Kristen Cunningham

 

Today, Beyond the Chalkboard celebrates Kristen Cunningham. The word that immediately comes to mind when I think of Kristen is “angel.” Whenever I was down or stressed during this virtual school year, I walked into Kristen’s office where she would give me chicken soup for the soul from a distance!

Kristen is the department chair for ESOL at Falls Church HS and I am so happy to have someone with as big of a heart as hers in that position. It’s so easy to get lost in labels and blur out nuance when dealing with “special populations” as we often term them in education but Kristen sees every kid for who they are: their strengths, their dreams, their stories. She reminds our community that being an “EL” doesn’t mean a student cannot access a rigorous and engaging curriculum. I can ask her about any of the kids I have and she will tell me everything I need to know about them so that I can tailor my instructions to reach my English language learners. When COVID broke out and many of our vulnerable families lost jobs, Kristen didn’t lose any time. She mobilized a network of volunteers from our school who would bring food to these families once a week and works tirelessly to find other resources for them. Kristen reminds me that educators are there to help students see the possibilities and seize them so they can flourish and I will never have enough words to convey just how deeply I respect and admire her.

Why did you choose to become an educator?

To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do after college.  All I knew was that I enjoyed different languages and cultures and wanted to travel.  I majored in Spanish and decided to join the Peace Corps after I graduated.  The Peace Corps decided that my job would be to teach English, so I said okay and gave it a try.  After spending 3 years teaching English in Azerbaijan, I decided I really enjoyed that and wanted to keep doing it once I returned to the U.S.

Is there a memory from your career that stands out?

One of my favorite memories was giving the ESOL senior award several years ago to a student named Melvin.  I had the opportunity to talk to an auditorium full of people about this amazing student who arrived in the U.S. as a 16 year-old 10^th grader who didn’t know any English.  It took him 6 years to be able to graduate, but he never gave up and always had a smile on his face.  When he came up to receive his award, he gave me a huge hug and we both had tears in our eyes because we knew how hard he’d worked and how many obstacles he’d overcome to reach that point.

What big ideas for change do you envision in education?

I don’t know that I have any really big ideas, but I do wish it was easier for schools to always get the funding they need.  I also wish that everyone who works in a school with English Language Learners be required to take a language class themselves (if not already fluent in a 2^nd language).  I think this would make more staff empathetic to what EL students are going through.  Finally, I wish teachers truly had a say in hiring the administrators in their buildings (and other higher-up positions).  The teachers are the ones “on the ground” and know best who is a good fit for their school/district.

What does your self-care look like?

To be honest I’m not very good at unplugging, but I make sure to spend time each weekend cooking nutritious meals I can eat during the week and make regular time for exercise.  That’s been a little tougher at home as it mostly now means participating in various Zoom classes, but it also means I’ve been trying out all kinds of different things like Pilates, Yoga, Cardio Kickboxing, Balletone, etc.  Finally, I love to read.  If a week ends and I haven’t yet finished a book, it means I’ve been working too many hours and need to take a break.