Falling in love with Education

In today’s blog, Cassidy Steele, our new graduate assistant for the Engage San Francisco Literacy Program, reflects on her inspiration for her passion in education. Cassidy introduces herself and answers four questions revealing her understanding of learning differences.

Hello! My name is Cassidy Steele and I am one of the graduate assistants for the Engage San Francisco Literacy program! I am originally from Long Beach, California and recently moved to San Francisco about a year ago. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelors of science in Psychological and Brain Sciences in 2021 and I am currently in a graduate program at USF for Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy.

How did you arrive at the Leo T. McCarthy Center’s Engage Literacy Program? What inspires you to work with K-5th grade students?

I initially found out about Leo T. McCarthy Center’s Engage Literacy Program through USF’s School of Education and from there I immediately was hooked! Growing up, my mom was an elementary school teacher so naturally, I wanted to be just like her. As each school year went by and the countless times I would go into her class to help her set up for projects, grade papers, or organize the students’ folders, I fell more and more in love with education. Every job I’ve had reflects those pivotal years. From my minor in Education to my current job as an instructor, this job relates to my core value of supporting others.

What were your favorite books at that age? What is your most recent “A-ha” moment? 

A fun fact about me is that I love plants, cats, and reading. In fact, some of my favorite childhood books were The Magic Tree House series and Junie B. Jones. As someone who has been working in education for a while, my most significant “a-ha” moment recognizing that everyone learns differently. I know that this may sound very straightforward and simple to understand, but knowing this and seeing it in action is very different. Understanding this requires someone to really put in a lot of effort in each individual student to see how their brain functions. From this, I learned that flexibility and patience are the most important aspects of teaching.

Learn more about Engage San Francisco here!