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Head of Upper SchoolSan Francisco Day School
San Francisco, California
Photo by Anthony Thornton
In fifth grade, I fell in love with archaeology, exploring diverse cultures and using artifacts to tell stories. My parents, both educators from the South, encouraged me to explore Black history, culture, civil rights, and anthropology. I attended an all-Black public elementary school, surrounded by teachers and peers who valued the creativity, intellect, and humanity of Black people. We were taught African history and our ancestors’ vast contributions to the modern world.
Unlike my elementary school, my high school was not all Black, and it was then that I began to understand that there were dual realities for students of color and white students. Black history was relegated to the month of February. Despite a solid record of AP classes, my guidance counselor encouraged me to attend beauty school instead of applying to college. (My dad quickly corrected the counselor’s mistake.) The message I received from my school during those critical years: intellectualism and Blackness were mutually exclusive.
In graduate school, I gravitated to the educational aspects of archaeology, supporting community projects that gave voice to descendant communities and exposed students of color to scholarly research. Along the way, my mentors—who were rewriting the narrative of race and class in a sociopolitical context—supported my curiosity and work as an educational anthropologist. They encouraged me to say “yes” to leadership roles that supported diversity and to create my own path. As a teacher, I created opportunities for students: community mapping, urban planning, public health projects, ethnic studies exploration. I focused on restorative justice and community building.
I shifted to independent schools after finding myself as an administrator fighting the school-to-prison pipeline that harmed students of color. Unfortunately, my work became less about learning and more about “discipline” and reforming behavior. It was antithetical to my upbringing. As I contemplated leaving the field of education, my friend Kenyatta encouraged me to attend the 2014 People of Color Conference in Indianapolis. PoCC changed my life. I was surrounded by educators creating community and imagination. Intellect at its finest. It was there that I met Mike Walker, who was looking for an “outside the box” middle school leader for San Francisco Day.
Now I use restorative practices, design thinking, and complex problem-solving every day. I build systems to nurture diverse learners and faculty and have the resources to do so. Conversations focus on deeper learning, not just test scores or discipline.
This year Mike asked me to build outdoor learning on a campsite in the Presidio—I went back to my roots: fieldwork, spatial analysis, intellect, and an appreciation for Indigenous land. It’s our own Wakanda to support student awe and joy.
What’s your independent school story? Share it with us. Send a note to [email protected].