Chelsea Coussens
Who is Chelsea?
Chelsea is an educator with more than 15 years of experience in New York City schools, both public and private. Through her experiences as a classroom teacher, teacher leader, and school-based math coach, Chelsea remains passionate that everyone – students and teachers alike – deserves the opportunity to engage with mathematics in ways that resonate personally and that this kind of engagement is a way to break down barriers and make learning accessible to all. She deeply believes that all teachers, and all students, can learn math and that the path to equity lies in involving learners in ways that are meaningful to them.
Chelsea’s experiences as an educator have convinced her that building a community of trust, whether for students in a classroom or educators in a school, is essential in the pursuit of these goals. She recognizes that collaboration is crucial for deep learning, and that risk-taking, not only in classrooms but also within the professional networks that support educators, is only possible when people believe they are safe to learn and make mistakes. Creating a respectful, vibrant culture of public learning has been one of her key goals both as a classroom teacher and as a math coach.
Another deep-rooted belief–and this comes from Chelsea’s many years teaching early childhood and from her experiences as a mother of 3–is that play is an essential component of learning. It is through play that children develop deep understanding and build meaningful connections between ideas. It is also through play that children learn to engage with others, to participate in the rough-and-tumble, give-and-take of communicating their ideas, advocating for their ideas but also being able to hear the voices of others.
Throughout her years in the classroom, Chelsea participated in a wide range of professional development, including workshops and on-site coaching in her classroom. Having the opportunity to work with expert coaches from Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities and ReimaginED Teaching truly changed the way Chelsea thought about teaching math. The experience challenged her thinking and transformed her teaching practice, allowing Chelsea to find playfulness and joy as a learner herself within the challenge of teaching math to ALL her students.
In her work as a math coach, Chelsea has had the opportunity to think with and learn from the coaches at ReimaginED Teaching. She’s had the opportunity to develop relationships and a school community that supports K-5 teachers in developing their own mathematical and pedagogical knowledge. Chelsea has also delighted in the experience of presenting at educational conferences and facilitating interactive parent workshops focusing on a variety of topics.
Another deep-rooted belief–and this comes from Chelsea’s many years teaching early childhood and from her experiences as a mother of 3–is that play is an essential component of learning. It is through play that children develop deep understanding and build meaningful connections between ideas. It is also through play that children learn to engage with others, to participate in the rough-and-tumble, give-and-take of communicating their ideas, advocating for their ideas but also being able to hear the voices of others.
Throughout her years in the classroom, Chelsea participated in a wide range of professional development, including workshops and on-site coaching in her classroom. Having the opportunity to work with expert coaches from Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities and ReimaginED Teaching truly changed the way Chelsea thought about teaching math. The experience challenged her thinking and transformed her teaching practice, allowing Chelsea to find playfulness and joy as a learner herself within the challenge of teaching math to ALL her students.
In her work as a math coach, Chelsea has had the opportunity to think with and learn from the coaches at ReimaginED Teaching. She’s had the opportunity to develop relationships and a school community that supports K-5 teachers in developing their own mathematical and pedagogical knowledge. Chelsea has also delighted in the experience of presenting at educational conferences and facilitating interactive parent workshops focusing on a variety of topics.
