Meet Mr. Saunders, Director of Choirs and Drumlines
In celebration of Black History Month, the Garfield PTSA reached out to Garfield’s awesome Black and African American teachers and staff with a few questions – e.g. favorite part of your job, what do you like to do for fun, and reflections on Black History Month.
This is my 2nd year at Garfield as the Director of Choirs and Drumlines. Last year I split the roles between Garfield and Washington Middle School. I actually did my student teaching here in 2012 before working at Washington Middle School.
My favorite part of my job is getting the opportunity every day to watch students create. Music is a wonderful space where we focus on community and collaboration; singing and hitting stuff are just the tools we use to communicate.
I play in the Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline, during non-COVID football seasons. Beyond that, I love to read and hang with my cats.
Black History Month is a reminder to the rest of the world that we exist. To me, it is an opportunity for educators to refocus how they engage student in their curriculum. Do the students see themselves represented in your work? Are you asking yourself who’s voices you are uplifting in your curriculum? This month is a reminder that we should be ALWAYS working towards presenting our subjects and specifically speaking to the Black experience around it.