Who are you and what are your practitioner sites?
I am a teacher and social studies department head at Claremont Academy in Worcester MA. I also am a genocide fellow with the Genocide Education Project, where I work to educate teachers and students about the Armenian genocide and Armenian culture. In my classes, we do a lot of work around why learning history is relevant today and to their own lives. I want to help inspire my students to take action and make change.
What inspired you to join the Doctoral Program in Transformative Education?
I believe it shouldn’t be a radical notion that students should see themselves in their classroom materials and lessons, yet it surprisingly is. As I watch how education is changing again, and being openly targeted, I am more inspired than ever to continue doing the work that I’ve started. My whole pedagogy has been centered around valuing students as experts, honoring their culture and lived experiences, and helping them grow into successful adults. I ask my students to look at the world critically, question if spaces are best serving them, and work for change when they are not being treated fairly. This inspired me to think about how else I can support students by continuing my own education and learning about how to transform education.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I hope that my future centers around helping students and teachers become stronger versions of themselves. I’ve always centered my classroom culture and teaching practices around the idea of acknowledging struggle and hardship while embracing joy, culture, and resilience. I don’t see these ideas as separate because they have always existed in tandem. This narrative of celebrating joy and resistance alongside painful history is personal for me, as it can be personal for my students. However, there is also so much pride and power that can go along with this mindset, if taught with honesty and care.