Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mike Jay, and I come from a small one-stoplight town called Magnolia, NC in rural southeastern North Carolina. I like to tell people that education found me; I did not go looking for it. You see, I was the student that many educators wished would miss every day of the week. Due to past trauma, I had difficulty focusing in school, leading to disruptive behavior in the classroom, physical altercations, and a lack of respect for authority. As a result, I was placed in Eckerd’s Alternatives camp, a juvenile justice residential program that provides rehabilitation services aimed at helping youth change their behavior by utilizing their strengths. Despite facing continued challenges upon entering high school and being placed in an alternative school short term during my freshman and sophomore years, I persevered. I was awarded the North Carolina Association of Educators and The Warsaw Dougless Scholarships during my senior year, which served as a turning point for my post-secondary success.
I attended North Carolina State University, GO PACK!, and later became a Business Education teacher. While attending school, I found a passion for helping students beyond the classroom and received a master's in education from Johns Hopkins University. Having personally experienced similar challenges during my time in the classroom, I recognized the need for a change and decided to leave the classroom and pursue my second master's in Professional School Counseling, where I now serve as a Licensed Professional School Counselor. This educational journey equipped me with the necessary skills to succeed as both a teacher and a counselor. Through my experience, I was able to improve my teacher efficacy and mental well-being, while also developing a strong ability to create an emotionally supportive classroom climate and skillfully respond to the needs of my students.
For the past three years, I have actively supported teachers who have expressed feeling unprepared to effectively manage their students' emotional needs while balancing their own. As an educator, I firmly believe that every new teacher should have the opportunity to feel adequately prepared to recognize, respond to, and manage the emotional well-being of their students and themselves. My unwavering dedication to education and my authentic, relatable approach have earned me respect and recognition in the field. I am honored to have been selected as both the 2023-24 Duplin County Schools School Counselor and Support Staff of the Year, as well as the recipient of the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award.
I am passionate about the trauma-informed educator framework I've created, and I strive to equip educators with the tools and skills needed to create trauma-informed learning communities while also supporting the well-being of educators, thereby supporting the learning and development of ALL students.