Coach and math teacher fulfills desire to work with inner city kids

A teacher’s incentive is not necessarily the pay, but because they want to help students grow and learn.  Brent Voorhees, algebra II teacher and assistant baseball coach, will move from East to an inner city school in Dallas next year.

“I decided I wanted to pursue working at one of these schools that has many of the students in such great need of role models and support,” Voorhees said. “My vision is to help not only the students, but also the current teachers, to help improve the community as a whole.”

The Dallas Independent School district had the seventh highest dropout rate in an urban area of the United States and many schools have higher pregnancy rates for girls than graduation rates.

“These statistics stunned me,” Voorhees said. “In the fall, I became aware of the great need for role models in students and young adults in the Metroplex.”

The home lives between families in Wylie and families in Dallas are drastically different.  Many of the schools there do not test well and have an ever increasing dropout rate.

“I am most excited about being able to help individuals who may have very little, if any, support coming from their families.” Voorhees said. “Many of us at Wylie East think of our support system as being our family; many of the students in inner city Dallas do not have any idea what ‘support system’ means or how it should look.”

Voorhees has made a lasting impression on all of the athletes he’s coached in baseball and event helped them make it to play offs.

“He was constantly trying to help everyone,” junior varsity player Andrew Ortiz said. “I will miss him always cracking jokes in practice.”

Although Voorhees has only been a member of the Raider Family for three years, his move is bitter sweet. He taught sophomore Sarah O’Neall in fifth period Algebra II.

“I will miss his positive attitude and humor,” O’Neall said. “I hope he influences the kids at his new school to excel in life.”

Voorhees says he will miss Raider Nation and sporting blue and white.

“This has not been an easy decision because of the many great relationships I have built during the last three years at EAST,” Voorhees said. “I feel 100 percent a part of Raider Nation and it is very difficult imagining not coaching any longer in a Raider uniform.”