LEARN Campbell Teachers works with Pharrell - LEARN Charter School Network

Motivating factors.

As the new school year kicks off, teachers and students alike may be mulling theirs over.

First-year teacher Dwayne Reed is not. According to the 26-year-old Chicago Heights native, his motivation is the children, and he’s not afraid to stand up on a desk, sing or “make a fool” of himself to let the students, staff or world know it.

“I want them to stay engaged. I’m not afraid to be goofy or make a fool of myself if that’s going to get you listening to me to tell you what 2+2 is. I’ll do it all day, every day,” Reed said during an interview in his fifth-grade classroom at East Garfield Park’s LEARN Charter School Network — Campbell Campus (212 S. Francisco Ave.)