Kids run in circles and giggles fill the night air. Parents stand and chat as bedtime quickly approaches. A few buildings down the block, Maggie Ford darts across the street and heaves open the CVS dumpster. Her head disappears into the bin as she begins sifting through the waste. Lindt truffles, lotion, soap and protein bars fill her canvas sacks.

"If only we had gotten here before the trash truck came, there would be so much more," she sighs.

No one sees more beauty and potential in both ordinary objects and people than Ford.

Her bedroom is an eclectic haven, filled with trash finds. On one wall stands an old oak desk, stained dark brown and covered in worn newspapers dating back to 1976. A bookshelf found on Craigslist free lines the wall catty-corner to the desk. Five Herbert's Lemonade jugs sit on the bottom shelf, filled to the brim with coins found on sidewalks and left behind in parking meters.

"How do we still have things we can be thankful for?" asks one of Ford’s fourth grade students.

One of the curious nine-year-olds is amazed that after three weeks of sharing what he is thankful for, he still has new things to express gratitude for.

"My goal is to encourage my students while making my classroom homey and safe," Ford says.

When asked why these were her specific goals, she takes a deep breath and then answers.

"You just never know what the kids are going home to," Ford says. "Some parents run global enterprises, and some work multiple jobs to afford tuition."

Sitting with her legs pulled up on the white plastic chair, the coffee machine humming away, she leans over her computer as she talks about why she chose to become a teacher.

"I was in macroeconomics, and I needed a 73.5 to pass, I made a 73," Ford says. "I think that was God's final nudge sending me to the Religious and Theological Studies major, the major I knew I should have chosen to begin with."

Ford has an antique desk lining her bedroom wall I I Photo credit to Sydney Powell

Ford loves learning about religion and theology, and is very grateful to have studied those subjects.

But she knew that teaching was her skill set.

"I used to teach Sunday school classes, remedial lessons and violin lessons," she says. "But it wasn't until I picked up a girl I babysat from Geneva School that I decided to email a friend who works there to try to get a teaching job."

A few months later she began teaching fourth grade at The Geneva School of Manhattan on the Upper West Side.

"The Geneva School of Manhattan exists to provide a time-proven classical education within a biblical worldview. We inspire students to love learning, pursue excellence and become leaders in scholarship, virtue, and faith," reads the mission statement on The Geneva School of Manhattan's website.

Although Ford does not have a teaching degree, her experiences teaching growing up paired with The King's College's classical Christian education equips her with the skills needed to fulfill the Geneva School's mission.

It was back in North Carolina where she was taught how to give tossed out goods new life and how to encourage others to pursue their fullest potential. Each of these passions was taught to her by her family.

"I'm going to cry," Ford says, looking out the window.

Ford describes her mom as a dedicated and loving person—a woman who loves like Christ.

Family is the most crucial thing in life to Ford, and she hopes to reflect that to her students.

"I aspire to be my mom in every way possible," Ford says.

She elaborates more on her family and her childhood, talking about her grandfather taking her on dumpster dives. And now her dad has even joined in on the fun, sending Ford pictures of his frozen food finds, clothing and more.

Michael Terry, Ford’s Fiancé, sees her as the hands and feet of Jesus, just as Ford sees her mom.

"I first talked to Maggie on the bus ride back from Fall Retreat freshman year," he reminisced. "Once I heard she was from North Carolina, we yelled back and forth across the bus seats getting to know each other."

Terry got down on one knee at Moore Street Market a year and a few months after their love story began. Sitting at a long yellow table overlooking Main Street, with the water glistening in the distance, Maggie says, "yes."

Terry and Ford reminisce in a coffee shop over the origins of how they met. I I Photo credit to Sydney Powell

Ford pulls out her sunglasses, as the sun beats in from the coffee shop window.
"These are my latest find," she laughs. "My trash sunglasses."

Back in Ford’s classroom, students lounge on bean bags, curl up in the carpet corner and avidly read through books in the ever-evolving mini library.

"Nine-year-olds aren't made to sit in a classroom for eight hours at a time," Ford said.

To give her students an environment to grow and be curious in, Ford designed her classroom by dedicating different corners to various activities, all while making the corners interactive.

"There are three whiteboards, and each one is for something different. The math board is so kids can practice, the thankfulness board is to remind us to dwell on the good and then there's an agenda board."

Each of these whiteboards help the classroom to function with a bit more efficiency and seamlessness in a room full of rowdy students.

"I knew she would be a great teacher because she's been teaching me for three years," Terry says. "Maggie can work on various projects at breakneck speeds while simultaneously not sacrificing her time and relationships."

Terry pulls Ford in for a hug and kisses her on the head as the coffee machines continue to rumble on.

"I can't wait to marry him on New Year's Eve," she smiles.

On the walk home from the coffee shop, they pick up a coin on the street to add to their Herbert's Lemonade jugs.

Maggie Ford: a collector of trash and a lover of people