VENUTA CARULLI
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Education:

B.A., Sarah Lawrence
MAT Early Childhood Education, Tufts University

Started at The Common School:

2016

Outside interests:

Yoga, hiking, cooking, reading, spending time with my family

What brought you to The Common School?

As someone who grew up in the area I had long been aware of the school as a progressive institution that dug deep into topics with hands-on activities.

Tell us about a favorite teaching moment at The Common School:

In the Blue Nursery we have a curriculum thread each year that we call the Changemakers Project. We introduce the children to people who are standing up to various injustices in the world, and we want to empower them to also be agents of change. Each year the changemakers vary but Martin Luther King, Jr. is always one of them. One year we were discussing his legacy and showing a picture book with a drawing of a water fountain with a sign that said “Whites Only.” One child proposed chopping the sign down. A second suggested there could be no sign at all, and then another added that anyone could use the fountain if there was no sign. The last child commented that if there was no sign anyone could use the fountain, no matter what their skin looked like. It was heartening to hear these three, four, and five-year olds noticing something that was unfair and talking about ways to resist.

What do you like best about The Common School?

The ability to co-construct curriculum with my colleagues and students, the support I have from my colleagues as we explore social justice issues as a faculty and with our students, our beautiful outdoor spaces and the amount of time we spend outside with children no matter the weather!