Meet Samora Davis of Tomball Independent School District

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samora Davis.

Samora, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born to two of the most supportive parents on the planet, my little brother and I battled poverty, racism, and just plain old life lessons to make a better life for our parents and families of our own. Education has been in my scope of life since I was three years old. I was in my parents front yard with my chalkboard, teaching my stuffed animals and little brother the alphabet. After discovering my gift from God for learning languages and teaching in high school, I decided to study Spanish, English, and Secondary Education at Sam Houston State University.

Becoming a teacher was the goal. I began my teaching career at 21 years old, as a high school Spanish teacher at Tomball High School. I was the youngest and one of three African-American teachers. As my love for teaching continued to develop, I coached cheerleading, and then I started a step team for kids that didn’t feel that they belonged anywhere. Even though I had never done either activity in my educational life, seeing the happiness and fulfillment on their faces was all that I needed! But, I wanted to reach even more students and see what else was out there.

I wanted to work in a larger, more diverse school district. After making the move from Tomball to a larger school district, special education began to peak my interest. Career-wise, it was an unknown variable in my path to being an educator for life, but a conversation with my mother changed all of that. The same school district that I was working in, was the same school district that tried to identify me as a student with a disability. My parents refused to accept special education services, and they insisted that the teachers just didn’t know how to teach me. They turned out the be right! From the moment I heard this story, I wanted to be a voice for the uninformed, for those who aren’t privy to certain opportunities.

So, I became a bilingual educational diagnostician. I worked with students with special needs by identifying their disability condition and support their school and parents with a plan to support the rest of their educational career. More importantly, I was able to identify students who didn’t have disabilities but simply needed to be taught in a different way or with different tools and opportunities. This path soon led me to one of the largest school districts in Texas. Growth happened there, and my mission for supporting students led to supporting the teachers, principals, and counselors with creative ways to help instruct students.

Even though I already had a Masters of Education from Houston Baptist University, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to participate in the Preparation for Special Education Leadership program through the University of St. Thomas. My path has always been an educational one, but leadership roles weren’t really on my radar. But, my professor Dr. Walters changed all of that with one class. It was a challenging time, as I was newly married and pregnant with our first child, but I persevered and graduated with my class. Not knowing what would be next, I began applying for jobs in leadership, but soon realized that I needed some administrative experience first.

It was a dreaded decision, but when I had the opportunity to return to Tomball with my former associate principal, I jumped at the opportunity. I became the second African-American assistant principal in the district and became a sponge. I soaked up everything that I could, and I loved making a difference in these young adolescents lives. After that first year, another opportunity presented itself, Director of Intervention and Languages Other Than English. Wow! This sounded like something that my entire educational career has been preparing me for!

So here I am, loving what I’m doing and thanking God every day that I have so many wonderful people to work with! Everyday is new and challenging, especially two kids later, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Growing up, I lived on three acres of land in the country, on a dirt road. My mother was a cafeteria worker in a neighboring school district, and my dad was a construction worker and brick/stone mason. Sometimes our financial situation was good, and at other times, it wasn’t. But regardless, we still counted our blessings. We may not have always had money, but we had love and each other. Student loans were imminent, but I made it through three degrees!

My biggest struggle was the loss of my nephew. He was two years old, beaten to death by his biological father. I struggled with this for the obvious reasons, but I felt that I had better relationships with the kids that I worked with every day than him. I used to regret not being there more, not pressing the issue of wanting to have a better relationship with him or trying to help out more. But, if anything, it taught me to truly value every moment with everyone.

Please tell us about Tomball Independent School District.
I’m proud of my school district because even though we grow by leaps and bounds, we have kept our small town vibe. The changes in leadership have expanded our district and enhanced how we view collaboration and education.

We are constantly trying to improve and reflect on our practices and how it will impact our community. #DestinationExcellence

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I really don’t think that I would start anything over. I am a firm believer in God’s plans for your life. I don’t believe that things happen by chance or coincidence.

I could not have possibly been the person that I am today without having had each trial, experience, error, or mistake that I have made in my life. I live with no regrets!

Contact Info:

• Address: 310 South Cherry St. Tomball, TX 77375
• Website: www.tomballisd.net
• Phone: 281-357-3100
• Email: samoradavis@tomballisd.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TomballISD/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomballISD

Image Credit:
Maria Bozic

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