Hello everyone!
Allow me to introduce myself to those whom I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting:
My name is Andrea, and I recently completed my tenth year as a middle school educator. I like to think of myself as a recovering public school teacher who now works in an innovative tuition-free, independent middle school in Denver, CO. I'm deeply passionate about public education, and my team and I are dedicated to reshaping the landscape of schooling, particularly at the middle school level, here in the U.S.
Here are a few things I love:
✨ Metaphors
✨ Podcasts (I used to co-host an Education & Social Justice podcast called "The Most Powerful Weapon")
✨ Middle school sarcasm
✨ Books: My all-time favorite is "What is the What" by Dave Eggers
✨ Live music: I have seen The Mountain Goats 12 times live; John Darnielle once jinxed me and bought me a soda
✨ Systems-level thinking
✨ Exploring Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Education
✨ Unanswered questions
✨ Shower thoughts
✨ Comedy
✨ Reality competition shows
...and much more.
The guiding principle I strive to live by in my career is: "Be the person you needed when you were younger." This guiding light has brought me to where I am today, and for that, I'm immensely grateful. I've decided to create a Substack to share the incredible insights I've been privileged to witness. On boats the rudder is the part of the boat near the stern that is used for steering. Did I mention that I love metaphors? I see the current moment in education as a renaissance, a time of seeking change and hope. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's that we cannot continue to navigate education in the same direction. Many are now charting new territories and forging new pathways. Through Rudder Edu, I aim to spotlight one small aspect each day that is pushing education in exciting new directions, and I hope you'll join me on this journey!
Please introduce yourself in the comments section and say “hello!”.
This is a photo of me with my improv comedy team, District 9. We are Denver’s oldest all BIPOC team.