Community Engagement Manager Toni Rose Deanon visited Baltimore City Public Schools this fall and walked away with so many great tips from BCPS educators, we just had to share!

I taught in Baltimore City Public Schools from 2013-2014. I didn’t think I could last the whole school year, honestly. I was naive to think that just because I’ve taught three years prior, I should be good in a different environment. The truth behind that naivety is that I did hold onto my better teaching practices, as I got to know the community and adjust accordingly. I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and had a total of 127 students. I got creative and I got overwhelmed - and I only lasted a year there before moving to DC.

So to come back and visit classrooms in 2024 was a special treat for me. I was able to join the Modern Classroom team to visit multiple schools and educator’s classrooms. I giggled with the students, I shared encouragement with educators, and I witnessed the magic that was happening throughout the schools that we visited.

As I reflect on my time with Baltimore City Public Schools, here are three lessons:

1. Students love making their own instructional videos.

I visited a 4th grade classroom and joined a group of students as they learned about electricity. I asked them about their learning journey, and they were so eager and excited to show me that they make instructional videos for each other, JUST FOR FUN. They take their teachers’ slides and create instructional videos using their own words. I believe that when students can teach others the content or skills they’re learning, they’ve truly mastered the skill and/or content. I’m sure this has everything to do with them seeing their own teacher make instructional videos for them. This was a fun reminder that our students are watching and they will mirror what we do. 

2. A self-paced classroom creates time and space for language standards for our multilingual learners in content classes.

I visited a 7th grade Science classroom where the educator, Mr. Symister, taught in both English and Spanish. He had a large population of multilingual students in his class, and it was so fun hearing him switch between the two languages. As the students reflect on their learning, Mr. Symister shared with us that he has been able to not only cover his Science standards, but he can also address the language standards for students learning English. How cool is that?!

3. Progress trackers keep students and teachers organized, especially in SPED pull-out groups.

I spent some time with a SPED Elementary School educator who pulled students into small groups outside of the class, and she went over her progress tracker. The progress tracker helped her stay organized and focused on what each individual student needed to be and feel successful. This is her first time implementing a progress tracker and she’s understanding that she has to make adjustments to the pacing and due dates to make it that much more seamless for her and her students.

Being back in Baltimore City Public Schools at a different capacity and time reminded me of my own joys in my BCPS classroom. I love being around educators and being exposed to how they’re implementing blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning environments. 

Toni Rose Deanon

Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.