JULIE KESTI

Secondary ELA, Humanities and EAL  Educator

M.S. Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison

I am a teacher because I want to keep learning.

I am a teacher because students share fresh, curious perspectives that challenge me to review and adjust my understanding of the world. It is a joy and a privilege to learn alongside young people each day.

I work to provide a safe, welcoming, and courageous space where students can explore, question, create, connect, and build confidence. 

GOALS

• Design an environment that supports students in their development

• Foster the joy of reading and writing as tools for discovery and reflection

• Create space to explore and examine the world alone and together

• Allow time for students  to express their voices and identities

• Provide opportunities to build community and to listen to and learn from each other

• Offer multiple ways to practice literacy and develop our understanding of the world

PRACTICES

• STUDENT LEADERSHIP 

Classroom jobs, student Advisory Board, and other opportunities for students to speak, collaborate, and create the classroom 

• ENVIRONMENT AS TEACHER 

Classroom space, supplies, routines, visual, and physical design work together to support growing independence in adolescent learners

• MANY STORIES 

Maximize the variety in type and origin of texts studied and celebrated

• READING THE WORLD 

Using the humanities to understand the world around us

• SHARING 

Our words, ideas, and ourselves

• METACOGNITION 

How are we thinking, learning, and experiencing the work?

• TRYING NEW THINGS 

Is this working for us? What could we do differently?