At which Meeting Street School do you teach?
Meeting Street Academy – Charleston (Go Owls!)
When and why did you decide to be a teacher?
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to change the world. However, the way in which I planned to do so changed as I grew. In full transparency, when I decided to go to college for teaching, I planned on taking my degree back to Pennsylvania to work at the elementary school I went to as a kid. Then as a senior in college, I was a part of a leadership group that took me to Washington, D.C. and revealed the side of education that I had never seen; the side that was littered with inequity and predetermined trajectories of success based on a child’s zip code. I remember the physical feeling of the fire being ignited in me which told me equity in education was the way I would help change the world.
Where did you go to school?
I went to College of Charleston for my undergraduate degree and Columbia University for my master’s.
Where did you do your student teaching and what did you take away from that experience?
I student taught in Berkeley County in a second grade classroom. I think the number one thing I learned was that no matter how many classes I took at school, no matter how incredible my professors were, and no matter how much time I spent reading every book on education possible, nothing could prepare me for teaching more than actually doing it. I had to teach, get feedback, and do it again to really be the best for my kids.
How did you decide which school you would teach at after graduating?
During my senior year of college, my friends and I devoted our time to the Eastside of Downtown Charleston. We lived in the community, built strong relationships with our neighbors through weekly dinners in our home, and eventually took ownership of the neighborhood laundromat (shout out Laundry Matters!). I knew right away that I wanted to then teach in the neighborhood that I lived in and loved. I saw right away the shortcomings of our education system. I knew that if I was going to continue on my mission of changing the world, I needed to do so in a place where I would be consistently pushed to be better for the kids, and where I would be surrounded by people who had a mission and mindset like mine.
Which school(s) did you teach at before coming to Meeting Street Schools?
Sanders-Clyde Elementary
How did you find out about Meeting Street Schools?
I was a part of various education organizations in Charleston and during my first year teaching, Dirk Bedford, the old principal of MSA, reached out!
What was your first impression/experience at Meeting Street Schools?
“This is what every child deserves.”
What makes Meeting Street Schools different, and/or why did you decide to work for Meeting Street Schools, and what keeps you here?
I love visiting schools; whenever I am in a new city and I have some extra time, I try to find a school in the area that is doing something different. So often I find that there is this narrow view of what is possible for kids. There is always someone or something to blame for why a child “can’t”, but at MSS, we don’t do excuses. While information on the student is important, we know that the things that a student comes into school with are not determining factors on what they can accomplish. We know that the one greatest influence on a student’s success is the teacher in the classroom and WE are the ones that cause learning. It’s up to us. No excuses.
What is your current position at Meeting Street Schools? Describe the journey from first starting at MSS to where you are now.
I am currently the K-2 Academic Dean! I went from teaching fifth grade at Sanders-Clyde, to teaching Pre-K, then to first grade, and now I’m here. MSA is my favorite place, and I truly feel that I have the greatest job in the world.
What career goals are you still working towards?
I don’t know what is next but I do know that no matter what, “Is it best for kids?” will be the question that guides me.
