Spotlight: Charday Wilson (LA '24)

Louisiana Milken Educator Charday Wilson (LA ‘24) is a master teacher at Logansport High School in Logansport, Louisiana. Wilson is a true hometown hero, inspiring students through teaching and coaching at her alma mater. Wilson transforms classrooms and empowers students to thrive in every area of life. Wilson received a 2024-25 Louisiana Milken Educator Award on December 5, 2024.

Milken Family Foundation: As a former student now serving as a master teacher at your alma mater, how has your own journey shaped the way you support both students and fellow educators at Logansport High School?

My journey at my home campus shapes the way I support students and educators because I’m able to see myself in them, and they’re able to see themselves in me. Everything that could have potentially counted me out is everything that makes me count for our students (high-poverty, single-parent household, unfavorable behavior). My journey is a testament to our school and community because it conveys the message that it does, in fact, take a village. I needed everyone in my family, my school and my community to become who I was destined to become. I remind them every chance to never underestimate the power of their support system because it truly matters. This mindset shapes the way I support students because I’m reminded of what I needed most as a student and as a career [classroom] teacher, and that’s how I structure my support. 

MFF: You’ve helped lead Logansport from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’ school through your coaching and instructional support. What key strategies or shifts do you think made the biggest difference in that transformation?

Supporting the campus that raised me and made me will always be one of the blessings that I’m most grateful for. Our teachers and students are the BEST and they’re exceptional in their own right! The biggest strategy or shift that I would say made the most difference is meeting our teachers where they are and humanizing them. I enjoy being there for our campus in whatever capacity I’m called to be. Sometimes it’s for professional support and sometimes it’s for moral support. Sometimes they just need a listening ear or a prayer added to my prayer book. A wise person always tells me “you can’t pour out from an empty cup.” I truly believe that. I believe in supporting our teachers in such a way that their cups are never empty and they always have something to pour into our students. 

MFF: Your role involves everything from creating individualized teacher “game plans” to leading professional development. How do you balance supporting teachers with staying connected to students and classroom instruction?

My role is a little bit of everything, and one of my FAVORITE parts that I enjoy about this position in this place is that I’m always two seconds away from the next teachable moment. I can go from third grade to biology in two minutes. I’m always in a classroom. I’m at morning duty greeting our students as they walk through the metal detectors. I’m doing learning walks from pre-K through biology and advanced math. I’m on lunch duty mingling with middle school students. I also coach middle school girls basketball. I’m at football games, basketball games, track meets, baseball games and softball games. It’s all about being intentional with my schedule so that I can be present for our students. They need to see me and I need to see them just as much. Being present and having a presence makes all the difference.

MFF: How did you feel at your Milken Educator Award notification?

My Milken Educator Award notification still feels surreal, but the videos, pictures, and amazing family and organization that I’m a part of are evidence that it truly happened. I was in disbelief that something so prestigious and amazing could ever be bestowed upon me. After the initial shock, I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude for the organization and for everyone who has ever poured into me because I’m a simple culmination of them all. Every experience I’ve ever had has shaped me and led me to this point. I pray that this journey reflects what it looks like to be carried graciously by a perfect God. 

MFF: How did students respond to your Milken Award?

Students responded with the most genuine excitement for me! They were all truly happy and they told everyone who would listen. I had random people come tell me all the time that their child or grandchild told them about the Milken Award and they were so excited! 

MFF: How did you end up in education?

I always say I ended up in education by accident, but after deep reflection I realize that it was all a part of God’s divine intervention. My degree is in sociology. I had plans to graduate college and move to the city. However, I was asked by my softball coaches (who raised me as their own) to coach a fall softball season for one semester to save money before I moved. My former principal trusted me with a position at our campus and called it “math specialist.” I tutored the students who struggled in math and provided one-on-one instruction for them. I’ve been in education since then!

MFF: How do you define “success” for yourself, and for your students?

Success for myself is always elusive. I’ve never felt like I’ve reached a point where I can say I’ve been truly successful. It keeps me going, pushing forward and working hard because I’m not sure that I’ll ever reach it. Success for my students is overcoming. When they are able to overcome, think critically, and become persistent problem solvers, they are successful. 

MFF: Who are your role models in education?

My role model in education is easy. She is my “other mom” Sissy, who isn't related to me biologically, we don’t share any DNA. She is nonetheless my mom in every sense of the word. I didn’t know that someone who had no other reason could love me so fiercely and deeply and simply want the best for me in spite of me. That’s who she was and that’s who she remains to this very day. She’s retired, but was a phenomenal educator for almost 40 years. She willed me to win and refused to allow me to settle for anything less than my very best. Everything that I am, everything that I hope to become, and everything that I will ever be, I owe to her for loving and caring for me when she had every reason not to.

MFF: How do you hope to be remembered by your students?

I hope my students remember me as someone they could always come for whatever it is they were going through. I hope they remember that I’m always and forever in their corner no matter where they are, and that won’t ever change.