Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I have been surrounded and supported by teachers.  My maternal grandmother was a kindergarten teacher in the Worcester Public Schools, and my maternal grandfather was an elementary teacher and administrator who served as the principal of Granite Street School in Worcester for decades.  Along with several aunts and uncles who also became educators, my grandparents were two of the biggest role models in my young life.  From them, I learned the patience, thoughtfulness, empathy, and sense of humor needed to become an elementary school educator.  My grandparents helped me with my homework, attended every school event, and taught me how to show love to others as I help them achieve their goals.  I would never have overcome the main challenges of my life without their guidance and example.

Additionally, I was very lucky to develop lasting relationships with my own teachers as a student in the Worcester Public Schools system.  I was what could be called a “teacher’s pet,” and I reveled in any opportunity to take on a leadership position in class, from being a representative in student government to helping the teacher collect the homework.  The classroom was a space where I really felt at home, and as I got older and started to think about what I wanted to do as a career, I realized I never wanted to leave the classroom.  Though I initially went back and forth deciding what I wanted to teach (middle school social studies and high school English were strong contenders!), I always pictured myself crafting lesson plans, helping kids, and sharing knowledge with the community of learners in my classroom.

A large part of my calling to teach is based in my love of learning.  Knowledge can transform one’s view of the world around them, the people in their community, and themselves.  As a high school student, I became involved in a program called the Blackstone Canal Tours, which offer horse-drawn carriage tours around the city of Worcester that present the city’s history, with a particular focus on the impact of immigrant groups on the transformation of the community from a small farming village to an industrial hub.  During my time as a tour guide with this program, I became increasingly aware of how powerful the knowledge of the city’s past could be for the people who took our tours; oftentimes, I was telling listeners the histories of their own families for the first time.  In one short hour, their view of the city and community in which they lived was forever changed for the better.  They understood their surroundings in a whole new way because of the knowledge I shared with them.  After high school, I became the manager of the Blackstone Canal Tours, and helped the next generation of tour guides research the city’s past and find new knowledge to share with the community.

Sharing knowledge is important because education is a catalyst for change.  Armed with information about the people and the world around them, students form opinions and make informed decisions about their community and the systems of power that operate within and around it.  As a teacher, I want to take the lessons that my educators taught me about the world and pay them forward.  In this way, I can inspire and create change through my students, just as my teachers did for me.  As an educator, I hope to equip my students with critical thinking skills, a love for the world, and a desire to make an impact, knowing that only through the creation and distribution of knowledge is any impact possible.