Part 1 starts with my journey from a small town in California to landing unexpectedly in the education field in an inner-city classroom in New York City, despite having no prior teaching experience. My approach went beyond traditional boundaries, incorporating guest speakers, facilitating a student-run newspaper, transforming African folk tales into plays, and notably, arranging unapproved after-school trips for varied exposure. This ten-year experience culminated in a philosophy, forming the bedrock of HarlemLIVE. Post a year-long break, I engaged in roles at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, picked up HTML, attended the Million Man March in DC, and maintained relationships with my former students, elements that collectively brought HarlemLIVE to life.
Chapter 1: Unconventional Paths: From California to NYC
Chapter 2: In the Trenches: A Fight for Education
Chapter 3: Teaching Beyond the Walls
Chapter 4: Unexpected Detour: A Fateful Trip