Growing up as a first generation student in Boston Public Schools has given me the experience needed to understand the challenges students face: access to content. Through my continued studies at Hamilton College (Bachelor's in Mathematics) and UMASS Boston (Masters in Education) I was able to learn that mastery of the content is not just what is needed to ensure student success. At the minimum, a teacher must also utilize and create anti-racist curriculum, prioritize the social and emotional well-being of the student, communicate and engage with a student's family active participants in their learning, familiarize themselves with current cultural and social events in the real-world, and provide differentiation for students by utilizing tools, manipulatives and providing students with multiple forms of expressing what they have learned. I am hoping to continue to learn about the needs of students through ESL Certification in the fall.
I have experience working in two Elementary Boston Public Schools as both support staff and a teacher in an inclusion classroom. I find great joy in sharing my cultural background and helping students learn more about themselves through the content they need to learn. Although my primary experience is with Elementary students, I love exploring and teaching Math topics such as Pre-Algebra. Mathematics is typically a polarizing subject and being able to show students that everyone is a mathematician has been a big passion of mine.
My belief that everyone deserves compassion, dignity and respect is at the forefront of my philosophy of education. Students deserve a safe and supportive learning environment modeled and led by an empathetic teacher. A student's interests and hobbies as well as the world around us are used with the content to help increase engagement. After speaking to a student and their family more, we set goals and expectations for our time together as a team. I strive to keep learning fun, creative and engaging while not sacrificing the rigor of the content.