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Hi everyone! I'm Sydney Smith and I'm from San Diego, CA. I'm a Jaffe Peace Corps Fellow and I'm in my third semester at TC working towards my Master's in Curriculum and Teaching. I'm teaching third grade up in Inwood.
I enjoying listening to hip hop music and am excited to learn more about its social and cultural context this semester. I am also excited to see how I can incorporate hip hop practice and culture into my classroom, as my students connect instantly with music, with the ultimate goal of creating stronger relationships with students and more engaging lessons!

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Hi everyone, My name is Luok Shiang/ Pan Yong and I'm a second-year student in the TESOL program. I was born and raised in Malaysia but completed my undergraduate in Childhood/Special Ed at NYU.

As I was reading the prompt, I noticed that I was struggling to find my own connection with hip hop which may or may not be attributed to my country's media censorship. In Malaysia, hip-hop would be the sub-culture that would run into trouble with authority from time to time, and hip-hop music from abroad would be heavily censored–if they make it to the media at all. Local hip-hop artists who were more aware of the media censorship would work around the constraints and produce music (like the one I attached in the post) but few would make it to the charts.

This semester, I aim to learn to appreciate hip-hop with you all and discover how this culture can shape education in ways that I've never thought of before!

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Havoc-Joe Flizzow ft.Altimet and SonaOne (Lirik)

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Hi everyone! My name is Frankie Sedar and this is my third semester at TC. I am working towards my MA in Curriculum & Teaching, Elementary Education, Professional Certification. I recently graduated from Syracuse University in May 2021 with my B.S. in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education (grades 1-6). I have not yet taught in my own classroom but will hopefully start in the Fall. I’m originally from San Francisco but have lived near and far in Potomac Maryland and London, England.

Hip-hop is one of my favorite genres of music and usually what I am listening to. I am very excited to discuss the connections between hip-hop and education and how I can apply my newfound knowledge to my classroom!

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Hello everyone!  My name is Yasmeen Sarani and this is my second semester at TC. I am in the Masters of Teaching and Curriculum program and plan to graduate this August. I am originally from Houston, Texas, and went to undergrad at Texas A&M University where I majored in Early Childhood Education. After graduation, I taught 4th grade in a suburb in Sugar Land, Texas. Even though it was my first year teaching and my students were all virtual due to the pandemic my first year definitely did not go as I expected but, it was a worthwhile experience and I learned so much. I decided to apply to TC and wanted to further my professional goals and wanted to experience a change after living in Texas all my life. I am currently interning at Bloomberg Philanthropies where I am working as a graduate student intern in an e-Learning digital platform called Global Scholars. I learned many different tech tools teaching online and differentiating learning through a virtual setting for my students. I loved being able to create assignments and deliver content to my class as they were able to express their creativity and individuality through their work. I am excited to learn from this course and how I can incorporate music with learning and integrate it into the curriculum where students are engaged and eager to learn. I look forward to a great semester with you all and explore through the connections of hip hop and culture through learning! 

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Hello everyone!  My name is Yasmeen Sarani and this is my second semester at TC. I am in the Masters of Teaching and Curriculum program and plan to graduate this August. I am originally from Houston, Texas, and went to undergrad at Texas A&M University where I majored in Early Childhood Education. After graduation, I taught 4th grade in a suburb in Sugar Land, Texas. Even though it was my first year teaching and my students were all virtual due to the pandemic my first year definitely did not go as I expected but, it was a worthwhile experience and I learned so much. I decided to apply to TC and wanted to further my professional goals and wanted to experience a change after living in Texas all my life. I am currently interning at Bloomberg Philanthropies where I am working as a graduate student intern in an e-Learning digital platform called Global Scholars. I learned many different tech tools teaching online and differentiating learning through a virtual setting for my students. I loved being able to create assignments and deliver content to my class as they were able to express their creativity and individuality through their work. I am excited to learn from this course and how I can incorporate music with learning and integrate it into the curriculum where students are engaged and eager to learn. I look forward to a great semester with you all and explore through the connections of hip hop and culture through learning! 

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Hi everybody! My name is Hasya Schweitzer! This is my second semester at TC working towards a MA in Curriculum and Teaching. I am originally from Los Angeles, but completed by undergrad in New York City, where I majored in Education. While in TC, I am also working as a teachers assistant in a private school on the East Side for 2nd and 3rd grade.

Although my knowledge of hip hop music is minimal, I was interested in taking this course to learn about new and creative waysthat I can connect to my students and  learn how to implement these ideas into science education and possibly to other areas of study as well.

Looking forward to meeting you all and having a wonderful semester!

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What's Happnin'? Everyone. My Name is Alvin Atkinson. I am in the Ed.D program. I am a drumist and educator. I am a 7-time Jazz Ambassador for the US State Department appointed by three presidents for soft diplomacy and cultural exchange representing the US. I was always a breakdancer coming up. I had the chance to do a show with Kool Moe D. Krs-! has always been my Ace with his lyrical consciousness. I am excited about learning new ways to implement pedagogical connectors in my teaching and directing.

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Hello,everyone! My name is Jacob and this is the second semester of my Instructional Technology and Media program. I was born in China while a huge part of my childhood was spent in South Korea. As for my undergraduate education, I majored in Broadcasting and Television at Fudan University in Shanghai, and simultaneously pursued a minor degree in Jurisprudence at East China University of Political Science and Laws through an intercollegial degree program. Prior to starting my journey at TC, I worked with Consulate General of Republic of Korea in Shanghai as a youth diplomat. Intercultural communication and education, as you may can tell from my background, have long been my biggest interest.

