About Me

I am an early elementary educator who works in Harlem teaching First Grade. I am passionate about discussing diversity with small children and I find the dearth and disorganization of readily available resources covering race in an early elementary classroom disheartening. As a disclaimer, I teach at a predominantly African and African-American school and my resources reflect my students.

When I began teaching in Chicago, I was overwhelmed by how difficult it was to find support, curriculum, and books. Since then, I have read and collected every resource I can find.

I am a white woman. I make mistakes. My lens is inescapable. My voice is not the most important voice in this conversation, but I believe that the conversation about race and identity with young children is so big and so vital that we must all have something to contribute. Through this blog I aim to share ideas, books, resources, and mistakes that have grown me as an educator of 20 beautiful, unique, diverse children. I hope you'll join me by commenting and sharing!

Background information:

Currently, I am in my fifth year of teaching. I taught in Chicago for two years in the neighborhood of Austin on the West side before moving to New York to work at Harlem Village Academies Elementary.

I have a Masters in Education from Dominican University. For my undergraduate studies I went to Wellesley College and obtained a degree in Psychology and Art History. My senior thesis was on imagination in hearing-impaired children. I am passionate about providing children with a positive sense of self in their early years of education.

If you would like to get in touch with me about a resource or with questions, you can email me at mhaley@harlemvillage.org.