Social Media Management Experience
I started @Empowered_Teachers, an instagram account focused on supporting educators through a social justice and labor organizing lens. I developed regular visual and written content and executed digital campaigns to highlight experiences of rank and file teachers, as well as to bring attention to organizing efforts around the country.
Empowered Teacher Features
One of my favorite parts of running the Empowered Teachers account was the opportunity to highlight the activism of classroom teachers with different sets of experiences. This process involved interviewing and photographing the teacher, transcribing their words, and then using graphic design to put their pictures and words into a format that would do well on instagram. This is an example of one of those Empowered Teacher Features, complete with the captions of each post included below :
"I think teacher solidarity means supporting each other, in whatever capacity we’re able to do that... Whether that’s just making somebody else aware of our struggles in our profession and what our job is really like, or being out there with the teachers on strike, or calling our reps and saying 'I’m not okay with this.' Listening to what teachers are really saying is also really important, and knowing that just because you’re not going through it yourself doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect you-- It affects all of us. Even talking to people in our lives and just raising awareness-- that’s solidarity. Because a lot of the times people are like 'Oh God another teacher strike,' or 'They probably just want more money'... If you're raising awareness, that's one way of showing solidarity. Not all of us are able to be out there. So I guess I feel like solidarity means supporting each other, and that’s what we have to keep doing for each other, in whatever small ways we can." -- Sandra González, 3rd Grade Teacher
Sandra González is a third-grade teacher at Fiesta Gardens International School, a public dual-immersion school in San Mateo, CA. Sandra has worked as her grade-level team leader, a member of site council, a part of the PBIS and Restorative Justice team, and a member of the Sunshine committee at her school. She has prioritized wellness in both her personal and professional life, and has incorporated mindfulness practices into her teaching. Sandra has participated in the San Mateo Foster City Math Collaborative initiative, and hopes to support other teachers with their math instruction when she comes back from maternity leave this Fall. In addition to her outstanding instructional leadership, Sandra is a mother to a two year-old toddler and three month-old baby ❤️
"What does #RedForEd mean to me? It means that we’re not afraid. We’re finally ready to say we’ve had enough, and we’re not alone. We’re gonna support each other no matter where we are. We’ve had enough, it’s time for change, and we’re not gonna back down until we see it. We’re gonna fight and we’re gonna unite. I’ve never been the fighter, you know? But it really ignites something in me. It makes me less afraid. I’ve always been so compliant. I just go with the flow and do as I’m told, but why? Why am I always ok? Why do I always say 'yes'? I don’t have to do that. That’s what it means to me, that I don’t have to take it."-- Sandra González, 3rd Grade Teacher.
Dolores Huerta Series
When Jay O'Neal and Emily Comer, two teachers and activists from West Virginia, were selected and featured for Time's 100 Most Influential People, famous labor activist and co-founder of the United Farmworkers Association, Dolores Huerta, wrote a piece about them for Time Magazine. I took her words and used graphic design to create a background of striking teachers as part of the #RedForEd movement Huerta referenced in her piece about O'Neal and Comer. This series did really well on instagram and was shared and circulated widely.
Other Successful Posts
Here are some examples of posts that did well on the Empowered Teachers account. Pictures are linked so that you can visit the account and explore some more :)
