5/18

    My name is Elyse, and I'm an English teacher at DelSesto Middle School. This year I teach ELA and ELD to all three grade levels, which can be exhausting, but has ultimately been an impetus for professional growth. At DelSesto, I learn at least ten new things a day. Even now as I attempt distance learning, I find that there are so many newly-manifested ways in which I can become a better educator. 

    I'm from New Jersey, and I moved here less than a year ago to teach in the district. There is a very special place in my heart for little Provy, and I'm excited to be here another year. Even if the bagels aren't as good.

    Between college and this glamorous job, I lived in Spain. I was there for about two and a half years in total, and I am officially hooked. It's a true testament to my passion for education and my love for our DelSesto community that I left my beloved Spain at all. Maybe I'll go back someday, but for now, I know I'm much more needed here. Plus, I've learned many a Latin slang word since moving here, so my ever-improving Spanish is doing just that. 

    My manifesto:

    I am a teacher who stands against systematic oppression, who is in favor of fighting back against silence and stagnation, who is a supporter of activists against ignorance, and who is a defender of the peaceful fight for social justice. I am a teacher who favors the permanent struggle against uninformed and naive lawmakers, including those who bandage problems instead of working to fix them. I am a teacher who rejects small-mindedness, because it is responsible for so much continued prejudice and hurt. I am a teacher full of energy, in spite of the herculean task teaching has become. I am a teacher proud of the diversity of my students. If I do not struggle for their rights and an equitable education for their underserved community, then I will not longer be doing that which I set out to do.