Coaching, Development, and Authenticity at KIPP DC
Meet Mrs. Battle Marston, a KIPP DC teacher who has found her purpose both in the classroom and as a grade-level chair at Spring Academy.
Mrs. Battle Marston didn’t always know she wanted to be a teacher. After studying sociology at Andrew University, she had “vague ideas about wanting to have an impact” but wasn’t sure how. That changed when she joined Americorps’ City Year program in D.C., assisting a teacher in a classroom in D.C.
“I started to see how the things that I had been passionate about in college, like social justice and equity, how teaching and education could be a vehicle for those things,” she said.
Inspired, she joined Teach for America and taught at KIPP Indy, a newly established region. But she knew that she wanted to come home to D.C. In 2020, she joined KIPP DC, drawn to its strong and supportive culture.
“It was nice coming into a region that had been here for a long time. There were teachers I could learn from and a culture that was already well established,” she said.
The supportive culture at KIPP DC has continued to be a cornerstone for Mrs. Battle Marston as she has built her career here. Her coach, fellow teacher Caroline Strauss, has been a constant source of feedback and encouragement.
“Her feedback has been instrumental for my practice and has made me a better, stronger, and more intentional teacher.”
This confidence has also led Mrs. Battle Marston to seek out new growth opportunities at her school, including serving as a grade-level chair and participating in the Teacher Leader Academy. “It challenged me to think about how I can influence my school community as a teacher and what skills I need to build to do that.”
For Mrs. Battle Marston, authenticity is central to building community. She focuses on bringing her authentic self to her classroom every day. She jokes that her students would likely relay stories about her singing in the classroom, because it’s a part of who she is and what she enjoys.
“I feel like once you model that sort of friendliness and comfort as a teacher, you open the door for the students to do the same,” she said.
Getting to know the students and all of their unique personalities is one of her favorite aspects of her job. “I like when the classroom gets to a point in the year where not only does the classroom have a flow, but the kids have a familiarity with each other, and it starts to feel more like a family,” she said.
“My favorite part of the year is getting to see the way that we get to interact with each other and the lessons that we learn through that.”
Mrs. Battle Marston shows how coaching and development can help us to feel comfortable being our authentic selves. She embodies this in her classroom and pays it forward each day by building this confidence in her students.
See photos from our visit!
