Katherine Elliott Email and Phone Number

From K-12, I never felt school was a place I belonged. Foster care, homelessness, undiagnosed learning disorders, and a severely lacking support system created hurdles that inhibited my personal and educational growth. At just 18, I became the sole provider for my son. Ultimately, I dropped out of high school and later pursued my GED. At the age of 20, I decided to look into college and was pleasantly surprised to find out all I had to do was take tests for placement. When asked what I wanted to do for a career path—something I was certain I’d never have—I decided to choose secondary education. I felt it was my responsibility to help those who may have similar struggles to the ones I once had in school. I firmly believe every student should feel as if they belong in the classroom. It isn’t lost on me that those who have encountered what I have in my youth statistically do not achieve at the same rate as their classmates. All students deserve to feel represented in the classroom and have their individual strengths nurtured. So, I’ve welcomed the task of bridging the gap between the two discourses and have made it my personal mission to ensure I’m creating an equitable and supportive learning environment for every student who walks through my classroom door.I’m forever grateful for the life experiences I have that cannot be learned within a classroom, and equally thankful for the opportunities that are a result of what can be learned from a classroom. My students are not a product of their circumstances; they each have a skillset that is unique and valuable which will help them achieve despite what they’ve endured.