Incoming interim kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Ho attended the New Teachers of Color in Independent Schools Conference at The Gordon School in Rhode Island earlier this month. Ho, an associate teacher at Belmont Day this past school year, joined 20 educators from many states along the East Coast for the three-day conference.
“This conference was perfect for me because it was designed specifically for new teachers of color,” Ho said. “It helped me gain more confidence coming into my first year of teaching and provided me with a lot of helpful tips. It has also given me a huge support system as we share our struggles and successes as teachers of color.”
The three days were packed with panels, presentations, workshops, small-group activities, and mentoring. Topics included teacher and colleague purpose, guiding principles for teaching, classroom management, lesson planning, difficult conversations, and parent communication.
Heading into the new school year, Ho feels inspired to share what she learned with her students and colleagues.
“At the conference, we worked on establishing teaching principles that I will hold on to throughout my teaching at BDS, such as creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for my students, always being my authentic self, and making sure my students know it is okay to make mistakes,” Ho said. “We also worked on establishing who we want to be as colleagues which includes being a supportive, strong team player who helps out wherever is needed, and being a colleague that others feel comfortable approaching with difficult questions.”
