5 minute read
Family Continues Education Legacy at Westminster
Anastasia Casimir, left, holds a photo of her relative, Theodora Dansby Johnson, while Dawn Palmer, right, holds a photo of her great-grandfather, Theodore Dansby.
In a brightly lit room with images of characters from classic American novels accessorizing the walls, Dawn Palmer stood up from her desk, positioned to the front, left-hand side, directly adjacent to her whiteboard, and addressed the class.
“Let’s come up with adjectives for each of these characters,” she said.
Draped over the wall just behind her students were several long, wide pieces of white paper. At the top of each one, were different names from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. As students diligently jotted down adjectives for Boo Radley, Atticus, Scout, Jem and Dill, Palmer walked around the room and surveyed their work, occasionally providing hints for new words. For nearly 30 years, Palmer has been an educator. She’s taught in elementary schools in both Miami-Dade and Broward County, and at the collegiate level. Currently, she’s an English teacher at Westminster Christian School.
“It’s an absolute blessing to work here,” said Palmer who has worked at Westminster since 2016.
While 30 years on the job can make for a lengthy resume, she’s not the only one in her family with a lot to say about education. For Palmer, it’s a family trade.
After earning a master’s degree in education, her great-grandfather, Theodore Dansby, became one of the first Black principals in South Florida.
Theodora Dansby Johnson, far left, graduates from Florida A&M University. (Circa 1937)
Sondra Julien, Palmer’s mother.
“This was in the 1930s so segregation was still prevalent,” said Palmer. “He was selected to open a school for Black students in a Black community. Then, they would ask him to leave to open another school in another Black community, or to be a principal at a newly opened school.”
Over time, he served as a principal in schools in Miami, Key West, Daytona Beach, Ocala, Leesburg and Live Oak.
After retiring from the public school system, Dansby became the head of student loans, welfare and college placement for Edward Waters College, Florida’s first independent
Anastasia Casimir helps a student with a math problem during class.
institution of higher learning as well as the state’s first institution established for the education of Black people, until his death in the 1970s.
“He worked really hard to help students find the financial aid they needed to pay for a college degree because he believed so much in the importance of higher education,” said Palmer.
Dansby cared so much that he paid for four of his nieces to attend college, two of whom became educators.
“My great-grandfather really believed in people and in their potential,” added Palmer.
While the professional world knew Dansby as a leader in education, to his family he was much more than that.
“He was our patriarch,” said Palmer.
Dansby’s devotion to education and higher learning ignited a passion that would transcend generations.
Theodora Dansby Johnson, Palmer’s grandmother, was both a jazz singer and an educator. When she wasn’t belting out notes on stage, she was working as a music teacher for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. After more than 30 years she retired, but that didn’t stop her from doing what she loved. Johnson continued to teach music at Christ the King Preschool and, in the evenings, at Florida International University. Today, her family remembers her as a “loving soul” who made an impact on countless people, including her great-granddaughter, Anastasia Casimir.
“She had such a passion for music and theater. She was probably my favorite person of all time,” added Casimir.
Palmer’s mother, Sondra Julien, also has an impressive resume in education. She was a teacher in Miami-Dade County, she served as an administrative assistant to Miami-Dade College’s vice president, and, some time after that, she became the director of community services and continuing education at Broward Community College.
“My mother really valued education as well and I think that aspect of her was very evident, not only in the way she raised my siblings and me, but also in everything she was able to accomplish professionally over the years,” said Palmer.
Now, Palmer and her daughter, Anastasia Casimir, continue their family’s legacy at Westminster Christian School. Casimir, now a fifth-generation educator, teaches math and engineering at Westminster; although, she says she wasn’t always so sure about pursuing a career in education. “My mother and stepfather are both educators and, growing up, I saw how much time they invested in their students. They’d work all day and all night, practically,” said Casimir. “So, I said to myself, ‘Teaching is not for me.’”
Casimir subsequently started the pharmacy program at Florida A&M University, but quickly realized that God was steering her in a different direction.
“I’d been tutoring students in math from the middle school level to the college level for years and I absolutely loved it,” explained Casimir. “Finally, one day, my stepfather said to me, ‘I think God is calling you to be a teacher.’”
Casimir’s stepfather was an adjunct professor for remedial math at Miami-Dade College. At just 12 years old, Casimir would sit in on her stepfather’s lessons. She says she’d then come home and show her parents all that she had learned while listening to her stepfather.
“I was always so impressed by how gifted she was in math,” said Palmer.
Eventually, Casimir decided to follow in her family’s footsteps and, now, she admits that teaching was the right career path for her all along.
“I love it. It can be tough at times, but I love teaching math and I love to see small lightbulbs go off in my students. It’s a great feeling when they’ve finally grasped a mathematical concept that they thought they would never understand,” explained Casimir.
Both Palmer and Casimir agree that working at Westminster Christian School, an institution that encourages both the academic and spiritual growth of its students, has been the best place to continue their family’s legacy.
“Not only am I doing what I love, but before I start any of my classes, I get to pray for my students and the students pray for me sometimes, too. It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Palmer.
