Angela Vargas

My teaching career began as a Head Start Family Support Teacher in 2007, working with children 0-5 years old and their families. While working on my M.Ed. and ESOL endorsement through the Bilingual Teacher Pathways Program at Portland State University, I was employed as a K-5 bilingual assistant for the Hillsboro School District. Upon completing my degree, I transitioned to a 3rd grade dual language teaching position. As a biracial Mexican American woman who has experienced racial injustice in the U.S. school system, I’ve centered my practice on identity teaching with the understanding that playful literacy and the arts are powerful avenues for learning about one’s self, others, and the world around us—approaches that highlight each individual’s gifts and our interdependence. To further my understanding of playful inquiry, I took a position at Opal School as a teacher researcher. My belief that the sophisticated practice of playful inquiry needs to be in all public schools, serving diverse populations, I became an adjunct professor in the same PSU program where I graduated. Simultaneously, I began teaching at a Title I school in the Beaverton School District as a 2nd grade PYP teacher. I currently serve as an Early Learning TOSA/Coach for the Beaverton School District, partnering with teachers to implement child-centered, playful inquiry practices across curriculum that elevates the identity of children and supports them as the leaders they are becoming.