At the foundation, we have a deep appreciation for the vital role that teachers play in shaping the future of our society. From K-12 classrooms to postsecondary institutions, teachers go above and beyond to educate and inspire their students, helping them to grow into confident, capable adults.
We believe that it's crucial to recognize their efforts, not just this week, but throughout the year. To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we checked in with several former teachers at the foundation to learn what teaching means to them and how experiences in the classroom shaped their careers.
Ryan Borden, Senior Program Officer
Ryan worked with students at W.R. Sullivan Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona for ten years — mostly teaching middle school math.
How did being a teacher help you to do your current job?
My experience as a classroom teacher has grounded me in the reality of what teachers are asked to do every day — meeting the needs of 30 students, preparing lessons for multiple subjects, adapting to one new initiative after another, and so much more. I keep this reality in mind as I support grantees who are working to ensure that new teachers are better prepared for the job they are called to do.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
We do a disservice to teachers and their students if we don't prepare candidates to enter the profession and provide them with the support they need to be successful, especially early in their careers. That's why our foundation is committed to making high-quality teacher preparation affordable to future teachers.
Melanie Brown, Deputy Director, Public Engagement & Insights
Melanie taught middle school English in Washington, D.C. at the SEED Public Charter School. She has also taught English to Chinese students in Hong Kong and Beijing, and she is currently an adjunct professor at American University.
What is a memorable lesson that you taught?
I have always loved teaching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In my classes, I often had students with varying reading levels, and while it is a foundational text, Romeo & Juliet can be intimidating for struggling readers. To address this, I divided the classes into three groups, allowing each student to thrive without feeling left behind. We all stayed on the same pace while contributing to group dialogue. This understanding allowed the students to work across ability on group projects and they came up with extremely creative ideas.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
Teachers work so hard and care so much about their students. Most of us will do anything for our kids. There is nothing more exciting or rewarding than watching a student finally master a subject they were once struggling with. Those are the moments that make teaching worthwhile.
How did being a teacher help you to do your current job?
I've always believed that working with middle schoolers prepares you for any career. Although we've grown up and matured, there are fundamental aspects of our adult selves that remain unchanged from our middle school years. We still desire to be seen, heard, valued, liked, and respected, among other things.
Raul Gonzalez, Senior Program Officer
Raul taught high school writing and algebra and middle school language arts in public schools in Brooklyn, New York.
What is a memorable lesson that you taught?
At the high school, a colleague was teaching a unit on WWII in history class. In my English class, we acted out the Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," to make the connection with how some communities turned on each other during the war. It was pretty amazing to see my students, unprompted, make the connection to the persecution of Jews during WWII. We also discussed the internment of Japanese Americans. Even though the subject matter was depressing, it was my best day as a teacher.
What would you like to say to teachers?
Each day I went to teach, I saw in my students' eyes the hope they had that school was going to make a difference in their lives, and that it would be a pathway to success. What an awesome responsibility that is. You'll have lots and lots of days that will make you feel like a failure… But wait! You'll have that one day that's so great that it outweighs all the others.
Josie McSpadden, Senior Communications Officer
Josie taught writing at KIPP Camino Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, and was certified mid-career with Teach for America.
Tell us about your teaching experience. What memories do you cherish?
Moments I take with me are small but significant: getting some of the student work published in a local newspaper (I still have paper copies); creating a public speaking and cover letter/resume unit; and arranging a field trip for the kids to get all dressed up and have dinner and go to see a play together. Two or three of the students have visited me here at the Gates Foundation and each time I tear up.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
It's like being a daily performer, the more engaged they are the more they are learning. That it's much harder than working at The White House.
Elizabeth Moore, Deputy Director, K-12
Elizabeth taught middle school and high school English language arts in San Francisco, California and Austin, Texas.
What is a memorable lesson that you taught?
I had a lesson on vocabulary connotations and word-building that I evolved over the years. It involved pairs of students, each with a synonym for something like "excited" and they had to place their word on a scale (a string on a wall) with "less excited" and "more excited" being the anchors. And then explain why they placed what they did and why the connotation was more in one direction or the other given other words on the scale.
What would you like to say to teachers?
Thank you for what you do. Don't ever stop trying to be a better teacher because your professional growth has a greater impact than anyone else getting better at their own job.
Kara Peters, Human Resources Business Partner, U.S. Program
Kara taught a variety of high school social studies courses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including World History, American History, Law, and Social Science.
What is a memorable lesson that you taught?
I loved incorporating experiential learning in the classroom whenever possible. To teach concepts like the Bill of Rights, I would create contemporary court cases with the input of students, focusing on issues that felt relevant to them. Together, we would conduct mock trials where students would conduct research and role-play their cases. This approach not only fostered high levels of engagement but also generated a vibrant energy within the classroom. Following our case involving the 4th Amendment, school administrators approached me to discuss the significant resistance they were facing from students concerning "unreasonable searches" and "seizures" of their cell phones. While the administrators may not have been amused, I was thrilled to witness the learning and engagement of my students.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
Teaching is an incredibly demanding and critically important profession that is worthy of society's respect. I deeply value the important work teachers engage in on a daily basis and I'm so grateful that they choose to use their talents to educate the next generation.
How did being a teacher help you to do your current job?
Teaching helped me hone my facilitation skills early on. If you're not engaging, all sorts of disruptions can occur. Those experiences helped me to be comfortable in front of a group and gave me the confidence that I'll be able to respond professionally in any situation that may arise.
Andrew Sokatch, Senior Program Officer, MLE
Andrew taught second and third grade at an independent school in New York City, then taught English and English as a second language at I.S. 52, a public middle school, in the South Bronx.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
The relationships can last forever. I was literally messaging this morning with students I taught almost 30 years ago!
What would you like to say to teachers?
Your impact is enormous and will last a lifetime. You are essential workers doing essential work. The whole nation owes you a debt of gratitude.
How did being a teacher help you to do your current job?
I have a lived experience of the realities and priorities of a teacher teaching our priority students.
Kathryn Young, Senior Program Officer
Kathryn taught sixth through eighth grade special education in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.
What is the most important thing for people to know about teaching?
Every student comes into a classroom with different areas of ability. It's up to the adults to know the content and to use those strengths to help students connect with learning, making the classroom a welcoming place to grow no matter who walks through those doors. It's one of the hardest jobs in the world, but it's so important!
What would you like to say to teachers?
You are in one of the most important professions in the world! You have the unique privilege of getting to know your young people well and giving them the confidence to keep learning throughout the rest of their lives.
How did being a teacher help you to do your current job?
In every way. Teaching is about knowing how to relate to people; working well with colleagues, families, and others that are incredibly different from yourself; planning strategies and doing paperwork; being on your A game; and knowing your stuff. Now that I work on policy, I constantly refer back to, "What would that look like in a school or district setting?" — because too often policy ideas can be disconnected from the realities in communities.
Answers were lightly edited and condensed for clarity.