“When the lights shut off / And it’s my turn to settle down / My main concern / Promise that you will sing about me”. These words belong to the prolific generational talent known as Kendrick Lamar on his song titled, Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst. The story Lamar tells resonates with me on both a personal and professional level. As someone who grew up in impoverished neighborhoods with only my mother and older brother, stories that shed light on the experiences that one must live through on a daily basis hold truly profound weight to me. As someone who never had anything tangible to brag about or feel proud of, I was raised to be proud of how I make others feel and how I give back to the world and community that has given me enough to survive. Lamar’s song is a perpetual reminder that my true goal in life is to have others sing about me. I do not want others to talk about me or remember me for how convenient I was for them or anyone else; I want people to sing about me. Music has always had a special place in my heart because it is expressive. Music is joyful. Music is meaningful. Music is a vehicle for connection and vulnerability. Music is my portal to the world and is what has poured the most meaning and authenticity into my life which is why music is what I want to pour back into others and the world around me. I choose to be music for others and I choose to be that through teaching.

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Teaching and music have always gone hand in hand for me and the connection between the two has been and always will be at the forefront of my teaching philosophy and practice. Teaching should be everything music is: expressive, joyful, creative, personal, meaningful, powerful, rooted in love for something or someone. While I truly believe that this is what teaching is and should be for everyone, I can see and feel the music through teaching middle school humanities the most. Teaching middle school has been one of the most genuinely rewarding experiences that I have had the honor and privilege of experiencing. Middle school is a time when students truly go through almost every emotion and feeling that is possible. The infinite range of possibilities that is present in an environment like middle school is what excites and inspires me. This point in a student’s life, both academically and developmentally, can truly be a turning point for their social-emotional development, academic success, and personal growth. Middle school is a time of exploration, curiosity, authentic connection, and engaging in academic rigor. It is a time for students to be challenged and set goals for themselves. As a teacher, I see it as my role to simply be a facilitator for that process. Middle school students are so special because they truly take on any challenge that comes their way. When middle school students feel physically and emotionally safe while also being challenged and encouraged to take risks, the potential for deeper learning and life-changing experiences become easily accessible for everyone, students and teachers alike. 

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Humanities is a particularly special content area to me. You can read it in the name: Humanities. It is the study of human-ness. What makes us human? Is it self-awareness? Passion? Love? Hate? Free will? Humanities is much more than history or English. Humanities is the window in which we all are forced to reflect on not only the decisions of others but also our own. It is a content area that requires an interdisciplinary breadth of skills and makes space for personal life experiences to be valued as contributions to everyone’s learning rather than disconnected distractions. I appreciate Humanities because it opens so many opportunities for students to engage in powerfully meaningful conversations with their peers, teachers, and families. 

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I believe in teaching that is student centered and allows for students to grow holistically. This can be achieved through flexibility, inclusivity, and love. Love must be central to everything that is done in the classroom because that is what makes school and learning so impactful for students. Anyone can learn about the Pythagorean Theorem or Alexander the Great. Knowledge and skills are only genuinely powerful when they can be connected and applied to a student’s interests, passions, and life experiences. This is why being culturally responsive as a teacher is crucial to the success of every student. Teaching cannot and should not be something that is separate from what we all observe and experience in the world. If deeper learning is the goal, our students deserve equal opportunities to learn as well as equitable access to content. This means having students as well as myself engage in deep thinking around difficult topics that may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar to many. This is how teaching and learning can be a tool for promoting justice and equipping students to develop a critical consciousness about the world around them. By building and maintaining a strong and safe classroom culture, cultivating an environment that nurtures students’ social-emotional learning, connecting academic learning to authentic interests and audiences, all while weaving rich literacy instruction into my practice allows me to root my teaching in social justice and an evolving critical consciousness that engages learners in complex thinking. 

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While I have reflected on my own skillset and desires as a teacher, I also acknowledge that I still have a lot of growing to do. Most of my goals fall on the more instructional side of teaching and primarily consist of varying the teaching resources that I use for activities. I also want to be a better “warm demander”. I believe in calling people in, not calling people out. This can be difficult because I value my relationships with students on a personal level and I fear damaging relationships through firm yet loving redirection. I also want to focus on ensuring that students are all being adequately challenged both academically and personally so that they feel like they are holistically growing as an individual.