Deanna Alexich

“It took some time and more than a few painful sessions in my trainings to come to accept, that although I deemed myself to be culturally sensitive, I was amongst one of many white people who benefited from racism everyday. With this knowledge came a responsibility to teach to a culture of generational ignorance. Confronting painful issues, especially around racism is an ongoing process and one I take to heart.  We as educators owe it to our students and their families to honor the stories we have not witnessed, but can feel in their willingness to open up or protectively shut down in the process of learning.”

A teacher since 1987, Deanna is currently teaching Writing and Independent Study at Hearthstone School in Oroville, CA.  Before that, she taught English and Creative Writing to 7-12 graders at  Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts.  Her extensive teaching career has brought her to classrooms in New Mexico, Oregon, and Northern California.  Deanna has a MA in Education with a focus on Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners from Cal State Chico. She also holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English/Drama from Cal State SF and a B.A. in Speech and Drama from Cal State Chico.  In January 2010, Deanna hosted a group of LEAP student teacher interns at her school and later facilitated an African Drumming and Dance Project that was documented in a film she produced, entitled Dance, Drum, Sing, Live.

You can donate directly towards Deanna’s work with Teach With Africa here!