Meet the Kindergarten Teacher Going Above and Beyond to Serve Her Community

Ms. Duwuana Buice is extremely involved. She has been a part of everything from the CPS Black Student Success Working Group to the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council (CAC). She explains that while she loves being a classroom teacher, she felt that she could go further to meet her students’ needs. For example, joining a Greater Bronzeville CAC meeting helped her learn more about the resources available in the Bronzeville community that would benefit her students and families. 

This has helped her develop deeper relationships with her parents. As a parent herself, she knows that supporting a child can be a team effort, and she is honored to be able to partner with parents to help each student reach their full potential. 

She is embarking on a new journey this school year by teaching kindergarten for the first time after a few years of teaching pre-k. We caught up with her to learn more about her priorities for this school year. Get to know her more below. 

How did you get into teaching? 

My background is in the childcare setting, so I have a lot of experience working with young children. My journey to becoming a teacher included the Chicago Early Learning Workforce Scholarship Program. This program allowed me to attend a local university to gain the theoretical knowledge that complemented my experiences. 

It was like a puzzle emerged when I started to understand the root causes of certain things with young children and learn how to better advocate for their needs. This program helped me see that I had what it takes to be an effective educator. 

This is your first year teaching kindergarten. Has it been what you expected, or has it been more unexpected? 

It’s been a little bit of both. I was very comfortable teaching pre-k, and it came very naturally to me. I know how to support early learners in an urban district because I was once one of them. I’m comfortable with that population, and I thought that it was maybe time for me to grow in this grade band. Something I’ve learned is that kindergarten students can benefit when you take a play-based approach to some of their instruction. 

This has allowed me to use some of the same strategies that I used as a pre-k teacher. Now, I just need to bridge my current knowledge to better understand the kindergarten curriculum so I can produce the highest-quality work possible. 

What is your top goal for this school year? 

Promoting healthy growth for my students! I pride myself on creating an ecosystem in the classroom that allows this growth to happen. I welcome mistakes and remind my students that they don’t know everything right now. I’m here to build their confidence up, advocate on their behalf, and help us all grow together. 

What is your message to your students? 

I was once in their shoes! I lived in this same community with my family as a little girl. I was a very curious kid, but I didn’t know that I would become a teacher one day. My initial dream was to do hair. However, my life experiences and being a mom helped me understand and work with children. 

I want my students to know that they can become whatever they want to be. It won’t always be easy, but the right people will show up and help you, so keep putting your mind toward your dreams!