I am an educator, artist and activist who has spent the last decade teaching middle school in urban settings across the country. I currently teach 5th grade in an inclusive classroom at Bronx Charter School for the Arts in the Hunts Point neighborhood of New York City. Previously, I was a founding teacher at Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, California where I taught 6^th- 8^th grade Language Arts and Social Studies. I started my teaching career as a 1999 Teach for America corps member who taught 6^th grade Language Arts and Social Studies and 6^th- 8^th grade Spanish at Samuel Gompers Middle School in the Watts area of Los Angeles. I love teaching because everyday I am challenged emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

I grew up in an African American and Irish American family with parents who encouraged me to be friends with anyone and everyone and to see the best in people. This type of thinking greatly influences my classroom, the way I teach, and how I support my students in thinking about one another. I spent two years of my elementary schooling in Kenya, which gave me a view of the diversity of the world and the people in it. I am a continual learner who is always trying new things and I create opportunities for my students to do the same. Learning outside of the classroom, thinking about an issue from a different perspective, and using our knowledge to positively impact our local communities are principles my students and I live by.

I strongly believe that education is a tool for social justice and empowerment and I teach to make the world a more fair and just place for everyone. In order to make learning culturally relevant, student-centered, and interactive for my students I use training from models such as Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound. I teach with an arts integration approach in the classroom and use principles from Harvard’s Project Zero and the Kennedy Center’s ArtsEdge. I know the importance of families and community being integrated into schools and the classroom so I conduct regular home visits, create connections between my school and community organizations, and provide genuine opportunities for students to share what they are learning with the larger world.

My passion lies in teaching middle grade students because I enjoy creating a space of support, community, and safety in the normally tumultuous time of adolescence. Using models such as advisory, service learning, and looping have helped me create and support strong middle school students and experiences. I have also conducted inquiry-based classroom research to investigate best ways to teach critical thinking strategies to students.

I attended the University of California at Berkeley and received a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and a Masters of Arts in Education. My Masters research focused on the role of athletics in the academic achievement of African American high school student-athletes. I was a featured teacher in the PBS documentary “The First Year” which followed five first-year teachers in Los Angeles and I was recently awarded National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. I love my job and often dream of starting a teacher-led school where students and families are engaged, teachers are invested and supported, community organizations are connected, and positive and systemic change is happening. I am hopeful that my time as a Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow will allow me to share the experiences of students and teachers across the country to inform education policy and reform in our country.