By DASIA HOOD

Sometimes, due to the challenging nature of the job, the perception can arise that teachers aren’t happy or satisfied with what they do.

“I’m not that teacher. I’m just not,” said Franchone Bey, who teaches English, creative writing, literature and film, speech and debate and journalism. “I wouldn’t be in the classroom if I didn’t want to be in the classroom.”

Bey, entering her 10th year at West Charlotte, has become a fixture at the high school. She’s created “The Literary Lion,” a magazine that once to twice a year highlights student work ranging from short stories and narratives to poetry.

She’s an advisor for the drama and podcast clubs, organizes the school’s annual Black History Month program and created an annual talent show competition, which she said is “the hottest ticket in the school.”

Her commitment to integrating technology and art into the curriculum is highlighted by her creation of a communications hub website.

Doing all of these things not only benefits her students, but they keep her motivated.

“It’s reciprocal,” Bey said. “I need this to keep going in because it’s a challenging job.”

It’s also one she’s excelled at, as she was named a 2024 ASC Cato Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. The award, which comes with $1,500 and an original artwork, recognizes teachers who demonstrate exceptional creativity in infusing arts, science, or history into the core curriculum.

From Ink to Chalk

Bey brings a wealth of experience into the classroom from her prior career as a journalist. She got her start in the early 1990s working on “Good Day New York” on Fox 5 in New York City.

She helped book celebrities for the morning show who were not as well known as they are now, such as Ice Cube, Nia Long and LL Cool J. She used to show her students pictures of the celebrities she booked, but she’s since stopped; nowadays, “they barely recognize Denzel Washington,” she said.

She’s been a producer, managed her own media company, worked for Black Enterprise and as a reporter for The New Britain Herald in Connecticut.

It was during her time in the Northeast that she transitioned to education after receiving a teaching fellowship. “The opportunity presented itself and I’m always doing something different,” she said. She then taught at several community colleges while also running a theater company.

After moving to Charlotte in 2012 (“We’re weather refugees because the weather was crazy in the Northeast,” Bey said), she tutored at her children’s schools and then completed Teach for America to get her teaching certification.

“It’s been perfect timing,” she said. “When you go into the classroom, you have to have something you’re bringing into the classroom you can say you own or have experience in rather than it just being all theory for students.

“As much as I’ve traveled and had my own experiences and with what I’ve done, I’m able to bring things to the school. I’m able to create a magazine because I have a background in that. I can direct a play and produce a show because I’ve done that. I think it’s necessary to have that to really be able to make an impact on students.”

Personal and Lion Pride

Bey is recognized for her innovative teaching methods, bringing her students on captivating and unpredictable educational journeys. She emphasizes that her classroom experiences are never predictable.

As an instructor of literary electives, Bey might engage her students in activities ranging from memorizing scenes from “A Raisin in the Sun” to performing them on stage in front of audiences.

“I enjoy working with the students,” she said. “I love when I can engage students in a way that opens up different avenues of learning for them or exposes them to something they haven’t encountered before.”

An innovative educator, Bey forges meaningful connections with her teaching approach. She firmly believes in each student’s individuality, establishes genuine connections with her students and fosters a strong sense of community within the classroom.

“Every student is unique,” she said. “You can’t expect a student to feel comfortable sharing with their peers if you haven’t built a community in the classroom.”

Bey is deeply committed to her teaching career and the success of her students. She prioritizes creating and nurturing meaningful relationships with her students to foster a supportive learning environment.

She’s also committed to instilling a sense of pride in the students who walk through the halls of West Charlotte.

“It is an amazing, amazing school,” she said. “Our students have so many opportunities to have great relationships with each other within the school and with their teachers. We have such a strong alumni and our school has a strong historic background in terms of what it did for desegregation in the South and for broader representation across the United States as well.”