Interview by Camille Carlton
In what way do you still see SEI, or the principles learned through SEI, playing a role in your current life?
You can definitely apply the core principles of SEI in public education!
Through the field studies, we learn that every life has equal value and deserves opportunity, and this is truly the nature of public education. There are students that have come into my class not knowing any English, being completely illiterate, and exhibiting behavior that is not exactly school-appropriate – yet they must be served by public schools, whatever their circumstances may be – as they should be!
Furthermore, the idea of “listening to the customer,” as mentioned in SEI’s case studies on Room to Read, is critical in garnering parent support as a teacher. It’s important to get buy-in from parents by speaking their language and making them feel comfortable in the school environment, going on home visits, and simply asking questions about their lives. Similarly, this goes for students. Being firm is extremely important, but it is also critical to earn students’ trust so they are motivated to work hard for you.
Innovation is extremely important in a classroom and in the broader education sector. I’ve really enjoyed using innovative technology in my classroom. My school is a personalized learning school, meaning that all of my students have chromebooks, and I can easily differentiate for them using different educational apps and programs. Furthermore, using technology is not innovative in itself, but learning how to leverage it for increased academic achievement is. It allows me and my colleagues to let a student who is ahead start on a “pathway” in which they can control the pace of their learning. It’s very satisfying to me that I can address the diversity of my class by having some students learning English on Rosetta Stone, while others are speeding through Khan Academy videos.
In the broader sense, innovative charter schools, and highly specialized educational programs may close the gap for some students, and are often the face of innovation in education. However, for better outcomes for all students, specifically Black and Latino students who experience the “opportunity gap” to a greater degree, public education must improve as a whole, rather than replicating a few effective charter schools in different cities. I would be interested in working at a high performing charter school in the future, but I’m a huge proponent of public schools because they truly reach the poorest of the poor. My undocumented students, or those whose parents may not have access to information on charter schools, will likely always be served by public schools. For the most “at risk” students in public schools, I believe scaling and replicating early childhood education programs would serve as the rising tide to lift all public schools.
What have been some of the highlights of this past year- both personally and career-wise?
Personally, the relationships I’ve built with my students are some of my proudest accomplishments. This year, I still have a high ESL population in my class, but it is a group that is a much less challenging class behaviorally. Consequently, I’m really excited about the more controversial discussions we’ve been able to have as a result. For example, we’ve covered issues like mental health and racism, and we even wrote letters to Donald Trump regarding his damaging rhetoric surrounding Latinos. Last year’s class was definitely tough in terms of the wide range of abilities and behaviors, but on the last day of school, almost all of us were crying; we were all so invested in each other and pushed each other to be successful for a year. I still text and visit some of my old students and plan to continue to do so in the future. But no matter how many years go by though, I don’t foresee myself ever accepting their snapchat requests.
Professionally, growing my efficacy as an educator has been a highlight. There is definitely a huge learning curve coming into teaching with little experience besides Teach for America’s 6-week training. From the first day of school until the very last, I felt like I learned something new every day, either instructionally or in terms of behavior management. Going into this year, I was much more confident, prepared, and excited.
Last time we interviewed you, you mentioned that the biggest challenge was realizing that one year of academic growth was not enough. Do you still see this as the biggest challenge and have you found any creative solutions to minimize the challenge?
That’s still something that is on my mind daily because the stakes are high for these kids, even in 5th grade. I think the only way to minimize that challenge is to become more effective, data-driven, and experienced. I was happy to see that at the end of the year I was able to considerably close gaps for some of my students. For those that met or exceeded their projected goal on the Common Core aligned MAP assessment, those students grew an average of 117% in math, indicating over one year’s worth of growth. Others moved up in terms of their achievement percentiles, which is another way of measuring academic progress. That said, some students, especially those with special needs, showed stagnant scores, or growth, but not close to grade level proficiency. For those students, you need to think about what success looks like for them, whether that be improving their English proficiency, or teaching them habits that will help them be a gainfully employed adult.
Perhaps the greatest challenge this year is realizing that there are intractable systemic problems that are current stressors on my students and their families. For example, I had an undocumented student who was one of the hardest workers and grew the most in my entire class – 3.3 grade levels – yet, due to her legal status, she won’t be eligible for financial aid in college, an aspiration both myself and her family have for her. It is extremely discouraging when the narrative you want to create for your student and their likely outcome conflict due to factors outside your control.
Now that you’ve been working for a little over a year, what do you think are the positives and the negatives of being a part of the workforce as opposed to a student?
I’m a much better teacher than a student, and I enjoy working more than studying. However, I do miss being involved on campus and the opportunity for international experiences! One negative aspect of the workforce here in Charlotte is the contentious nature of education in North Carolina. It is one of the worst paid states for teachers in the US, does not compensate for advanced degrees or more experience until the 5th year of teaching, and faces chronic budget cuts. As a result, our district had unprecedented turnover last year, and there is a pervasive sense of pessimism, especially as we faced extreme budget cuts in the beginning of the school year. I am proud to be a teacher, especially in a title 1 school, but it is discouraging when the senator, Thom Tillis, did not even have education on his campaign platform, and won!
Do you have any “next steps” and, if so, what are they and what is your plan for achieving them?
The past year has truly been a formative experience, and I will undoubtedly stay in education long term. What I’m trying to decide now is what capacity that will be in. My short-term goal for this year is to have my students show greater proficiency in reading, and go into the future feeling empowered.
