One of education's primary purposes is to create an intelligent citizenry that can participate in our democracy and make informed decisions for the common good. I strive to create a classroom where all students feel safe, valued, supported, and engaged to be vital community participants working toward social change. I encourage my students to be agents of change by creating and developing a curriculum that represents diversity in my classroom.
I have sixteen years of experience teaching all the various subjects in a social studies curriculum, where I mainly taught in urban settings to students from multiple cultures, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. These experiences taught me that highly effective teachers create, design and implement curriculum that reflects the diversity of their classroom. When developing curriculum, I utilize a framework that recognizes the students first by asking What are their lives like? What motivates them? What resources do they bring to the classroom? What challenges might they face in a college environment? What is their cultural heritage? What languages do they speak in their homes? What are the beliefs and practices associated with education that their families hold?
I am a warm demander setting high expectations while showing love and concern for my students. At the beginning of the school year, I prioritize establishing relationships with my students by getting to know them as individuals and learners. In addition, I foster a classroom environment where students feel a sense of community and can form connections with each other. These relationships allow students to feel safe sharing their ideas because they understand that a strong democracy requires an open dialogue about issues of public concern. My students are taught how to listen actively and respectfully, think critically, assess the impact of historical context, challenge assumptions, and evaluate the potential motivations of differing perspectives. They are encouraged to dialogue with me and each other in an interactive setting, which enhances their learning through real-life connections and increases their level of attention and engagement in the classroom.