At the age of 8, I dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. My days were consumed with digging holes in Jenks Park in Central Falls and looking for buried treasure. I knew that someday I could possibly work beside some of the great scientists and make a discovery of an ancient city. Dr. Leakey was my hero. I absorbed myself in history textbooks, encyclopedias, PBS programs, news articles, basically anything that was historical and foreign interested me and sparked my imagination. I was also a writer and used these ideas to create stories. My imagination was infinite.
Fast forward to when I was in the 10th grade, I hit the jackpot. I got a small part time job working in the archaeology department at Brown University. My job consisted of cleaning artifacts with a toothbrush. I cleaned bones, earthenware, and whatever I was given. I worked alone for hours every day, wondering where these artifacts were coming from. I made up stories in my head. The possibilities were infinite. That was one of the best jobs I ever had. I looked forward to cleaning the new shipments that came in weekly and I knew this was going to be my future.
Alas, by the time I got to college, I knew at the end of my first year that my passion for archaeology was not as strong as my passion for creating stories and using my voice to articulate ideas. I discovered that teaching English was my true calling. However, in my heart I have always admired the many archaeologist who get to be an integral part of a discovery.
Today, I have used my passion and desire for archaeology to travel the world and explore UNESCO sites and ancient ruins. I have also earned a certificate in colored gemstones from the Gemological Institute of America. I have traveled to more than 80 countries exploring the histories of people and collecting gemstones, art, artifacts and stories from people. I have been to the ruins of ancient Troy, the fields of Pagodas in Pagan, ancient Albanian amphitheaters, I have crawled in the Vietnamese Cu Chi tunnels, climbed the great wall of China, discover the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru, taken a gem class in Sri Lanka, visited mines in Ratnapura and visited Turkey’s ancient caves and Armenian monasteries that hold the history of Moses people. The mountains of Delphi in Greece were magnificent and the stories of the Greek myths played out in my imagination. The great pharaohs of Egypt, the deserts of Africa and the middle east have fanned my imagination for over 30 years. Oh, the places I have been.
I use my travel stories in my teachings and I share valuable lessons about life to my students. I have kept my dream alive through teaching. Each year I travel and collect memories and histories to help my students imagine what their future might be. I help my students to dream. I am blessed to be a teacher.
Deloris Davis Grant is an English teacher at Central Falls High School (CFHS) who is dedicated to academic excellence in all forms of communication in the high school classroom. She is an alumna of CFHS and Rhode Island College with a BA in English and Master of Arts in Teaching English. Grant has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Education and experienced AP English and Drama teacher at CFHS. Grant is the troupe leader of the CFHS International Thespian Society and a member of the English Speaking Union, which sponsors the National Shakespeare Oration Competition. Grant’s training in speaking and listening, as well as in language arts has spanned 30 years of experience. She is also a part of the RIC/CF innovation lab. Grant currently serves as a clinical teacher and supervises student teachers from several of the local colleges and universities. She has traveled to more than 70 countries and enjoys learning about cultures and peoples from around the world and has also donated time and effort to help the children of Cambodia and Myanmar. Grant has worked with underserved children and their families for more than 35 years.”
photo by Agapao Productions
