Juna’s goal as a teacher is to empower young people to take the lead in their own learning and development. She grew up in a school community where respect for the autonomy of children was central, and had a rude awakening to the way young people are typically treated when she switched to public school in 9th grade. Public high school in rural Virginia was difficult, but it taught her a lot about the real cultural range of our country, and granted her a desire for justice and freedom that has driven her adult life.
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Teaching is where Juna’s values of liberation for all people meet the practical ways we support children as they build the skills which change their lives and their world. While youth liberation is Juna’s grounding, she also believes that structure and clarity are essential for helping students feel safe, and like they know what to expect from their school community. She believes in developing structure communally, and treating each child as an autonomous person with their own needs, interests, and ways of seeing the world.
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Juna’s goal as a teacher is to empower young people to take the lead in their own learning and development. She grew up in a school community where respect for the autonomy of children was central, and had a rude awakening to the way young people are typically treated when she switched to public school in 9th grade. Surviving public highschool in rural Virginia as a queer kid was difficult, but it taught her a lot about the real cultural range of our country, and gifted her a desire for justice and liberation which have driven her adult life.
Teaching is where Juna’s values of liberation for all people meet the practical ways we support children as they build the skills which change their lives and their world. While youth liberation is Juna’s grounding, she also believes that structure and clarity are essential for helping students feel safe, and like they know what to expect from their school community. She believes in developing structure communally, and treating each child as an autonomous person with their own needs, interests, and ways of seeing the world.
When she isn’t teaching Juna loves gardening, hiking, video games, playing music, and reading fantasy novels. She attends Quaker Meeting at Homewood Friends and volunteers with Baltimore Jail Support. She believes connection with nature, making art, and living in community are essential to living a fulfilling life.