Today we’d like to introduce you to Celina Patton.
Hi Celina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a child, I knew the only thing I ever wanted to do was be a teacher. I can remember lining my stuffed animals up in rows in my room as I stood in front of them with books to read to them as I pretended to instruct them as their “teacher” in a classroom.
From childhood to now, being in education was always my goal and since that time as a child, I have remained focused on making that dream a reality. Although life threw me curveballs and challenges, like becoming a teenage mother, at that time I had every excuse to give up and not continue with my education. However, I chose not to and to persevere.
That time of hardship only sharpened my focus, having a child young only increased my desire to continue and I pursued my undergraduate degree in education.
Once I achieved that, I found myself still hungry for more knowledge, and ultimately it led to me obtaining my master’s degree in education. From that point forward, I spent over a decade in various teacher and administration roles that I loved with equal passion and dedication from year to year.
These roles included teaching special education, teaching first grade, then I worked as a literacy coach, and ultimately ended up in the role of Director of Special Services in a charter school that was facing many challenges due to noncompliance issues identified by its district and was required to take any corrective actions in a short time frame, or the school could face further sanctions including school closure.
Although there was immense pressure, I took on that role and led the efforts to make those necessary corrections for the school’s special education department and at the same time began similar work for that school’s sister charter school located in Texas. In less than a year, I worked tirelessly to make the systematic changes necessary, resolved all areas of non-compliance, and lead both school programs back into good standing.
I remained in that position for several years and then in May of 2018 took another unique opportunity to start a new district in the State of South Carolina as Director of Special Education and my work became focused on becoming an Authorizer and overseeing charter schools.
I was one of 8 team members who worked on that monumental task. I had to develop every process, procedure, and platform needed for my department from scratch in less than two months to be ready to open the doors on July 1, 2018, with 8,000 students in various charter schools throughout the state. And we did just that- and with great success!
From there, I continued to be promoted within that organization and worked over the next few years on behalf of our charter schools, as we continued to grow from 8,000 students to 26,000 students in just three years. During this time, I supported charter schools and their special programs while developing systems of support and accountability for all schools in their portfolio.
While working in that position, I had a unique vantage point. I continually noticed the things that make public charter schools successful and the areas that they fail or struggle in, and while often the failures are not intentional, the failures existed. So many of the school’s requirements are complicated and set forth in federal or state law, so the risk of not following these rules can come with large consequences.
During this time, I saw many of the same mistakes or common struggles in charter schools. Yet I have seen that there are very few people or organizations that have the understanding of these unique challenges that charter schools face, so there are few that are truly able to help solve these problems and meet the school’s needs.
Because there are also so many charter schools that also have experienced great success, the charter movement continues to grow throughout South Carolina. I was able to also learn what it takes to make them successful.
As I experienced both the successes and struggles, I have seen firsthand the importance of creating structures of support and I worked to build a company, Patton Consulting, that can serve schools in a way that will help ensure success of schools. The success of charter schools is vital because they directly impact the lives of students. When charter schools fail, it fails the students, parents, and communities they serve.
This all prompted my desire to begin my business Patton Consulting Company. I left a stable job with a recent promotion in order to impact change and serve Charter Schools throughout South Carolina. My goal will ultimately help to bring success to public charter schools by bringing the support and services needed to these schools.
Patton Consulting’s purpose will be to work with charter schools in the areas that they struggle with, partner with the schools, and provide the resources and support that specifically target their needs.
My goal is to grow my business from year to year, to hire qualified and passionate people who have the same love of education that I have always had in order to continue to meet the growing needs of charter schools.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Early in my career, my hardest challenge was being a single mother and continuing to work and balance obtaining my degrees. During these times, I had many people including college professors who doubted my commitment and at times discouraged me from continuing in the field.
However, these times and instances of unkind comments about my age and status as a single mother only motivated me further to push ahead so that I could become a teacher and impact the lives of children.
Later in my career, the challenge of stepping outside of the traditional systems in education to start something new, I am still encountering people who discourage me and say well if you fail, you can always teach or go back into the same systems.
While I do not consider that failure, it is also not common to find people like me, who want to create innovative systems and solutions to the problems charters face, and who are willing to walk away from the stability that schools and districts offer to do something different.
But, even in the face of the fear of the unknown and often the negativity I still face, I am going to push ahead as I always have done, to walk in faith and integrity to create something that can affect change for the better for the thousands of students across the state of SC who love their charter schools and are counting on these schools staying open and providing students and families with the best educational opportunities possible.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an educational consultant and have an extensive background in providing special education and related expertise to traditional districts, charter schools, and sponsors.
I provide clients with a wide range of services that will help schools and districts thrive. Whether it’s compliance with state and federal laws, coaching and training, or project management- I’m here for my clients, wherever, whenever.
This includes clients that are starting a charter school, in the first few years of operation of a charter school or years into the process and need help with corrective actions, or maybe even just need extra help and support, my job is to partner with schools to help ensure their success.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories stem from being with my family. First, would be the time I spent with my grandfather in his church. My grandfather was an incredible Christian man who spent the latter part of his life in service to others.
He modeled a life of integrity and love to everyone. Spending time with him in his church services or home bible studies taught me the meaning of loving others without judgment, and showing grace to anyone, no matter the hardships or struggles in their lives.
My hope is that I leave a legacy similar to his, that I am known for first loving all the students I have the privilege of knowing, and that my desire to serve others is reflected in the work I do every day. Second, my favorite childhood memory would be the time I spent with my aunt.
My aunt has down syndrome and is one of the most authentically kind and loving people I have ever known. During my childhood, during the 80s and 90s, there was not a lot of acceptance for people with disabilities and I watched various types of cruelty that she endured, yet her only response was always to smile and show people, love.
My passion to help children who were disabled or underserved in the educational system was born from my experiences and the time I spent with her.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pattonconsultingco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pattonconsulting/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pattonconsultingsc/
- Twitter: @pattonconsultco
