Victoria Okosun: A teacher who’s looking to give back in numerous ways and not just through math.

Victoria Okosun of Meyer Elementary is always thinking about her students and putting them first. “I make hundreds of decisions daily,” she said. “With every decision, I am constantly thinking and reflecting on, ‘Is this in the best interest of my students?’”

The early years of school are important, children are more easily influenced, and more receptive to new concepts and ideas. Victoria Okosun capitalizes on this opportunity by using a proactive approach that leaves a lasting positive impact on her students in many different ways.

“Our youth are so impressionable,” she said. Her desire to give back and a love for children inspired her to become a teacher. For her, teaching is about “being able to take a positive approach to set them on a successful track for life, not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well.”

Victoria’s day doesn't stop when the bell rings. She invests her time and energy in attending professional development seminars that can make the biggest impact on her specific demographic of students. She said she uses guided math to close learning gaps, vertical alignment to connect what is being taught with what her students have learned before, and promotes social and emotional strategies in her class. She’s also open to any new idea if it’ll make her students’ lives easier. She looks for these “through Facebook and following other educators on Instagram to gain various perspectives and ideas from across the country.”

Victoria teaches her students to have high levels of autonomy and in her experience, it is one of the most effective techniques in her classroom. Even though it may not immediately result in academic success, she finds that this is the first domino to fall on the path to academic achievement. “I start by teaching students to be accountable for their own supplies, turning in assignments, cleaning their area, and much more,” she said. “Once students have mastered those skills, it starts to naturally trickle down into their academics.”

In the classroom, Victoria has instilled a culture of error by teaching her children that humans must be open to constructive criticism. “They are comfortable with receiving feedback from not only myself, but also their peers because we have created an environment where it does not feel like a ‘personal attack’ but rather a suggestion for improvement,” she said. Her students don’t feel as vulnerable since they have the support of their peers and teacher. “They know someone in the class will be there to support them,“ Victoria said.

Some students call her Ms. Okosun, but many on campus call her “the Sunflower teacher". That nickname comes from her classroom, and it's so distinctive that you'll always know which class you're in. “When people enter my classroom, the sunflowers are one of the first things they comment on and how the environment is bright and open,” said Victoria. “My classroom is the ‘vibe.’”

Photos courtesy of Victoria Okosun