Features

Most schools offer parents specific ways to help out: Join the PTA, chaperone a field trip, grade papers for a teacher or assist on a classroom art project.

Those volunteer opportunities, however, not only reinforce the top-down power structure of schools, but also cater to mostly white, privileged families, maintaining the institutionalized racism that marginalizes low-income families and families of color, said Ann Ishimaru, assistant professor of education at the University of Washington.

Growing up in New Orleans, Elzena McVicar (MIT ‘10) was surrounded by a family filled with teachers. Years of family conversations about education convinced McVicar that teaching was not for her.

While working on her bachelor's degree in anthropology, however, McVicar took a work study job as a tutor. Then, after graduating from college, she found herself working in an elementary school as an AmeriCorps volunteer. These two experiences changed McVicar’s perceptions of education, ultimately leading her in a new professional direction.

Despite the growing awareness of socio-ecological challenges facing humans in the 21st century, science learning still mostly takes place inside the classroom, disconnected from the natural world.

From her formative years in Buenos Aires to pursuing a PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle, Patricia Ferreyra has combined her passion for both music and education to build bridges between cultures.

As a high school student, Ferreyra’s love for the guitar introduced her to teaching, as she tutored peers in both guitar and English.

“I believe teaching was a natural choice for me,” she said. “I had a good experience at school and with my teachers. I loved going to school and I believe that experience influenced my interest in education.”