Why did you become an educator?
As an African-American woman, I wanted to become a teacher so that students who look like me know that the sky is the limit. I wanted them to know they could become anything they could dream of and that there are problems that the world will need their help solving. Representation in the classroom is extremely important. When you can see it you can dream it. Students are statistically more likely to perform better when taught by someone who looks like them. I teach because everyone deserves a cheerleader and supporter, and someone to guide them in the correct direction. I want to be that for my students. That is why I became an educator.
What do you love about your school?
I love our sense of community. My principal truly goes out of his way to make the staff, as well as the students, feel comfortable and important. The classroom culture I’ve created gives an atmosphere where everyone feels like they matter and there is no such thing as bad questions. Our principal focus is on positive behavior interventions which I have seen work wonders with our students it has allowed them to trust us and be more willing to learn.
“The classroom culture I’ve created gives an atmosphere where everyone feels like they matter and there is no such thing as bad questions.”
Why is it important that lower-income children can attend schools of choice?
There was a woman in Florida who has been sentenced to ten years in prison because she used the wrong address in an effort to get her children to a better school. That case saddens my heart. Everyone should have an equitable education. But until we get that far, we could at least allow people to choose where they want to go to school. If location or proximity is a factor, families should be able to make that choice. No one should be imprisoned for being too poor to afford a decent education.
