Who are you and what are your practitioner sites?
Hello! My name is Emily Garcia Tornquist and I can’t seem to stay away from Clark University! I graduated in 2018 with my Bachelor’s in English, 2019 with my Master’s in Teaching, and am delighted to be joining the class of 2029 as we begin our Ed.D journey. I obtained my license to teach Secondary English 5-12 and have been fortunate enough to spend the last seven years at South High Community School teaching English III, English IV, and Journalism. Dual certified to teach English as a Second Language, I also focus on classes that serve multilingual students.
What inspired you to join the Doctoral Program in Transformative Education?
I love my school and community and I believe that the most meaningful learning comes from staying grounded in the realities of my day-to-day teaching. I am specifically pursuing an Ed.D in Transformative Education because I want to become a more intentional and informed educator; one who teaches with both care and purpose. I see this program as a way to deepen my practice, contribute to the field, and remain rooted in the values that first brought me into the classroom. I’m particularly interested in Clark’s continued emphasis on anti-oppressive education and viewing education as a tool for social change.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I have noticed some themes that resonate with me: student voice and choice, authentic education experiences, and incorporating social-emotional learning into the classroom. Throughout my years in education, I keep coming up against the same few questions within those themes: How do authentic reading and writing assignments impact student engagement, especially for reluctant learners? How can English teachers disrupt dominant literary canons while still meeting curriculum expectations? What classroom practices support both academic rigor and social-emotional well being? How can we genuinely engage students in the learning process? These questions, rooted in my classroom experiences, reflect my ongoing inquiry into how we can make education more liberatory.