I attended the University of Pittsburgh for both my undergraduate degree and M.Ed, through the CASE (Combined Accelerated Studies in Education) program.
During my sophomore year at Pitt, there were two things that propelled me into education. Originally, I was enrolled in an introduction to biology and chemistry course. I immediately knew that this was not what I was trying to do, and the only class that I could find to fit in the space was a class through the School of Education, “Teaching English Language Learners”. I had an amazing professor, and the content in the class just clicked for me. The other thing was that I started a work study job with Jumpstart Pittsburgh- a non-profit that partners college students with preschools that primarily serve communities labeled as low-income. Jumpstart trains and sends teams of college students into classrooms to provide literacy and social-emotional enrichment opportunities to preschool students. I served both of my two years of Jumpstart (one as a team leader) at an early childhood center in the city of Pittsburgh. I thought it sounded interesting and fun, but I had no idea that it would make me want to become an educator! These two things combined made it very clear to me that education was my pathway.
This year will be my second year out of my master’s program, and I’ll be working as an elementary special education teacher within the city of Pittsburgh. I had a similar role last year, but in addition to being a special education teacher for 5th grade, I also taught 4th grade math in a general education classroom. At the end of my M.Ed program, I had a long-term sub as a kindergarten teacher, and while I was still in my undergraduate program, I subbed in preschool on my days off.
I think that I am very lucky to have a job that I adore. Even on the rough days, when it seems like I just can’t get into a good groove with the kids or nothing ends up how I planned, I still find joy in what I do. I can always find at least one thing that happens that makes me either really happy, or that makes me cry laughing. Children are beautiful people. They are funny. They are full of strange ideas, and they truly keep you on your toes. I love how busy and active a classroom environment is, how I get to be on my feet all day, and how intellectually engaging the work continues to be.
I also think that, on the level of your students and your school, you can really see your hard work paying off as a teacher. There’s no better feeling as a teacher than seeing a student grow in their skills or receiving confirmation that a student understands how much you care about them.
I want to start out by saying that I have been fortunate enough to work at schools that value families and communities as well as schools that do think critically about equity in regards to race and income level. I strongly believe that a school can be more than a school. In fact, they can be places for families to support and receive support from other families. Schools do have the ability to strongly advocate for kids. In addition, they can be partners with community organizations to expand the reach of those organizations.
However, I think that the coronavirus pandemic has made the gaps, specifically between affluent white communities and low-income Black communities, much clearer to many individuals. Many of us in education have always seen those gaps. They’ve always been there. However, last spring, when we had to move suddenly to remote learning, the inequities that have always existed in education were highlighted. Students in affluent communities had a much easier time with the transition, in terms of resources and access, than students in low-income communities. Black and Brown students were affected much more intensely- especially Black and Brown students who receive special education services. A lot of people seemed to be surprised by this, but why would it be surprising? This has been the reality for children and families this whole time.
For my part, I am thinking more than ever about how to make my teaching practices actively anti-racist in order to promote social and racial justice. I’m reflecting on things like dress codes, discipline practices, my own classroom management, and asking myself the hard questions- have I been engaging in racist practices without even thinking about it? How can I flip this so that I am actively engaging in anti-racist practices? Self-reflection, reading and listening to content from Black educators and activists, analyzing data, and having conversations are a all good ways to start, but the real action in terms of anti-racist teaching practices needs to come out when students are back in the (virtual or real) classroom.
I hope that the people in charge of education at the highest level will actually be educators, and that schools, families, and communities will receive the support and advocacy that they need to provide justice and equity for students. There are huge systemic changes that need to occur for education to truly become just and equitable. My hope is that those changes are made, because every single child deserves an excellent education, and every single family deserves to have a safe and productive place to send their children. Every community deserves high-quality, well-funded schools.