We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Ekpete a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tiffany, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
Firstly, I would make the educational system more inclusive and equitable. I realize those are buzz words in this current climate, but take a trip with me beyond the surface to discover exactly what I mean when I say that. Currently, the educational system truly is set up to benefit a few and not the majority. We have to understand that children learn differently and process information differently, so a “one size fits all” brand of instruction, will not work. Granted, over the last decade or so, there has been a significant shift from “whole group” teaching to “small group” teaching, which is great, but unfortunately not enough. Not only is the way instruction is provided important, but the modality in which content and instruction is presented is just as important.
Classrooms are more diverse these days. Chances that the classroom is comprised of mostly auditory or visual learners are slim. Children need more than just one method to process and retain information. Personally, I am a visual learner, but I’m also a kinesthetic learner. I have to be able to touch, break apart info, put it back together and translate and organize information in a way that makes the most sense to me. Curriculum and instruction should reflect the unique learning methods of the children within the classroom.
As an educator, I tended to have the classrooms with the majority of students who were considered to have “unique” capabilities. In layman’s terms, I essentially had the “labeled” kids, whether it was behavior, academic or otherwise. Initially, I approached instruction in the way I had received it as a student. Whole group instruction was my go to. What I quickly found was that my students were not successful in obtaining the information I was presenting, much less retaining the information. Morale was low and as a result, behavioral issues were high. My students weren’t set up for success and as an educator, I was failing them. I had to adjust. So I did some extensive research on best practices and decided to get to know my students, all biases aside. What I discovered was that I had a classroom of really bright, intelligent and innovative students. I decided to leverage that and make them a part of their learning process. Over time, my students began to thrive. Academically, there was an uptick in performance and content retention. Socially, my students were implementing conflict resolution strategies and creating ways and spaces that they needed to get through the hard things. They even began to take accountability for their own learning. They became more responsible and held each other to a higher standard.
It made my heart really happy to see that unfold, because I knew that eventually when my (then 4th & 5th graders) students would enter the real world they would do well in their lives and careers, as long as these strategies and the accountability was continuously cultivated. This is why I am currently enrolled in school, seeking my Doctorate of Education, so that I can better help other educators and administrators build classroom communities, similar to the one I was able to build with my students.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Tiffany Ekpete. I am the current Elite Mrs. Ultimate United States & Director of the Southwestern Region & At-Large Delegates for the Ultimate Pageant System. I am also a Regional Director with Teachstone; a phenomenal company with a focus on helping build intentional interactions within classrooms and school districts starting at the Early Childhool level. I am also a Doctorate student at Purdue University, seeking a degree in Education with a focus on Leadership & Innovation.
Outside of all of that, I am honored and blessed to share my life with my amazing husband, Henry Ekpete & our daughter, Khloe. I am also a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Shoutout to the Southwestern Region!! I also own HTK Apparels & More, which specializes in custom apparel & has it’s own children’s boutique. Lastly, I am the founder of The Wishing Well Global Foundation. A nonprofit focused on bringing awareness and providing resources for mental health, especially in women and children.
That’s quite a bit of information, I know, but I am a very multifaceted person with a deep passion for every aspect of my life. What has brought me to this space is simple…a passion for education, a love for children & pageantry, a desire to serve and a thirst for knowledge. Interestingly enough, while all of these things seem somewhat disjointed, they all align seamlessly with the goals I have for my life.
Thankfully, I have a very supportive village of family, friends & sorors who hold me accountable, push me to amplify greater & encourage me to never give up…no matter how hard things may get. I’ve been blessed, both personally and professionally, to have the support I do and I want to be able to provide that same support for others.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One lesson that I had to unlearn was that I wasn’t enough. Growing up, I always felt like I had to go above and beyond to be accepted by my peers, recognized for my academic achievements and to be competitive in a world where I wasn’t set up to succeed. I constantly felt like I was in a competition with myself and the world. Eventually, and it took a while, I realized that I didn’t need to essentially buy friendship or acceptance…I by myself, was enough and if others couldn’t or choose not to realize that…then that was their problem, not mine.
As a child & young adult, I had the mindset that if I were ever going to achieve anything in life worth having or celebrating, that I had to push myself to work harder than my peers. I had to prove that I belonged in the spaces I was fortunate enough to be in. For example, I went to private school my entire life, until I left for college. There were very few students that looked like me and the ones that did didn’t necessarily make it easy for me to be included. I was bullied more often than not and because I didn’t have all the newest things or could do some of the things the other kids did, I just felt like I wasn’t enough…like I wasn’t worthy. So I pushed myself to do things and be someone that I thought would make them like me. I was miserable on the inside. That mindset followed me, well into adulthood. It wasn’t until I was in my mid 30s, around the time I found pageantry & completed my Masters degree that I realized that I didn’t have to live my life that way, because what other people thought or felt about me, wasn’t my business. I am enough!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Absolutely! Starting my business and subsequent nonprofit organization was rough. When I created my initial business, HTK Apparels & More, it was because I wanted to leave a legacy for my daughter and start building generational wealth. I love crafting and had been making shirts and other forms of apparel as a hobby, that eventually turned into a side business (at the suggestion of my husband).
Starting out the business was okay, but eventually it got to a place where I was completely overwhelmed. This business was and still is very much a side business but with the stresses of a full-time job, being a full-time student (still) and life in general, I was very ready to give up. I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore and that crushed me because I am very much the kind of mom that’s doing my best to teach my daughter the principle of “NEVER GIVE UP!”
Not long after this, I started having some health issues that eventually meant that I need to step away from my full time employment. This scared me more than anything because how were we going to make it? My husband was doing all that he could, but I feared we needed more. I didn’t have time to be sick…I needed to provide for my family. I started to slip into a little bit of a depression.
My husband saw this and had what I would call a “come to Jesus” meeting with me and reminded me of why we started the business and what I wanted to do with it. I had to push through. Most importantly, our daughter was watching and what example did I want to show her. Again, I had to push through.
I started seeing a therapist to get my mental in check, started following the plan my doctor and I had devised and revived the business with a relaunch. Outside of my husband, I was fortunate to have a village of support and because of this I was able to rebrand and get my business back on the ground. Today, my business is thriving and expanding in an oversaturated custom apparel market and I am thankful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.htkapparels.shop
- Instagram: tiffanyekpete
- Facebook: Tiffany Ekpete
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tekpete/
- Twitter: elitemrsuus23