Katie W Sturm
Re-Imagining Learning Together
Accessible
When we create inviting, welcoming spaces that accommodate diversity, we not only serve our disadvantaged community, we also benefit all students. From placing desks in a way to accommodate different mobility challenges to utilizing technology to amplify education, I strive to create more opportunity for students to grasp the material on their own terms. Accommodations and Modifications are available to all.
ND-Friendly
In recent years, understanding around the diversity of neurological experiences within our student body has deepened. It encompasses a variety of different learning styles. While Autistm, ADHD and other labels may have stigma attached, Neurodivergent friendly education embraces the superpowers of previously stigmatized mental health conditions, allowing them to thrive and shine.
Culturally Responsive
We live in an increasingly Glocal (Global + Local) world. Our cities and communities are increasingly diversifying, and we need to remain responsive and aware to the specific cultural needs of our students. DEI is about supporting a robust and inclusive environment in which people feel safe to show up as they are. By providing unique supports to those from those traditionally marginalized, we build a stronger community.
Trauma Informed
Students come to us with diverse experiences we may not understand. Trauma-informed education allows us to embrace our students’ challenges and see them as *having* a hard time instead of *giving us* a hard time. With ACEs on the rise and increasing hostility in the digital and political domains, a conscious approach to traumatized folx is critical. By providing resources and inviting other experts to support our students, we create safety.
PACK-IT
Our Values
Passion comes in so many forms, and we want to honor those robust, strong emotions as they emerge – and give them a healthy direction to flow into. If we understand all behavior as communication, then we can see moments of escalation as opportunities for deeper learning – instead of flash points for tempers and misunderstanding.
Ability is the structural framework of skills and technique that help our students thrive. Some of these are standards set by our state governing boards, and some of them are strategic “tricks” to help students navigate the new hybrid world of multiple forms of media. Not all students can learn from lectures – Ability helps diversify their skillset.
More and more, Collaboration is King in the broader world. These days, it is more often about *who* you know and not *what* you know. Companies talk about “right fit” and “team-building” in ways that show their importance. Our students not only work together on various parts of learning, but also learn better strategies for working together – delegation, communication, and more.
It is crucial to develop our “kindness” muscles as we grow. Kindness is not being “nice”or people pleasing. Kindness involves speaking truthfully and honoring the inherent dignity and value in the person in front of you. It reflects a desire for how we want treat one another, and how we want our world to be.
Integrity matches who we are on the inside to how we act and interact in public spaces. Every human being is a leader – even if they are only leading themselves. Leadership has its roots and stability in Integrity – the practice of showing up consistently, with different facets of personality, skill, communication, and relationships *integrated* into our identity. When we practice Integrity, we invite accountability and growth.
Thoughtfulness means being mindful of ourselves, our community, our environment. It can be a pause before replying, it can be a moment of curiosity or inquisitiveness, and it can also be applying knowledge in new ways. When we are “thoughtful” or mindful, we activate our “metacognition” – the place in our brain where we embed our values and beliefs. Thoughtfulness also indicates a level of learning in which we can apply the knowledge to more than just data points. We can make connections, draw conclusions, and apply these things to our life.