about bianca
I am a Chicago based educator, community organizer, facilitator, and impact producer.
My career as an educator spans over ten years in multiple grade levels at private, public, and charter schools, including work as a classroom teacher, instructional leader, and as a program manager for nonprofit organizations.
My praxis centers developing culturally relevant practices that empower Black students to understand themselves and their history, develop critical thinking and perspective-taking skills, demonstrate intellectual curiosity, and identify themselves as agents of transformation, both of themselves and their communities. My praxis is rooted in rejecting the traditional notion of the teacher positioned as the authority figure imparting knowledge to passive learners, but in being an educator who facilitates learning alongside students- cultivated in intergenerational spaces where youth and adults learn together, grow together, and work towards justice.
It has taken several transformative experiences to develop this liberatory praxis. When I began teaching, I was absolutely an instructor who was critical and engaging, but sometimes relied on traditional pedagogy that assumed my students were at a deficit. I had to learn that being Black did not exempt me from internalized racism that left me reliant on practices rooted in the belief that my students needed saving, structure, and order. Now, I know that being a dynamic educator means engaging in all kinds of learning and unlearning alongside students.
The hallmark of my career was leading the Change the Name campaign. Through this campaign, I supported a group of determined youth in their charge to rename Douglass Park, a major park on the west side of Chicago, from the namesake of a slaveholder to that of abolitionists Anna and Frederick Douglass. While developing the literacy, public speaking, research, community organizing and leadership skills of some 40 youth and making this unprecedented, historical change, we also worked with a filmmaker to produce a short documentary that serves as an intimate portrayal of our multi-year effort. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 and has screened in many schools across Chicago and nationwide.
My mission is to share what I’ve learned with other educators to shift and enrich the experiences of students everywhere.
This space allowed me to work with other white educators in a challenging and affirming community. There was a great mix of learning resources and the facilitators were willing to give us time and space to process our thoughts. Each session left us wanting more time. If you are an educator, you need to prioritize the thinking and reflections provided in this space. TAKE THIS WORKSHOP. Your kids and community deserve it!
Amanda M. Boyd
Community School Coordinator
about bianca
I am a Chicago based educator, community organizer, facilitator, and impact producer.
My career as an educator spans over ten years in multiple grade levels at private, public, and charter schools, including work as a classroom teacher, instructional leader, and as a program manager for nonprofit organizations.
My praxis centers developing culturally relevant practices that empower Black students to understand themselves and their history, develop critical thinking and perspective-taking skills, demonstrate intellectual curiosity, and identify themselves as agents of transformation, both of themselves and their communities. My praxis is rooted in rejecting the traditional notion of the teacher positioned as the authority figure imparting knowledge to passive learners, but in being an educator who facilitates learning alongside students- cultivated in intergenerational spaces where youth and adults learn together, grow together, and work towards justice.
It has taken several transformative experiences to develop this liberatory praxis. When I began teaching, I was absolutely an instructor who was critical and engaging, but sometimes relied on traditional pedagogy that assumed my students were at a deficit. I had to learn that being Black did not exempt me from internalized racism that left me reliant on practices rooted in the belief that my students needed saving, structure, and order. Now, I know that being a dynamic educator means engaging in all kinds of learning and unlearning alongside students.
The hallmark of my career was leading the Change the Name campaign. Through this campaign, I supported a group of determined youth in their charge to rename Douglass Park, a major park on the west side of Chicago, from the namesake of a slaveholder to that of abolitionists Anna and Frederick Douglass. While developing the literacy, public speaking, research, community organizing and leadership skills of some 40 youth and making this unprecedented, historical change, we also worked with a filmmaker to produce a short documentary that serves as an intimate portrayal of our multi-year effort. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 and has screened in many schools across Chicago and nationwide.
My mission is to share what I’ve learned with other educators to shift and enrich the experiences of students everywhere.