Meet José Alfredo!

José Alfredo has worked in education for 12 years with Chicago Public Schools and Illinois State University. A graduate of DePaul University’s School of Music (BM ‘11) and the University of Illinois-Chicago (M.Ed.) have allowed him to blend his love of music, social service, and bilingual education in his professional career. 

Jose’s WHY is that he believes in the genius of every student, child or adult, and that their lived experiences make teaching and learning a richer experience for all. Working towards creating and fostering spaces that celebrate these lived experiences and truths is one of my favorite aspects of working in education.

After work we can find José Alfredo performing live with his  band and spending time with his dogs! :) 

One of his goals this year is to have teachers feel that he is here to truly and authentically support them. 

What is José excited to read this summer? 

Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Teaching and Learning by Gholdy Muhammad

The book gives practical strategies in which teachers can bring joyful practices into the classroom learning environment. I would love to be able to apply some of these strategies within our professional learning that we design throughout the year. When we ask of teachers to foster spaces of joy that cultivate genius, I believe it is also important to reflect those same spaces for teachers as professionals and provide opportunities and resources for them to be able to play within that learning space.