Edition 1: Welcome to Latitude
My transition and first month as a high school teacher
In early 2021, I decided to transition from writing software for Freenome, a biotech company in the Bay Area focused on building early cancer diagnostics, to teaching high school computer science at Latitude. I am now one month into the school year. I teach fifty-six sophomores in a hands-on, project-based course focused on instilling foundational science and engineering practices. We serve over thirty different Oakland middle schools. This newsletter provides updates of my experience and opportunities to help me accomplish Latitude’s goals.
To help us with a great semester project, consider donating to our fundraising campaign here.
Transition
I have always loved school and education — as a young kid I used to tell anyone who would ask that I wanted to be a teacher. Over the course of my own schooling, I got so much exposure to amazing role models who shaped me into a curious and passionate learner. I always aspired to be like them, making a similar impact on young students.
I found an even deeper passion for the space through various tutoring organizations and schools in South Dallas and East Palo Alto in high school and college. I spent hours with students in education programs that opened my eyes to the inequities that exist in today's institutions. I observed students struggle through underperforming schools. Many students failed through no fault of their own. These observations stuck with me and inspired me to apply for Teach For America my senior year of college.
Instead of teaching, I decided to dive into the software industry at Freenome to develop my engineering skills while working toward the important mission of solving the cancer problem. My two-and-a-half years there achieved so much more, but ultimately, my time helped me realize that my passion of educating the next generation had to be the focal point of my career. I explored a handful of different pathways to get back into the space, leading me to a couple of amazing startups. I once again spent time working with students and applied to full-time teaching roles. I landed at Latitude High 37.8 in Oakland as the 10th grade computer science teacher.
Training
On Wednesday, July 28 I arrived at Latitude’s campus to an atrium filled with educators ready to kick off a school year full of new challenges and exciting opportunities. This is Latitude’s fourth year. After starting with just a freshman class in 2018, the school now has its first group of seniors. With all teachers masked, COVID’s presence loomed over the year. The principal addressed us. We’ll be testing weekly, wearing masks, and employing distance until further notice. The principal then shared the plan for the next three days — to receive a “slice of Latitude” — a three day project-based learning crash course where the teachers learn as the students.
Latitude has three different subjects for each grade — math, science, and humanities. Each grade has one teacher for each discipline (with the exception of the freshman class that has doubled so six total teachers). Each discipline has a non-teaching coach to oversee the teachers.
The science teachers spent the rest of the day in our coach’s classroom learning about the changing climate of the San Francisco Bay. Earlier in the summer, science decided to focus on the essential questions for the year: what’s happening to our waterways, from the climate and culture perspectives? What can we do, and why should we care? We explored projects to build solutions in line with Latitude’s principle of using the broader area of Oakland and the Bay as our classroom. We left the classroom wondering how microplastics can be mitigated and how to increase minority representation in waterway usage.
The next day we visited a handful of nautical exhibits, from a boat craftsman, to a naval data collection base, to the 3D model of the bay, to a private Oakland marina. We capped off the experience building model boats ourselves.
Follow @latitude378 on Instagram for more content like this
I spent the next week preparing my curriculum for the year before the first day of school on the following Monday. Yes… one week preparing. With no formal teacher training and only a loose idea of the first couple weeks of school, I entered the weekend full of anxiety for the first day ahead.
Teaching
I cannot even begin to describe the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty, responsibility, unpreparedness, excitement, and so many other emotions all stuffed into my brain as students began filing into my classroom. I remember the last deep breath I took before launching into the syllabus. The first couple of minutes had plenty of bumps. My coach came to observe midway through class and left me a note that some students didn’t know what to call me — I realized I completely forgot to introduce myself. Nevertheless, I felt mostly in control by the time I let students take a mid-class break (our periods are two hours long 😅). For the next period, I remember feeling a sense of confidence that helped me channel the chaotic, post-lunch student energy into productive work.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly in that second period. My lesson design had the kids using copper tape, coin cell batteries, and LEDs to make a simple circuit. It totally hooked the kids. They were loving seeing the lights come alive, working to help each other get a paper circuit built, piping up to share anything they had learned. In fact, this class ran too smoothly. The afternoon class outpaced the morning by about twenty minutes. Panicked, I made the on-the-spot decision to hold off on beginning the next activity, instead opting to have the students help me clean up while a handful finished their work. Cleaning up took all of five minutes, and the students walked all over me for the last bit of class. I sat dejected for about half an hour after school just decompressing. I remember the feeling of fear and despair. Was that about to be the emotional toll I faced everyday?
Following that first day, each class got easier. I felt more confident, needed less time to prepare, and delivered better-designed lessons to achieve learning goals (even if it felt like this at times). We continued work with circuits, learned some basic programming through Arduino, and built laptop cases on CAD software. The students bring so much joy to my days. Starting in two weeks we will begin the rest-of-semester project using Arduino microcontrollers and SeaMate Remote-Operated Vehicles to map water quality throughout the SF Bay. Thank you for reading about my journey so far, I will continue to share more updates at some to-be-determined cadence. Again, please consider supporting my project here.