While studying at university, besides balancing the challenges of pursuing two degrees and multiple internships, I also found the time to participate in voluntary teaching events, teaching Chinese students’ Korean and Korean students’ Chinese. I consistently ensured that the active student-teacher engagement became a way of dedicating love and helping students to realize their self-value. I also took every possible opportunity to apply media technology and other presumably powerful tools for communication and education, thereby enhancing the effects of my teaching. Using music for education, however, has remained on my to-do list for a long time. And this course happened to jump into my eyes when I was considering putting more time and energy in trying “something new” this semester.

Plus, hip-hop music is my favorite, nearly dominant on my play list. I even did a comparative study before, between Chinese hip-hop music and Korean hip-hop music. As the core of Hip-hop culture is love and peace, which, in my humble opinion, just matches the ultimate values of education, I really look forward to learning about it in depth from the perspective of an educator through this course.

Take care and see you guys soon!

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Hey all! My name is Lauren and I'm from Massachusetts. I am in my third semester working toward my MA in Curriculum and Teaching and I am a Jaffe Peace Corps Fellow at TC. I teach first grade in an ICT classroom in the UWS.
I like listening to hip-hop music and learning about its social history as part of a counter-culture as well as its evolution into the mainstream. I'm interested in understanding how it relates to science education and more generally how I can make my lessons more interdisciplinary and creative.
Looking forward to learning from all of you this semester!

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Hi everyone! My name is Paloma and this is my second semester at TC. I am in the Masters in Curriculum and Teaching and will be graduating in August.
I am French, Mexican, and American and grew up in Paris. I wanted to move to the United States for undergrad and work here to experience something new.

I have taught 5th grade science for the past 3.5 years before joining TC and have never thought of how it could connect to hip hop music and hip hop culture. I was very intrigued by this course and very excited to start!
I have always enjoyed listening to hip hop and especially when growing up in France felt that it opened a door into some of US culture.
I am excited to create new connections and get to explore and learn more about hip hop culture in this country.

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Hi Guys! I'm Elizabeth Lipshutz and this is my second  semester at TC.  I am getting my MA in  Curriculum and Teaching. Before coming to TC I worked as  a middle school science teacher at a private school in Los Angeles. My hope is to return to the classroom after I finish my program and implement all I have learned at our institution.

I enjoy hip-hop and find it be very powerful. However, what sparked my interest for this class is that previously I would have found hip-hop and Science to be unrelated. I am excited to explore how they are connected, dependent, and can be used as a tool to both educate and connect with our students. I am looking forward to this class and believe it will serve to disprove some previous conceptions I had about being a science educator.

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Hello everyone! My name is Cameron Rodriguez and I am currently pursuing a MA in Health Education at Teachers College. I was born and raised on Staten Island, NY, and I attended undergrad at CUNY College of Staten Island where I earned my BFA in Photography. I am currently working as a full time program director for afterschool programs in a NYC Public School, however, at the end of the month I will be transitioning into a new role where I will facilitate Family Life and Sexuality Education at a number of New York City schools and Community Centers. My professional work centers around organizing and providing direct social, health and academic services and supports to at risk youth and families. At Teachers College, my studies have centered around adolescent pregnancy prevention and comprehensive sexual education programs. Working within a Community School has inspired me to pursue a degree in Health Education to further understand and address barriers preventing health equity for the families within the community I serve.

Throughout my life I have been involved in many creative projects including rock/hardcore bands and I deeply understand the need for creativity and self expression. For this course, I am most excited to learn methods for incorporating creative expression into academic learning. I believe this will allow us to facilitate a deeper and more meaningful relationship between our students and the content of our respective courses.

Looking forward to a productive semester!

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Hi! My name is Alexandra Israel and I am from Santiago, Chile and I moved here to NY to study! This is my second semester at TC and I am in the MA Curriculum and Teaching.

I worked 5,5 years in Chile in a charter school. I taught 2 years English in PK and K, and then 3,5 years Spanish in 5th grade.

I find hip hop music and culture really interesting, and I am looking forward to connect it to science and to other content areas. I am happy to meet you all and engaging in creative and deep conversations!

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Hello everyone! My name is Nayab and I'm a first year MA-CURR student. Born and raised in Houston, TX and I attended the University of Texas in Austin. I have taught 2nd and 4th grade in TX prior to starting TC. Hip-hop is my favorite genre of music and most of my most played! Even while teaching, my students loved hip hop music for the beat, the excitement and thrill of the drops. I am super interested in learning about how we can incorporate hip hop into curriculum and creating a fun environment.

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Hi everyone! My name is Maddie Santoro and this is my second semester at TC. I am a full time graduate student in the MA Teaching and Curriculum Program (Elementary Education). I am originally from Long Island, NY. In May 2021 I graduated from Syracuse University with my certification in special education and elementary education (grades 1-6). So, I came to TC straight from undergraduate school and haven't yet had a classroom of my own. However, I student taught in a 5th grade departmentalized classroom, teaching S.S and Science and this was my favorite grade to teach in.

I decided to take this course because I was allowed to take any elective and this peaked my interest. I mostly listen to hip-hop/rap music and this seemed like a fun class to take, that is unlike any class I have taken in the past. I am excited for the conversations that will take place and hope to learn new things I can take with me into my own classroom!