Vera Ahiyya
NYC Department of Education
Brooklyn, NY USA
"Every child who is in my classroom is deserving of love and respect, and they deserve to be seen, heard, and understood during their time with me."
Career Roadmap
Vera's work combines: Education, Writing, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
The best way to be inspiring and engaging as a teacher is to be who you are. Any teaching job you take, remember to be yourself and remember that you're only human.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
History and Psychology
Austin College
Graduate Degree
Education, General
Austin College
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in El Paso, Texas.
2.
I come from a long line of educators—both of my parents were educators, my maternal grandparents were teachers, and my great-grandfather was the principal, teacher, and bus driver for his school.
3.
After high school, I earned my teaching degree from Austin College.
4.
I started my teaching career in Austin, Texas, where I worked as a kindergarten, first grade, and English Language Learner (ELL) teacher.
5.
I spent six years teaching in Austin before moving to Massachusetts with my husband—once there, I taught kindergarten for another six years.
6.
We then moved to Brooklyn, New York—I’ve been teaching kindergarten here for three years.
7.
I’ve become known as "The Tutu Teacher" because I often wear a tutu, dance, and sing while teaching my students.
8.
I’ve also started a blog and social media presence to share my practices and classroom activities with other teachers.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Am I good at this? Should I continue teaching? Do I stay or try something new?
How I responded:
Throughout my career, I've gone through different phases of questioning. At the beginning, I'd question if I was actually good at teaching or if I was doing it right. Then, once I felt comfortable, I started questioning what else I was good at. You go through these things as a teacher. The way I get through it is by reminding myself why I'm here. I ask myself what I love about teaching and what excites me. I hold onto those things while I think about the negatives and evaluate my next steps.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Moving from Texas to Massachusetts was one of the hardest things I've done. Relocating has its challenges but it can also be a great experience. If you're in a rut and ready for something new, I'd encourage anyone to consider a change.