For years Mama Lisa organized craft projects for her nieces and nephews to complete at family holiday dinners. These fulfilling family experiences led her to consider a career in child care. Her family and friends thought she would make a wonderful teacher so she quit her job and went to school full time at Merritt College, earning her AA in Child Development.
Mama Lisa’s first job after graduating was as a substitute caregiver for infants. Admittedly, her first thought was, “you’ve got to be kidding me. I’m ready to work with toddlers and preschoolers. The last baby I took care of was my fifteen year old nephew.” On her first day working with the infants, she channeled her mother. She sang plenty of songs and had many conversations about nothing, just the kinds of conversations babies like most.
While Lisa was working as a substitute teacher, she learned about an open preschool teaching position at Ile Omode. Once she learned that the school was African centered and closely related to the Wo’se Community Church, Mama Lisa became interested. When Lisa found the job posting, confirming that Ile Omode was a school dedicated to African American children in Oakland, she was more than excited and eager to become a part of the community.
Mama Lisa is still amazed that she works at Ile Omode. She is extremely thankful that she has experienced the fruits of the parable, “ask and you shall receive.” Working at a school where the children are “family” and the staff members are supportive is exactly the kind of career Mama Lisa was looking for. She calls the children her “little people” and they are expected to act as people, not babies. Ile Omode expects the best of their children, and Mama Lisa wants to give her little people the foundation they need to not only meet but exceed the expectations of the teachers at Ile Omode.
— written by Zenzile Riddick, class of 2011