Bethany Bloomston

I have an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Florida and ABD in Cultural Anthropology from Syracuse University. During my graduate studies at Syracuse University I helped teach undergraduate courses in Cultural Anthropology and Global Cultures. It is through these teaching experiences that I realized the vital importance of preparing students in the lower grades to be creative, critical thinkers, and autonomous learners. Without these skills students are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of a college classroom and beyond.

I conducted over a year of ethnographic research in Northern Brazil studying land, gender, and racial justice movements. While there I volunteered as an English teacher in an urban periphery and rural villages. Learning Portuguese in situ with little formal training and teaching English to Brazilian youth informs my passion for culturally-responsive teaching and supporting English language learners.

On the land settlements of the Landless Workers' Movement in Northern Brazil I learned first hand how critical pedagogy can empower youth to become powerful agents of change. This inspired me to think about education as full of possibilities. It was, however, through observing and participating in my own children's education that I developed an interest and passion for teaching K-12 students. I hope to bring these experiences and skills to a social studies classroom in the SF Bay Area.

I am currently student teaching at Venetia Valley Elementary, a K-8 school located in San Rafael, CA. I was fortunate enough to work as a substitute and volunteer at this school during the 2019 school year, leading up to the pandemic. Entering education as this turbulent has shaped my commitment to equity and trauma-informed practices inside the classroom.