Lillian Barbara Courtney (Madea) was the matriarch of the Courtney family. She was an upper elementary school teacher for 45 years with experiences ranging from teaching in a one room school, to both the public and private school arenas. Madea influenced me by her examples. She nursed us through illnesses while our parents worked, taught us to be young ladies, and emphasized the importance of education. She epitomized life-long learning before the premise became popular as she earned her Masters in Education at the same time as her son, my Uncle John. Of the eight children my paternal grandmother bore, five of them are in the field of education. The influence that my grandmother exuded to her children was passed on to me. She is the main reason that I’m pursuing my master's degree.
Dorothy and Marvin, Sr. were married more than 40 years and made it to “til death do us part”. They were a couple in every sense of the word and it reflected in how they reared me and my siblings. My mother was a school teacher for 32 years where she taught elementary and junior high. My father was a postal worker for 18 years and retired as a postal supervisor once his health began to fail. My Mother was the main reason I’m a teacher today. Though my Family is filled with teachers, she’s the one that initially planted the seed within me. Eventually, she would be the one to arrange for my first job as a teacher’s assistant. Together my parents directly influenced my values through ensuring we attended weekly church service, family vacations every summer, and instilled the need and desire for a quality education. Because of their influence, I became a teacher, and believe in the concept of life-long learning.
Lillian Courtney-Bannerman, my aunt, is also my Godmother. Her teaching experiences range from elementary, middle, and high school. Her teaching career spanned 45 years across the music and reading specialties, and culminated in library science. Aunt Lillian influenced me through providing practical advice about life issues, a frank discourse of our developing bodies as young teens, and as a confidant and sounding board when I didn't feel my parents would understand me. She made me feel special through several venues including giving me gifts and money during birthdays and other special occasions, picking up the girl cousins to hang out at her house or go to the park, and periodically playing tennis during the summer. Now that my parents are both deceased, she has taken on their role and continues to give advice about work related issues as well as other personal advice.
