Teaching Experiences

Experiential Education

This particular week at IslandWood, my students worked together in pairs to plant broccoli and cauliflower starts. Engaging together with students in this process illuminates how planting seed starts connect us to future students and their stewardship of them. When I saw how interested they were in this process, I introduced them to a collection of baskets gifted to IslandWood by ancestor Vi Hilbert, an Upper Skagit Tribal member, tying themes of stewardship and Indigenous ways of knowing and being into our week together.

IslandWood Garden, Bainbridge Island, WA, 2025

Collaborative Problem Solving

While teaching a Life Skills course to 11th grade girls in Lilongwe, Malawi, I'd often take them outside to engage in various fun and collaborative activities. This is a photo of them beginning to untangle their 'human knot' with the intention of getting back to a circle. I really enjoy doing team-building activities as it requires students to communicate effectively and work together to solve a puzzle.

Lilongwe Girls Secondary School, Lilongwe, Malawi, 2023

Community Engagement

Here are some of my 4th graders participating in dance practice for their Black History Month Performance in Memphis, TN. The 5th grade teacher and I co-orchestrated the performance, organizing and practicing various creative pieces, such as dance, poetry, rap battles, singing, and speeches. Students were encouraged to work together as a team, learn more about Black history, and contribute to a performance that brought both themselves and the broader community together.

Granville T. Woods Academy of Innovation, Memphis, TN., 2022

Mural Painting

While teaching in Memphis, my colleague and I organized and painted a mural in the stairwell of our school. We aimed for our students to not only see how they are connected to students from the past (in this case, Ruby Bridges), but also shed light on their brilliance and motivations to learn today. It brings me a lot of joy to create, especially when it involves working together with someone to make something that will last on the walls of a school for years.

Granville T. Woods Academy of Innovation, Memphis, TN., 2022

Potato Love!

Teaching and learning in the garden is one of my favorite things to do! This was a 'potato heart' that a student made after cutting it in half to be planted for the season. It's truly a joy to witness what students come up with spontaneously.

Nettle Pesto!

Here is a student using a traditional molcajete to grind down stinging nettle we had just harvested to make nettle pesto! My hope is that teaching students practical foraging and plant knowledge connects them to their environment and inspires them to utilize their skills in their home communities.

Linocutting!

Students and I had the opportunity to learn how to linocut from a visiting artist at IslandWood. It was really lovely to get to learn from another artist about their practice alongside my students, and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy learning how to partake in this art form too!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse