ANDREW CROOK (he/him)

Summit Sierra High School • Seattle, Washington, USA • AP History and Admin.

How did you get into teaching?

I grew up surrounded by a family of educators. My grandfather, whom we affectionately call “Bop” (now 96 years old), grew up in a Japanese immigrant family in Seattle, Washington. After internment, he became a longtime teacher and principal in the Chicago Public Schools. My personal interest in education developed when I was studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I worked at a non-profit that researched the correlation between zip codes and student outcomes across the city. After college, I was not sure which path to take. I noticed my friends securing jobs at management consulting firms and was initially taken by the per diem and travel points. I quickly realized however, that I couldn’t properly articulate what a management consultant actually did! In a conversation with Bop, he simply said ‘Don’t chase the wind. Do something that will be fun!’ The rest is history (and History is also what I started teaching)!

Who was the teacher who made the most positive impact on your own life?

I had a lot of strong teachers throughout my K-12 experience. One who stands out is Ms. Swanstrom. I had her for both Economics and U.S. History. Ms. Swanstrom created a community within the classroom. Her lessons were interactive, supportive, and included lots of opportunities to laugh. High School wasn’t always fun, and while I think that’s the case for many of us, as a queer student it can be challenging to navigate the world without visible allies. Ms. Swanstrom did a good job of putting everyone at ease in the classroom. Her contagious good-spirit and sense of humor created an environment that honored the fact that high school can be both fun and confusing.

What is a professional inquiry you are currently pursuing? 

I am pursuing my school leadership degree through the Summer Principals Academy at Columbia University right now. The big question I’m asking is: “How do we recruit, develop, and retain culturally responsive educators?” I’ve been privileged to work alongside critically conscious educators who work tirelessly to challenge the status quo, for both professional educators and students. I want to study and uncover what conditions contribute to educator success and growth. 

How I’m pursuing this inquiry:

Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks

Culture and Power in the Classroom by Antonia Darder

What Keeps Teachers Going by Sonia Nieto

What is a personal inquiry you are currently pursuing?

“How does my own identity and history contribute to or perpetuate existing systems of power?” As an undergraduate student at UCLA, a powerful component of my learning was to examine how my own positionality was both a tool of privilege and oppression. As a leader, I want to continue to understand how I can best grow alongside others and cultivate the conditions necessary for our schools to be humanizing spaces for all. 

How I’m pursuing this inquiry: 

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood...and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin

What three ideas do you have to improve the teaching profession?

1) Career ladders for teachers

We need to create systems and structures for educators to grow without having to leave the classroom. Teaching is a demanding and rigorous job--you’re constantly pulled in various directions, and are often working to navigate initiatives with competing priorities, only to see others communicate, both implicitly and explicitly, that they could do your job better than you. I want to elevate the genius work of so many incredible teachers and create spaces for their expertise to drive learning and growth on their campus.

2) Teachers leading their own Professional Development (PD)

I am deeply amazed by how intelligent, resourceful, and smart my teacher colleagues are. However, due to the fast pace of the job and master schedule, it’s easy for teachers to work in silos. So how do we create meaningful connections between teachers? There is too much Professional Development (PD) that is led or designed by folks who are no longer in the classroom. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but I also believe a lot of times the person who is best positioned to coach and support teachers, are teachers. I admire school systems that position teachers as both the creators and recipients of PD. 

3) Rethinking teacher time

First, I agree with everyone who advocates for a grand societal commitment and investment in public education. With the proper budgets to adequately fund each school, regardless of location or district, schools will have the ability to be innovative with how resources are allocated. Time is the resource that I wish we could be more creative with. What if teachers didn’t have to teach 150 students? What if teachers didn’t have four or more different courses they had to plan, execute, and grade for? How could flexibility in time allow for teachers to meet the unique needs of each learner, develop the strong relationships required for all students to be deeply known, and nurture their own professional, intellectual growth?

You gotta see this!

I think these captures the truth about how I’m feeling right now: a song about remote teaching. Enjoy and feel free to sing along!