Why did you become an educator?
I became an educator to aid in the closing of the “Achievement Gap,” or as other refer to as the Opportunity Gap. I became and educator to serve students in the same neighborhood I grew up in and make genuine growth with my students. I also became an educator to be a positive male role-model for students who, unfortunately, come from single-parent household–often times with little to no male figures at home. I also became an educator to strengthen students’ ethnic identity. I feel like giving students multiple opportunities to explore our ethnic groups, students have a sense of belonging and value.
What do you love about your school?
I love that our school is always doing the challenging and new things in education. We are always willing to put our students first and make strong connections with our students. Our school allows us to have the first parent/teacher conference to be at the students’ home to better understand the home environment with our students. Our school creates a huge sense of community in our neighborhood and our students are always the focus.
Why is it important that lower income children can attend schools of choice?
Lower income children are frequently the forgotten students. These schools are typically underfunded and understaffed. Having the opportunity to choose schools eliminates the Opportunity Gap and allows students to attend quality schools without being restricted because of their socio-economic status.