My New Favorite Teacher!

This is Stephanie! If Stephanie looks familiar to you, it's because I've featured her in my blog over the years. I helped fundraise for her a few times years ago, so that she could make it to some leadership conferences. Then two years ago, I saw her at her college graduation celebration. Well, she is now in proud possession of a master's degree: from Johns Hopkins University!!! And, as if that weren't enough, she's going back for another master's, this time in public health. Did I mention that she's been teaching full-time during grad school? This young woman is amazing and I am so proud to know her.

We had lunch this week, and shared stories about teaching in a high-need, low-income area. She's teaching in Baltimore and her stories sound just like mine from Oakland, if not more so. She had three principals her first year and has quickly become a teacher leader just because things needed to get done. It really resonated with my 8 principals and 5 superintendents in 8 years and becoming the senior teacher at age 31.

We have a lot in common, but significant differences in our backgrounds as well. While I certainly had good intentions and went into teaching with my whole heart, I had to unlearn a lot of implicit bias and come to terms with white middle-class privilege. We talked about that too - the bias in education and the devastating inequity between majority-minority schools and majority-white schools.

Stephanie is a phenomenal person and I have no doubt that she's a stellar teacher. But she's still contending with what all teachers in underserved areas have to deal with: 8th graders who can barely read, middle schoolers who are pregnant, CPS reports, lack of supplies, overcrowding, and so so so much need.She's doing the hard work, but we can help by fulfilling her Amazon wish list! Please donate!

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