Experienced Teachers Share Strategies They Use to Improve and Master the Craft

We invited a panel of educators to discuss specific strategies they use to improve their mastery of the teaching craft.

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Latrese D. Younger has over fifteen years of education experience across several different school districts. She began her journey as an English Language Arts teacher in Dinwiddie County, VA, which she credits with firming her foundation in education excellence. Throughout her career, she has taught ELA for grades 6-12. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Virginia State University and a Master of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Technology Education from Strayer University Henrico Campus. Currently, she is pursuing her doctoral degree from Virginia Tech University. She is the content curator for and founder of the non-profit, Black Women Education Leaders, Inc (BWEL).

Kayla Towner is a senior technology trainer at the Utah Education Network and a Hope Street Group Fellow. Kayla instructs, guides, consults and helps educators of any level effectively use technology in the classroom. She has used her expertise to present at schools and districts across the state of Utah. She is pumped about sharing Utah’s Online Library with educators and encouraging educators to expand their comfort zones to be innovative creators. Kayla is Advanced Nearpod Certified, Google Level 1 Certified, Microsoft Innovative Expert, and an ISTE Certified Educator. Prior to her work at the Utah Education Network, Kayla was the 2020 Outstanding Young Educator at UCET and a leading educator in Davis School District, where she taught all subjects in elementary school (2nd and 5th grade).

Carissa McCray, PhD (she/her), is an English instructor in K–12 education who has worked in the city of Duval County and rural Sumter County, Florida. With insight gained from teaching grades 6 through 12, including teaching corrective to advanced courses, she has refined her craft to focus on redefining the educational trajectory for students of color that addresses equitable education, rural education, and the impact of trauma. Her current book, Equitable Instruction, Empowered Students, provides tools to combat biases inherent in education with pedagogy that encourages students to dismantle the injustices surrounding them. Tackling every angle of the classroom, from instructional practices and curriculum to classroom culture and communication, the book provides opportunities for reflection and inspires readers to ignite change.