When I took Intro to Education during my undergraduate studies, the first thing my professor said on the first day of class was, “If you want to do meaningful public service work, go into teaching”. I had just returned from a formative six month study of human rights in Argentina and Chile, and a sense of urgency to do “meaningful” work had just begun to manifest within me. My interpretation of education as a human right has evolved through gaining experience and perspective; I believe that all children are entitled to a learning experience grounded in respect, love, and understanding. I believe that, as an educator, it is my responsibility to provide students with opportunities for challenge, to spark curiosity, to engage in critical thinking, and to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their community. Incidentally, I dropped the class and abandoned the idea of becoming a teacher for another few years, but my professor’s words stay with me to this day as I reflect on my journey of becoming an educator and continue to better my practice.
In order for kids to be able to learn, they need to feel safe. My definition of a safe classroom is one in which students feel nurtured, heard, and comfortable enough to take risks. Building strong relationships and establishing rapport with students early on and repeatedly is absolutely essential to maintaining an environment where students can thrive. The first few weeks of school are critical for setting up this environment, but I also believe that this work continues every day for the rest of the school year. I work tirelessly to make sure that my students know that I care about them as humans, in and outside of school. One way this is facilitated in my classroom is through weekly circles, in which students have the opportunity to share personal bright spots, struggles, aspirations, celebrations, and apologies to one another. I have seen this routine work beautifully, where students feel supported enough to share grief and trauma, and their peers surround them with empathy and love. At the core of a classroom in which meaningful learning takes place, I believe these are the structures that are most important.
I believe that as a white teacher working in a historically racist institution, it is imperative to both understand my privilege and actively disrupt patterns of oppression in the classroom. In order to work toward an antiracist teaching practice, it is first essential to recognize that implicit biases exist and are interwoven in my daily life; I understand that each discretionary decision I make in the classroom will be colored by my perspectives and biases. In order to disrupt these biases, I commit to continuously auditing my practice for equity and building empathetic relationships with all students.
The kind of learning that I strive to facilitate in my classroom is most salient when students are actively engaging in real world endeavors. To me, project based learning means doing work that is rooted in community, collaboration, and authenticity. I believe that the most successful projects happen when students tackle real world issues and engage and interface with their community. An example of this is our spoken word poetry project, where students interrogate common Eurocentric narratives in history, explore social justice and injustice, and examine their own intersectional identities as a backdrop for learning about poetry. Real spoken word artists come speak to the students about activism and performance, then students write, critique, revise, and practice, all leading up to a powerful exhibition performance in a professional space. The knowledge and skills acquired from this kind of experience are transferable, helping students navigate the real world and spark real change. In order to develop an intrinsic love of learning, I also aim to facilitate a learning environment which centers around metacognitive practices. Students should actively monitor their own learning, have voice and choice in their own learning, and develop a nuanced understanding of their own best practices. This looks like frequent written and verbal reflections about learning, setting personalized goals, engaging in dialogue with peers about learning, and presenting learning for teachers and family.
Just as my students are engaging in real world work in the form of projects, my classroom environment also aims to be a model for the real world. My management style is inspired by restorative practices, where students are held accountable for their actions, and meaningful conversations and repairing actions take place as a result of conflict. I also know that each child is unique in their understanding and ability to adhere to codes of social behavior. In turn, to be a culturally responsive educator is to celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity while also teaching students the skills and codes that will allow them to be successful in the mainstream power hierarchy.
The kinds of skills and knowledge that I strive to facilitate in my classroom are transferable and reach beyond the scope of school. I believe that it is most important to teach students to think critically, to be curious, to be creative, and to take onus in their learning in any subject area. My lessons provide opportunities to practice these skills through collaborative work and discussions that push for complex thinking. For example, my 7th grade math students used their knowledge of proportional relationships in order to analyze different versions of maps and determine if there is a proportional relationship between the 2D map we recognize and use in schools and the globe. This led to a discussion about the creation of maps as a tool for European conquest, how maps shape our perceptions of the world, and if we believe we should use a more accurate kind of map in schools. By drawing on hard skills to tackle real world curiosities, students not only solidify their learning but also practice the essential skill of transferring knowledge across disciplines and beyond the walls of the classroom.
