Paola Gagliardo (she/her)

Fourth Grade Teacher • International School of Portland (Oregon, USA)

How did you get into teaching?

After receiving a degree in Chemical Engineering, my first job was at a candy factory in Quito, Ecuador called Confiteca. It was a “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory” fantasy floor job. I choose between an office job analyzing data and being on the floor learning the candy production process, assessing bottlenecks, monitoring, and quality control. The reward was to experience firsthand how candy is made, get to know the experts in this process, and last, I got to eat a lot of candy! 

Teaching as a career wasn’t a conscious choice – life took me there. I started informally teaching my own children when we moved to the United States. While teaching Spanish at a summer camp, the director was amazed I could get the students speaking so well only after a couple of months. She said, “Let’s start a school!” So, I co-founded a Spanish immersion school and was there for four years. We started with just five students and the following year, we had 21. I felt like I belonged right there in the classroom - and I still do.

Who was the teacher who made the most positive impact on your life?

All my K-12 teachers were outstanding, though very traditional. It wasn’t until college that I encountered a physics teacher who asked the question who changed my life, “What do you think?” I was shocked. It was an inquiry-based class and he turned us into the teachers. At first, I kept thinking: “When am I get the answer?” Eventually, I got it, and this course that mixed science and philosophy soon became my favorite one. His name was Prof. Carlos Montufar, one of the founders of the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito. He’s still teaching there. 

What is a professional inquiry you are currently pursuing? 

Can we question and have an honest intellectual conversation about race? 

Being in Ecuador for the last three weeks made me realize that our conversations in the United States about race and privilege are distorted. They are also too narrow. For example, simply making sure we stock our libraries with authors and characters who represent multiple races, ethnicities and backgrounds is good, but not enough. Many cultures don’t use books as the primary means of storytelling. Truly culturally responsive resources would need to embrace oral traditions, dance, music, and other means of communication. We also tend to lump people into “white” and “people of color.” The use of this words is confusing for many people - and doesn’t tell the whole story. I am South American from Ecuador more than I am a “person of color” living in the United States. In Ecuador, 71% of the population is mixed, and race isn’t the central issue in our lives. My colleagues come from countries that speak Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Our experiences in the United States are more complicated and nuanced than saying we are “people of color” who are marginalized. I think we need to be careful in the United States with these conversations - I’m not saying we should ignore or side-step them - but we should be more honest and thoughtful. Creating even more polarization in this country is a real threat we should address. 

A recent perspective from the Sam Harris Making Sense podcast with the professor and writer, John McWhorter, who provokes debate this issue: The New Religion Of Anti-Racism: A Conversation with John McWhorter

What is a personal inquiry you are currently pursuing?

How can I balance my personal and professional life better? 

I love my job so much that sometimes I cannot pull myself away from it! This year has been good. The students are happy to be together and it’s a strong class dynamic. However, I can be working for hours without noticing. I need to start prioritizing other things in my life, like spending time with my son and family. I need to accept invitations to go out with my friends, even if I prefer to keep working. I also need to let go of things that don’t really need my immediate attention or even need to be done by me all the time (I’ll put housework in that category)! [laughs]

What three best ideas you have to improve the teaching profession?

1) Mentoring

Teachers at all stages, but especially early on, need to feel supported and have a strong emotional support network in place.

2) Pedagogical Agreement

Teachers in the same school community need to have the opportunity to discuss and get on the same page not just about what they teach - but how! For example, the way I think about inquiry is different than the way others think about it. Some consider it a ‘free for all’ and some think it’s a structured cycle. All of us need to agree with the definition and share an understanding of what inquiry is and is not. Trevor Mackenzie’s book was helpful for us - as was yours, Kimberly. It’s easy to feel so lost in teaching. Inquiry is even more complex. You could argue that inquiry is just “common sense” – but my common sense isn’t the same as others’. New teachers hear different stories about inquiry, and it can be overwhelming and often contradictory. This is where mentoring (see #1) comes in!

3) Promote Agency for Teachers

Teachers should be allowed and trusted to make decisions for their own professional growth that are aligned w/ philosophy and values of the school. I’m lucky to be in such a trusting, supportive school that offers us choice. I also think the with agency comes responsibility. I also don’t think that it’s always the school’s responsibility to help you grow as a teacher. Teachers must also take some initiative here. 

You gotta see this!

One of my students created this image of the Galápagos Islands for me! It meant so much that they would take the time to make this - and it warmed my heart.

FUN FACT:

Paola is in the middle of translating “Experience Inquiry” into Spanish! We should have it ready for purchase and immediate download in early 2022.