Continuation School Teacher’s Favorite Lesson: Anything Is Possible : Education: Cheryl Greer believes she makes a daily impact on the lives of teen-age mothers, because she’s been there. Her work has earned her a state honor.

When Cheryl Greer first arrived at Harriet Tubman High School in Compton, her strongest emotion was shame.

She was 16, pregnant, and all her dreams had been turned upside down when she left her own high school to attend Tubman, a continuation school for pregnant teen-agers and student mothers.

That was 25 years ago.

Now, when Greer looks at Tubman, where she teaches, pride takes over. Her work there has earned her a Teacher of the Year award from the California Continuation Education Assn.

More importantly, Greer believes she makes a daily impact on the lives of teen-agers who are suddenly mothers, girls who feel a confusion that Greer remembers all too well.

“Suddenly you’re 16 and you’ve got X number of bottles and diapers to pack in a bag and just getting from Point A to Point B takes all your energy,” said Greer, now 41.

“I remember how embarrassed I was. My mom was so hurt by all of it, she told me to just go ahead and quit school. But I was motivated. I knew there was a better life out there,” Greer said.

Greer graduated from high school and took a job at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical

Center. A doctor there took an interest and applied for a grant to pay for Greer’s college. Her mother and other family members helped care for Greer’s young son--an experience that leads Greer to remind her students constantly of the African saying: “It takes an entire village to raise a child.”

Now, two degrees and two teaching credentials later, Greer knows how much work it takes to transcend the fate of many single, teen-age mothers and become a professional. But she tells her students every day that it’s possible. Greer is proof.

“Just look at where she is now,” said 17-year-old Elizabeth Ochoa, looking with some respect at her teacher’s tailored blue suit. “Now, when people tell me I can’t be a pediatrician like I want, I tell them I’m going to college. I’m not going to be the loser they expected me to be.”

Other girls in Greer’s class nod solemnly at Ochoa’s statement. They know society expects little of them. They hear politicians describe them as a burden on the system. Changing that self-image is also part of Greer’s strategy.

This week, Greer took about 20 students to Sacramento on what has become an annual trip. They saw firsthand how government works, just as many high school seniors do, and then met with legislators. Greer wants the young mothers to realize they can become actively involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

In other class lessons, Greer has students explore the possibilities of homeownership. She assigns essays about welfare reform or asks students to write about how they would feel if a new boyfriend or husband disciplined their child.

Last year she enlisted 15 friends, all professional women, and started a mentor program at Tubman High, which has 145 students and consists of a few permanent trailers and narrow buildings on the campus of the Edward G. Chester Center for adult education. This year she has doubled the number of women involved. Every girl who wants a mentor has one.

While the award and attention have been heady for Greer, she has, typically, managed to turn the experience into a lesson for her girls.

“I want all of my students to see anything is possible,” Greer said. “That’s the most important thing I can teach them.”