{"id":2831,"date":"2024-06-11T13:55:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T13:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/?p=2831"},"modified":"2024-06-13T02:16:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T02:16:37","slug":"meet-tamika-wilcher-mechanicsburg-pa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/?p=2831","title":{"rendered":"Meet Tamika Wilcher, Mechanicsburg, PA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>In this series, &#8220;Educators of the Week,&#8221; we celebrate the dedication, passion, and unique contributions of educators who go above and beyond to foster inclusive and equitable learning environments. We asked these exceptional individuals a few questions to learn more about their journeys, their inspirations, and their visions for the future of education.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n<cite>\u201cEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.\u201d Nelson Mandela<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself.<\/strong><br>My name is Tamika Wilcher. I am a native of Georgia who currently teaches in Pennsylvania. I am a children\u2019s author of two amazing books (Smart and Beautiful Me and Wash \u2018em\u2019 down). I have been married to my husband Willie 18 years, and we have three beautiful children (Markya, Xzavier, Ma\u2019Qell).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What inspired you to become an educator?<\/strong> In high-school, I had this teacher, Mr. Frazier that made learning fun and exciting. He provided a safe place for us inside of his classroom. At that point, I knew that I wanted to become an educator and provide warmth and acceptance as well. I wanted to assist in shaping little minds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4141-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Can you share a memorable success story from your career?<\/strong> A memorable success story is when I was invited to be a guest on The Ellen Degeneres show off my teaching style. I started integrating music to whatever skill the students were learning about. The reason I did this is because they were struggling to retain information, but was coming to class singing all of the popular songs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What unique strengths do you bring to your work?<\/strong> A few strengths that I bring to work are creativity, impeccable classroom management skills, leadership skills, strong work ethic, and a variety of teaching methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What are your passions, and what motivates you in life?<\/strong> There are two things that I am passionate about. The first passion is education and the power it has to shape lives. Hence, the reason I am an educator! The second passion is writing children\u2019s book. Therefore, I am a published author. What motivates me is seeing my students learning and having fun while doing so.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_4144-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What does DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) mean to you, and how does it manifest in your daily routine?<\/strong> I manifest DEI in my daily routine by empowering my students and in return they are engaged and motivated to learn. The first thing I do is respect them. It doesn\u2019t matter the gender, race, religion, etc. I also show them appreciation and make them feel welcomed. Truth be told, we are ALL unique in our own way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In your opinion, what are the most important steps that schools can take to create a more inclusive and equitable educational environment for all\u2014students, faculty, and staff?<\/strong> The most important steps in my opinion are as follows:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Accommodate learning styles and disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diversify the curriculum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diversify the educator workforce<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide access to integrated services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Engage students and families as partners in the schools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bonus &#8211; Do you have a quote to inspire us? <\/strong>\u201cEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.\u201d \u2014 Nelson Mandela<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-06-12-at-5.57.00-PM-2048x2048.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/TeacherT?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabhzqoCjwUi6c7sfrEl7wjnw8Pl-HvOg6j_HZ8oo6h0ZcLBk4Uo7430ApM_aem_Adlp0OwQ1GgqCGtuBO8KBVIZtGzKjTFsUrcuyVw7ecVsQDgGc7tdEEJ0J9wGJ779RMfHnyOAR54BaYmgzFzPho0c\">Connect with her <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this series, &#8220;Educators of the Week,&#8221; we celebrate the dedication, passion, and unique contributions of educators who go above and beyond to foster inclusive and equitable learning environments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[204,203,205,209],"class_list":["post-2831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-educator-of-the-week","tag-dei","tag-diversity","tag-education","tag-educatoroftheweek"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2831"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2856,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2831\/revisions\/2856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatewithdiversity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}