HOUSTON – An HISD teacher said he “literally broke down” in his classroom on the second day of the school year after, according to his account posted on social media, several senior students struggled to complete a short writing exercise.
Darius Williams, who is listed in the Wheatley High School’s staff directory as an NES CTE teacher in a non-foundational program of study, described the experience in an Instagram video.
“I literally broke down in the middle of class,” Williams said.
Williams, who gets emotional in his post, said the students he was referring to were 17 and 18 years old and would soon be expected to graduate and potentially attend college.
“These kids are leaving high school and going to college, hopefully, after they finish,” he said.
He then described an exercise in which students were asked to fill in four words.
“These are 17 and 18 year old kids and they couldn’t fill in four words, four words,” Williams said.
Later in the video, Williams made a more pointed assessment of the students’ academic skills.
“I have seniors who simply cannot read and seniors who cannot write,” he said.
Williams said the students appeared capable of verbally defending their reasoning but struggled to transfer those skills to written material.
“I simply don’t know where the problem is. This is only day two,” Williams said.
Williams is identified in the video as an HISD educator and is wearing an HISD lanyard displaying “Wheatley.”
According to the district’s staff-directory, Williams is listed under the title “NES CTE (Non-Foundational Prog of Study).”
The CTE designation refers to HISD’s Career and Technical Education programs.
The district describes CTE as a collection of courses designed to prepare students for further education and careers in current or emerging professions. The district says its CTE programs prepare students for industry certifications, while some programs also offer dual-credit opportunities that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school.
HISD released the following statement:
“Houston ISD has a sense of urgency about ensuring every student graduates prepared for college, career, and life. We know some students enter high school significantly below grade level, and helping those students accelerate their learning is among our most important responsibilities.
“The first days of the school year are an important time for teachers to get to know their students’ academic abilities, assess their individual needs, and determine the support each student may require. We see students with a range of academic needs every day. As teachers and instructional leaders, it is our responsibility to identify those needs and our commitment to close the gaps.
“At Wheatley High School, students have made significant academic gains, demonstrating that strong instruction, high expectations, and targeted support are making a difference. At the same time, we know there are students who need additional academic support, and we will continue working with our teachers and school leaders to ensure those students receive it.
“We are proud of the progress students are making. Our work continues until every student is prepared for the future.”
*HISD describes a “program of study” gives students real-world experience, providing students with the knowledge and skills needed for a chosen career.
Williams responds to questions about teaching qualifications
The response to Williams’ video also prompted questions about his background and qualifications to teach. Williams, who is also known online as DariusCooks, addressed those questions in a subsequent social media video.
Williams said he has completed the coursework required through the state teacher certification program and passed his content examination. He said he was still completing the field-experience portion of the process and expected to be fully certified within a few weeks.
“I did all of the coursework and passed my content exam to become a certified teacher in the state of Texas by the Texas Education Agency,” Williams said. “The third piece, getting my field hours, couldn’t get them until school started. I’ll have it done to be certified in a couple of weeks.”
Texas does allow uncertified educators to teach while completing certification requirements.
Williams also pushed back at those questioning his decision to teach, challenging critics to become certified themselves and take on the demands of a classroom.
The questions about Williams’ background also brought renewed attention to his history as the online personality DariusCooks. The Better Business Bureau’s profile for DariusCooks, LLC lists Williams as the owner. In May 2022, the BBB issued a consumer warning about the business after receiving numerous complaints from customers. At the time, the BBB gave the company an “F” rating and advised consumers to use caution when doing business with it.
The BBB’s current profile continues to list complaints against DariusCooks, LLC, including complaints involving undelivered merchandise and refunds. BBB notes that its complaint information consists of reports from consumers and that it does not independently verify the accuracy of those reports.
Some people across social media platforms said they were surprised to see Williams working as a teacher, while others defended him and said they understood his concerns about students’ academic skills.