Catching Up with an Amazing Educator Whose Passion for Technology Still Shines

When we first introduced you to Ms. Tori Pickens in early 2020, she shared how incorporating computer science into a student’s curriculum teaches them skills that can benefit them in all of their academic subjects. While this belief has not wavered, a lot has changed for her this year. Her previous school was on Chicago’s North Side, and now she works at Pershing STEAM Magnet Elementary School on the South Side. 

At Pershing, she works as a STEAM integration specialist and curriculum coach. She coaches teachers and also coordinates many of the school’s STEAM programming and partnerships. STEAM stands for “Science,” “Technology,” “Engineering,” “Arts,” and “Math,” highlighting the importance of allowing students to explore many different disciplines over the course of the school day and year. 

We caught up with Ms. Pickens to learn about her transition to her new role and her goals for the rest of the school year. Read more below.

How has your background in computer science instruction impacted your approach to working at Pershing? 

Engineering is a huge component of STEAM education, so I’ve been trying to help our school community understand engineering design principles and how they relate to everyday learning. For example, Novel Engineering is a really cool way to implement those principles in English language arts classes. 

We currently use Hello World CS, which is a computer science curriculum. We’ve also partnered with Spark Shop, which is a Chicago-based engineering curriculum that’s free. We have a lot of partnerships that are all amazing. 

What has been the student response to the STEAM-focused initiatives you have been supporting? 

They love them and look forward to them. We recently had Rocket Day at our school, which was sponsored by Arm & Hammer. Students got to launch rockets that they made out of bottles outside. We actually won this contest based on the energy, creativity, and engagement that we brought to it!

We also have STEAM days once a quarter during the school day. Students always want to know when the next STEAM day is, and our next one will be focused on technology implementation. And then we have STEAM nights, which are also theme-based. Our last one was about arts integration. 

What are some of your goals for this school year? 

I hope that we can integrate technology more. I’d like to see our school use some of the technology tools that CPS has purchased, such as Adobe or Apple Clips. I’m in charge of the announcement club at our school, and I would like to see our students use Adobe to create posters for the club that are tech-driven. And I also want to see our students become leaders. We have a program at Pershing called Leader in Me, which helps our students develop their leadership skills. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to transition into a role as a curriculum coach? 

Documentation is so important. Make sure that you are documenting the times you’ve worked with other teachers, the times that you’ve taken on leadership roles, and how your work aligns with your goals and objectives. Another important part of this job is having difficult conversations. It’s important that you feel confident in your area of focus and your strengths, as well as in your ability to find resources that meet the goals that your colleagues have. 

What is your long-term vision for how your students can use STEAM principles in their careers and everyday lives? 

It’s important for students to understand that these principles aren’t going anywhere. Even a profession like medicine can incorporate the engineering design process of “ask, imagine, plan, create, test, improve.” Perseverance is another skill they will learn that is transferable regardless of what profession you’re in. Students will see that STEAM is not just about technology and coding, but practices that are relevant to all professions. 

What is your message to your students? 

Stay positive, never give up, and always strive to be a continuous learner. And, if you mess up, start over and try again. Today is just one day, and there are so many more days ahead of you.