My hope as a teacher is that every student in my classroom feels safe, empowered, respected, and challenged. I believe that my teaching practice should constantly be evolving and improving in response to the needs of each of my students. I am committed to bettering myself as an educator through learning from my colleagues, investigating curiosities, seeking professional development opportunities, and continuing to pursue my own education. I know that I’m never done learning, and my commitment to doing meaningful work will always remain at the center of my practice.
In order for kids to be able to learn, they need to feel safe. My definition of a safe classroom is one in which students feel nurtured, heard, and comfortable enough to take risks. Building strong relationships and establishing rapport with students early on and repeatedly is absolutely essential to maintaining an environment where students can thrive. The first few weeks of school are critical for setting up this environment, but I also believe that this work continues every day for the rest of the school year. I work tirelessly to make sure that my students know that I care about them as humans, in and outside of school. One way this is facilitated in my classroom is through weekly circles, in which students have the opportunity to share personal bright spots, struggles, aspirations, celebrations, and apologies to one another. I have seen this routine work beautifully, where students feel supported enough to share grief and trauma, and their peers surround them with empathy and love. At the core of a classroom in which meaningful learning takes place, I believe these are the structures that are most important.
I believe that as a white teacher working in a historically racist institution, it is imperative to both understand my privilege and actively disrupt patterns of oppression in the classroom. In order to work toward an antiracist teaching practice, it is first essential to recognize that implicit biases exist and are interwoven in my daily life; I understand that each discretionary decision I make in the classroom will be colored by my perspectives and biases. In order to disrupt these biases, I commit to continuously auditing my practice for equity and building empathetic relationships with all students.
The kind of learning that I strive to facilitate in my classroom is most salient when students are actively engaging in real world endeavors. To me, project based learning means doing work that is rooted in community, collaboration, and authenticity. I believe that the most successful projects happen when students tackle real world issues and engage and interface with their community. An example of this is our spoken word poetry project, where students interrogate common Eurocentric narratives in history, explore social justice and injustice, and examine their own intersectional identities as a backdrop for learning about poetry. Real spoken word artists come speak to the students about activism and performance, then students write, critique, revise, and practice, all leading up to a powerful exhibition performance in a professional space. The knowledge and skills acquired from this kind of experience are transferable, helping students navigate the real world and spark real change. In order to develop an intrinsic love of learning, I also aim to facilitate a learning environment which centers around metacognitive practices. Students should actively monitor their own learning, have voice and choice in their own learning, and develop a nuanced understanding of their own best practices. This looks like frequent written and verbal reflections about learning, setting personalized goals, engaging in dialogue with peers about learning, and presenting learning for teachers and family.
Just as my students are engaging in real world work in the form of projects, my classroom environment also aims to be a model for the real world. My management style is inspired by restorative practices, where students are held accountable for their actions, and meaningful conversations and repairing actions take place as a result of conflict. I also know that each child is unique in their understanding and ability to adhere to codes of social behavior. In turn, to be a culturally responsive educator is to celebrate cultural and linguistic diversity while also teaching students the skills and codes that will allow them to be successful in the mainstream power hierarchy.
The kinds of skills and knowledge that I strive to facilitate in my classroom are transferable and reach beyond the scope of school. I believe that it is most important to teach students to think critically, to be curious, to be creative, and to take onus in their learning in any subject area. My lessons provide opportunities to practice these skills through collaborative work and discussions that push for complex thinking. For example, my 7th grade math students used their knowledge of proportional relationships in order to analyze different versions of maps and determine if there is a proportional relationship between the 2D map we recognize and use in schools and the globe. This led to a discussion about the creation of maps as a tool for European conquest, how maps shape our perceptions of the world, and if we believe we should use a more accurate kind of map in schools. By drawing on hard skills to tackle real world curiosities, students not only solidify their learning but also practice the essential skill of transferring knowledge across disciplines and beyond the walls of the classroom.
My hope as a teacher is that every student in my classroom feels safe, empowered, respected, and challenged. I believe that my teaching practice should constantly be evolving and improving in response to the needs of each of my students. I am committed to bettering myself as an educator through learning from my colleagues, investigating curiosities, seeking professional development opportunities, and continuing to pursue my own education. I know that I’m never done learning, and my commitment to doing meaningful work will always remain at the center of my practice.