You’ve had time away from teacher’s voices, we wanted to empower them to welcome our students and families back to school.
We are extremely proud that the diversity of our state is aptly reflected in the diversity of Washington’s charter public schools.
Do teachers note the importance of culture in the classroom, too? Have a listen.
Culture is so important, right? When I was in high school…even in college, I didn’t have a lot of teachers that look like me. But when I did, it meant everything, because there’s like this unspoken of like, there’s something familiar here. So in my classroom, I have art that looks like me – you have a Tupac wall, that is a piece of art from a friend in Africa. And I think that when people can see their reflection in something, it makes them recognize, “oh, I have a place here.” Because I think that every student isn’t going to always be connected to a professional athlete or actor or somebody but if they are connected to someone who looks like them, right in their space, in the classroom, it makes a huge difference, right?
And I think that that’s what I appreciate about being a teacher and being intentional about culture and being my authentic self, because someone needs to see that. And they might not be just like me, but maybe they’ll have the courage to be who they are when they see me.
Nakeya Isabell | Why Not You Academy (Des Moines, WA)
We draw from a very specific community here in Seattle. I think it’s people that are interested in seeing themselves represented in their school and seeing themselves represented in the people that they’re learning from and that are leading their community so that they can relate and see what’s possible. And see people other than just like white people in positions of authority and positions of power is a big draw. And it’s validating and can be very powerful, I think, for our community and our scholars.
Leah Reisberg | Rainier Valley Leadership Academy (Seattle, WA)
