As a liberatory and anti-racist educator, my first hope for my students is that they love themselves deeply. I believe that self-love is the foundation for taking care of others and beginning to heal the world. One of my favorite teaching memories comes from my experience leading first and second graders in St. Louis, Missouri. Students worked in racially diverse teams to design the St. Louis of the future through their eyes. One student, a young Black boy full of joy, decided that there needed to be a garage for flying cars in his city of the future. He worked carefully and confidently with his team to build and present his prototype. His brilliance shone through and it was so exciting to watch his peers support his ideas and vision. Experiences like these reinforce my teaching belief that self-love should center our learning experiences.
My teaching philosophy is grounded in the principles of equity, stewardship and authenticity. We learn to take care of ourselves, take care of each other, and take care of our things and our environment. A typical day in my classroom is full of joy and collaboration. Since children learn key life skills through play and projects, I intentionally incorporate these experiences into my classroom schedule. We work together to complete hands-on projects that incorporate rigorous academic skills.
I have been trained in Project GLAD which has given me many strategies to use with emerging bilingual and English language learners. One strategy that I prioritize in my teaching practice is the use of storytelling to share information and experiences in our classroom. By telling stories about our experiences as well as stories about the project we are working on, we merge our imaginations with our intellect. This helps children access the material in many ways and learn deeply. Storytelling is also a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with families and community members - everyone has a story to tell, and we work together to make our classroom a place where these stories are told, listened to, and celebrated.
I also draw on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies to include all students in the teaching and learning process. In my classroom students have many opportunities to access the content and skills, as well as many opportunities to express their learning. I give students breaks during learning time to help everyone stay focused and successful. I also check in with students in a one-on-one setting so I can monitor students’ needs and provide them with additional resources as needed. I love the opportunity to work with diverse students as I am constantly learning alongside children and their families. During distance learning, regular breaks during learning time clearly help my students come back to the learning activities refreshed and ready to learn. I have been so excited to see a friendship blossom during these learning breaks between two of my third grade students - although they have never met in person, they are building a close friendship that also supports their learning!
Everyone has something to teach as well as something to learn. Therefore, students have responsibilities in my classroom, from classroom jobs to supporting their classmates’ learning through peer tutoring. Students regularly engage in the design process during which they give and receive kind, helpful and specific feedback to their peers. In our classroom, we share responsibilities because we are all important stewards of our learning and our community. Our class learns that we are all responsible for taking care of one another and our world, and that we are a class family.
I believe learning and teaching should be joyous and full of wonder! By working together with students, families and colleagues, we create deep learning experiences. We learn to take care of ourselves, take care of others and take care of our world. Most of all, by working together we can build a more peaceful and just world through education.
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