School librarian Leesonia Rutledge feels her daughter’s entry into teaching was likely hereditary.
At home, Leesonia nurtured a love of learning in her daughter, Olivia Rutledge — with a focus on educating her more than her school life could. Her mom showed patience and empathy, Olivia said.
“One must have a heart for children” is a well-known ethos in the Rutledge family, Leesonia said. In turn, that philosophy took hold of Olivia. She’s now a counselor at Trinity Basin Preparatory – Pafford in Fort Worth.
The Rutledges are true believers and proof, they said, that the value of passing on a love of education is priceless. In doing so, educators support the next generation of teachers while supporting their own kids, Leesonia said.
“See, you must have a heart for children,” Leesonia said. “I believe Olivia saw that in me.”
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“I feel like it might have been a calling,” Olivia said. “My mom’s been a teacher since I was little, so, when I was little, I was like, ‘I want to be a teacher just like my mom.’”
The Rutledges’ legacy began with Olivia’s grandmother, a schoolteacher, who passed nurturing, patience and empathy to her daughter, Leesonia.
Leesonia, who now works as a librarian for Dallas ISD’s William Brown Miller Elementary School, did the same for Olivia.
Leesonia made it obvious at home just how much she loved teaching. She’d rarely complain about her job, Olivia said, and would come home every day with a smile on her face.
Olivia knew exactly where that joy came from. Her mom would come home with stories about her students’ successes, Olivia said.
“I think it’s just being able to pour back into the students, seeing that light shine,” Olivia said.
In a house where empathy and patience are pulse beats and education is the backbone, it’s natural to fall into the employment patterns the Rutledges did, Olivia said.
Not only do students benefit by having more empathetic and experienced-by-proxy teachers, but the general health of education can be made better.
“My mom was able to guide me into being a teacher,” Olivia said. “So I was able to teach, really well, for a few years before becoming a counselor.”
If each teacher passed this to their own children, education could be in a far better place, she said. Education could be made a family business.
“All of us have this one teacher that we remember that took us aside and said … ‘You will be something great!’” Leesonia said. “Now my daughter and I are passing that along to other little ones.”
Support is essential, both said. The Rutledges have a built-in support system. Many educators don’t.
“Looking back on my early days in education, I recall struggling with a lack of resources to adequately support my students,” Leesonia said. “It was a challenging time.”
For Leesonia and Olivia, advice is a phone call away.
“As educators, we face various challenges in our roles and it’s through collaboration that we can overcome them,” Leesonia said.
Almost every day in Olivia’s office at Trinity Basin Preparatory – Pafford, she deals with a student, age 5 to 9, who has some sort of mental health issue.
To hear the worst parts of their lives day after day can be taxing, she said. But much like her mom, the best part of her day is when her students’ successes are made clear.
“When I’m able to turn that dark, dim thought into a bright light, it’s great,” Olivia said.
Someday, she might pass that on to a daughter of her own.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1 on X. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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