After completing my two-year commitment to Teach for America, I went on to pursue my dream of teaching high school English. While I loved teaching preschoolers, I wanted to work with adolescents who were learning how to make decisions that could directly impact their future. I joined Muchin College Prep in 2016 where I taught 9th grade English for four years and 11th grade AP English Language & Composition for one year. 

My favorite part of teaching English was showing students how to use reading and writing as communication. Students were taught that no matter what path they pursued after high school, the ability to have strong reading and writing skills is critical in any profession and at times, can serve as social currency. At my school, teachers were given the autonomy to craft their own curriculum. While this presented its own challenges, I had the agency to develop more relevant lessons that were relevant and responsive to students’ lived realities. I often planned lessons where current events were used as an anchor for discussion. This practice allowed for students to activate their prior knowledge as they could relate these topics to what they were seeing on social media and on TV. 

As I progressed in my teaching career, I learned more about what it means to provide equitable educational experiences and be a culturally responsive and sustaining educator. I strived to ensure that the students I was serving, who were primarily Black and Latinx, were receiving the best possible education – one that leveraged their strengths and incorporated aspects of their culture in their learning.