“What’s HL?” I naively asked the students, referring to the graffiti marked on the school wall. There was a pause before a second grader responded, “HL… it’s a gang,” her eyes blankly stared back at mine. My heart dropped in an instant. Even as early as second grade, students at Manenberg Primary School were exposed to gangs because of the school’s location. Manenberg is a neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa known for gang violence and drug use. During the junior year of my undergraduate college career, I got the opportunity to volunteer at Manenberg Primary School as a part of my study abroad program. The school had a bulletproof fence built around it—a donation from another American student years before. Teachers told stories of hearing gunshots on school grounds before the fence had been built, and students as young as four years old were forced to run and hide.

Growing up in Massachusetts, I was raised in one of the best public education systems in the U.S. Before going to Cape Town, I never really understood the degree to which education systems varied around the world—some lists rank South Africa as one of the worst. At Manenberg Primary School, simple school supplies like erasers were lacking. The school restrooms were dilapidated, with leaking sinks, broken toilet seats, and doors hanging off the hinges. When I attended elementary school, I never had to worry about these basic amenities. At four years old, I had no idea what a gunshot sounded like. All I cared about was what day we got pizza for lunch. When I was in second grade, I had never heard of a gang before. I did not realize violence like that even existed in the world, but in the Manenberg Community in South Africa, and in many other communities around the world, children are exposed to that violence at young ages.

When I returned to The George Washington University, I knew I had to continue learning about education systems, so I interned with multiple education nonprofits in the area. During my senior year, I wrote an honors thesis focused on identifying barriers that may stand in the way of academic achievement for low-income elementary school students and students experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC. After graduating with a Degree in Human Services, I wanted to continue pursuing a career in education. Even though I am a teacher in the classroom, I learn so much from my students everyday.

Why Special Education?

As a child, my sister struggled in school, and early on she was diagnosed with dyslexia. When I was young, I did not know or understand what this meant. I did not understand how or why she could read differently than me. Recently, a friend revealed to me that they, too, are dyslexic. However, unlike my sister who grew up in a suburb in Massachusetts, my friend grew up in New York City. My sister was given the resources she needed within her school setting. My friend, on the other hand, was pushed out of his school and told that he could not be supported. Coming from a suburb in Massachusetts, my sister and I were given the resources we needed for success. In New York City, where there is a much higher urban population, my friend was not initially given the same resources. This realization is heartbreaking and has motivated me to become a better educator for every individual I work with.

Over the past ten years teaching in New York City, I have shaped my educational philosophy. I have found that as the world around us transforms, so does the field of education in how we teach and how students learn. Education must be progressive, and educators must be willing to implement changes based on cultural relevance. Education does not only mean traditional methods of learning, such as lecturing or reading from a book. Instead, students should be able to explore the how through hands-on experiential learning.

In the future, I seek to work within many urban school systems in the U.S. to become more grounded in the challenges facing our schools. Ultimately, I plan to work in education policy on the national level in an effort to improve academic opportunities for special needs students and students of homeless and low-income backgrounds who grow up in neighborhoods impacted by violence.