Elsa Williamson

• College Attended: California State University, Northridge & Grand Canyon University
• Favorite Quote: "Something very magical happens in those classrooms where skilled and caring adults who celebrate diversity are committed to truly inclusive teaching and learning." - Anne Marie Richardson-Gibbs and M. Diane Klein
• Subject Areas Teaching: English, Spanish, Parent Support Group
• Country You’d Love to Visit Next: Scotland
• Languages Spoken or Learning: English & Spanish

For many families, the concept of homeschooling or online school is just part of their pedagogical approach. Children learn at home and in many families, it happens organically and holistically. Innovative education can be a natural lifestyle of flexibility and self-guided structure. It sounds beautiful and can be for many but this was not the case for me. I was born and raised in North Hollywood, California. In an area, that to this day is inhabited by predominantly poor Mexican and Latin American families. My family migrated from El Salvador in the late 1970s when the country was being ravaged by civil war. I was fortunate to be born as the first American citizen into a family that believed that education was the key to life in the United States.

As far back as Kindergarten, I remember being labeled as “one of the smart ones”.  Our classes were sorted to put children in groups based on perceived intelligence. I was always in the group that was praised and allowed to play outside first. From a very young age, I knew that this was wrong. One method of instruction was offered and all of the children that didn’t fit that mold simply did not succeed. I was also fortunate to have parents that learned to speak English and fought to advocate for my siblings and I.  I often saw my father at my schools advocate for children that weren’t his either.  When I asked him why he said, “Some parents are afraid to speak up and others don’t know that they can.” As I got older and into high school, I achieved good grades but felt disconnected from my education and teachers. That disconnection came across loud and clear in my poor behavior.

From the time I started college, I knew that education was my passion. I wanted to pursue a career path that would allow me to help bring equity to education. I have attained a B.A in English Literature and a Master’s degree in Education. My goal is to work to bring educational opportunities to families of all backgrounds and needs. It has taken many years of work and experience to shift my paradigm of what education should look like. My home has become a center of innovative education for my own children and now I want to share that with others.