anybody that's going into it, is you gotta love the job because the kids look up to you and thats one big thing," said Abraham Clemons, "and it kinda keeps you a litle young too, when you deal with those kids every day."
As the second generation of educators, Takeysha Thomas and Samuel Clemons Jr. say they were not pushed to follow in their parents footseps, but rather, inspired.
"I think it's very important to make good choices," said Samuel Clemons Jr., a teacher and coach at Pinegrove Middle School. "I think it's very important to look at the consequences people before you made and use those to make better decisions going forward."
"One memory I always have is my great grandmother who always said, 'There are two things you should always do. Pray and get your education, because that something nobody can ever take away from you', and I think that's something in this family that we always learn and take to heart, to make sure we live out in our every day lives," said high school guidance counselor Takeysha Thomas.
Alicia Clemons, a 7th grade math and social studies teacher at Brooks County Middle School and Brittany Sermons, a 7th grade math teacher at Hahira Middle School, married into the Clemons family.
According to Alicia Clemons, "I came from a family where, didn't have many members who graduated from college or high school, so now with me teaching kids with pretty much the same background, it allows me to help them because they are coming up just like I did, so they kind of need guidance."
"I feel like I need to be a great role model for these kids, somebody to look up to," says Brittany Sermons, "to teach my child that education is important because it is such an importance to this family and to teach kids or show kids that you can go as far as you want to go, as long as you have an education."
Creacy Sermons is proud of the impact her family has made on the thousands of students they've taught over the years in South Georgia.
"Througout the years, we're hoping that we made an impact on students that they can do anything they want to do if they put their minds to it," states Creacy Sermons. "It might be a little hard work, but the reward will be great at the end."
Cousins to the Clemons, Doctor Christie Earle and Malisa Harris, also educators, feel the Clemons will leave a legacy.
"Its an honor to be a part of that legacy," said Dr. Earle, an academic coach at J.L. Lomax Elementary in Valdosta. "I believe that my role is to continue to inspire others and maybe want to go into the field of education and to continue to motivate students as well."
Malisa Harris, a health and physical education teacher at Lowndes Middle School says, "It's a great honor to be a part of such a dynamic family, loving and caring family, very supportive of one another, and just always encouraging and inspiring one another." Harris is also an assistant JV coach and assistant varsity coach.
So what's the root of their success? Dr. Samuel Clemons, Director of GNETS program, feels it's their parental support.
"I would think that any person who has a child, you need to make sure you provide that parental support," emphasized Dr. Samuel Clemons. "It doesn't necessarily mean in the school, but it means supporting your child."
And it is the valuable education from their parents of responsibility, honesty and hard work that they will continue teaching to future generations.
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