Celeste Haverkamp, Ignacio, Colorado: 2020-2022 YEAC Alum

Celeste Haverkamp, Language Arts teacher
Ignacio Middle School in Ignacio, Colorado

I was born and grew up in Oakland, CA. I studied Literature at Bard College, graduating in 2012. After college, I spent a few years going between the worlds of education, farming, and snowboarding. I worked in first and second grade classrooms in Oakland, taught 4th and 5th grade Art, grew tropical fruit in Hawaii, farmed organic vegetables in Virginia, worked as an environmental farm educator in Northern California, and coached snowboarding here in Colorado. I always thought I would end up as a teacher and, after falling deeply in love with Southwestern Colorado, decided to get my Master's in Education at University of Michigan and return to the four corners area to be a 6th grade Language Arts teacher. I am very excited to be teaching in Ignacio, Colorado!

I am excited to connect with rural teachers in other areas to discuss developing local cultural capital through education. It is absolutely necessary that a student's education directly connect with their authentic experiences, and I am interested in collaborating with fellow rural teachers on how to develop project-based, place-based educational experiences so that students have the skills to share their stories with an audience beyond the classroom. So much of the national conversation about education focuses on schools in cities, which is a conversation definitely worth having, but I am interested in learning more about the specific circumstances, benefits, and challenges that teaching in a rural area presents and connection between rural areas so that we all can grow. Ultimately, I love living in a rural area and want to do what I can to be the best teacher I can for my rural students, and I believe always being open to learning from others is something I can do to work towards this goal.

The Young Educators' Advisory Council is an initiative for early career rural teachers. These young educators will serve RSC as advisors to strengthen our mission in the recruitment, preparation, and retention of rural teachers. YEA council members will serve for two years engaging in online conversations.