I am a middle class, Black woman from the South who believes that circumstance should not define opportunity, and as an educator, this viewpoint guides all of my work.

I received a B.S. in Mathematics from Spelman College and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. My dissertation explored perceived understanding of gender, race, and class in discussions about technology with pre-adolescent, low-income, African American girls. In my dissertation I wrote,

“I understand how powerful technology is and appreciate its uses. However, I left a graduate computer science program to pursue a degree in education. If someone like me, who had considerable exposure to technology from an early age, still is not interested in being a computer engineer then what does it take?”

My parents both worked for IBM, but they weren't creating technology at IBM. They were the sales people. I didn't have anyone showing me that people that looked me could have careers coding. Therefore, my mission every day, as I continue to push the STEM/STEAM movement forward, is that not only will young black girls have Shuri and Meg, fictional characters from pop culture, but they will also have me.

I have been a champion for educational equity for over 20 years. From my work as the Education Director at the Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement House in the Queensbridge Housing Projects to my current position as the Inaugural Director of the Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM at Spelman College, I have dedicated myself to creating opportunities for all students to experience high quality, inclusive education. I also have an extensive background in public education. In Atlanta Public Schools, I taught 8th grade mathematics, was a mathematics instructional coach, and then served as support for many of the district’s elementary and middle schools where I facilitated professional development for teachers and coaches to assist them in utilizing best practices in mathematics pedagogy. Before coming to Atlanta, I was the Inaugural Director of Diversity at the Calhoun School in New York City, a position I created in response to challenges regarding diversity and equity that I observed while teaching in the middle school. I was the past president of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and currently serve as a regional representative for the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics and member of the Georgia Department of Education’s Mathematics, Computer Science, and STEM Advisory Boards.

I teach yoga and meditation to help educators liberate themselves so they can show up fully in the creation of liberated educational spaces for children.

Because it saves my life...over and over again. In 1997, it helped me sleep when the stress of graduate school wouldn’t allow me to rest. In 2005, it moved my body and saved me from crippling bouts of vertigo. It continuously teaches me to love myself from the inside out. So why do I love yoga and meditation?

Because it loves me.
It cherishes me.
It knows what I need even when I don’t.
It doesn’t care how many times I walk away.
It waits patiently, knowing that I will return.

And this time,
it knows that I am here to stay.

I have been working in K-12 education for 18 years. The development of our future leaders lives somewhere deep inside of me. I know the crisis we are in, especially when it comes to the public education system, and I also know that the transformation of schools starts in classrooms. Unfortunately, many of the teachers doing the hardest work are stressed out, burnt out, and under attack. My yoga “ministry” is called the Practice Freedom Project where I hope to help teachers use yoga and meditation to liberate themselves so they can be better prepared to show up fully in the creation of liberated educational spaces for children.

I am a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). I completed my training at Sacred Chill {West} under the guidance of Octavia Raheem and Meryl Arnett. I teach to help people re-connect with their hearts. The strength, vulnerability and compassion you feel on the mat can, and should, transfer off the mat and into your classroom.

Learn more about Practice Freedom Project:

• Interview with Teach for America about the importance of rest for teachers.

• The story of Yoga for Teachers.