Check Out Tamika Peters Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamika Peters.

Hi Tamika, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I wear many hats in this world. Many know me as a teacher and anti-racist school advocate. Some know me as the soul line dancer and event planner. Lately, I have made the realization that I am where I am because of my passion for community and helping others. I started my career in education as a long-term substitute teacher for Baltimore City in 2005. That year I left my job as a teller at a local bank and worked a part-time job at a bingo hall. One evening, a patron of the Bingo Hall asked me what I was doing wasting my degree.(My undergrad degree is from Morgan State University in Communication.)

She scheduled an appointment for me come to her office at the headquarters and later that week, I had an interview at a school. As of today, I am still a part of that wonderful team. In the 18 years, I have held the positions of a behavior interventionist, technology instructor, paraeducator, and as of 2016, a certified teacher with a Masters in Education with a concentration on Curriculum and Instruction for the Inclusive Classroom. I also have the honor to be my school Teacher/PSRP representative for our teacher’s union and the Academic Coordinator for The Child First OST program held at my school.

I have been doing anti-racist work for years.In 2020 when the tragic event that made George Floyd become an ancestor was seen, I really wanted to dig deeper in this difficult work. My anti-racist school campaign officially started at that time. There was a lot of racial tension in the air. With that, I and a fellow coworker started a book club to talk about race and how it shows up in our lives and schools. After that great experience, I teamed up with the nonprofit group Teacher Democracy Project. With this group, I was also able to have and be a guest on many workshops and podcasts with schools, teachers and families to discuss ways racism and biases show up in our classroom and society.

Under the direction of TDP, I was able to create a year long course to help educators and families recognize and start the process of calling out things and biases in our classroom that negatively affect our students. As of today, this Anti- Racist Group has been used in over 20 schools and about 40 educators in the field of education.

In 2003, I was working for The Baltimore Zoo now called The Maryland Zoo. I was in charge of Corporate Memberships and was an Assistant to the Event Coordinator. As I worked with the Event Coordinator, I helped in organizing one of their biggest fundraiser events. From that moment on, I fell in LOVE with organizing, creating, and coordinating all types of events.

As the years passed, I continued to do events for all types of clients. By 2023, I will be a certified event coordinator and planner with my company named Events You Envisioned.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This road has not been easy.

It has been many long hours and some disappointments along that way. One of the biggest struggles I had in my career in education was the certification process. I had a difficult time passing the Math Core Praxis exam. Due to this, I was a highly effective teacher with a dilemma.

With the use of my story, my mentor and academic coach was able to get a law passed in Maryland that allowed teachers to bypass the Praxis Core as long as their most recent degree had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. This will help many people that want to be educators bypass a difficult session. I am happy this has happened especially for teachers and educators of color.

I have learned great lessons in trying to be helpful and in business as an event planner. I had realize that my helping mannerisms can also allow me to be taken advantage of. I now believe in myself and my skills more. I have learned that I deserve to be respected in this profession.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am focusing on getting certified in event planning. I have also expanded my role with the Baltimore Teacher Union. I am in talks with my administration to expand my reach in education. I am currently preparing to be in an administrative role in my school. This role will allow me to combine all of my curriculum/instruction learning with my anti-racist work to better the culture and climate of the school. I am taking time to elevate me and work fully in my passions. I know doing this will allow me to better help my community.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I absolutely LOVE the city of Baltimore. The rich history, the culture, the vibe, the architect, and THE PEOPLE are just AMAZING. Baltimore is such an amazing place with a plethora of greatness. I wake up every morning and make it my purpose to admire something great about my city.

What I like the least about my beautiful city is all the negative news that is always attached to the name. As soon as you hear the name Baltimore, you tend to automatically feel, hear, and see nothing but negativity.

I know that there are negative things that happen in our city. I also understand that they must be reported so our communities can begin the work of healing but to only focus on that negative and not recognize the positive does more harm than good for our great city. Many do not understand that the only way to clear out darkness is to shed some light.

For example, there are so many great things that are happening within our city school system. Students are graduating and are entering into colleges. Students are entering great trades and are starting buisnesses. Students are winning spelling bees, dramatice reading contests, becoming members of robotic clubs, bands, drama clubs, sports teams, etc., but you hardly EVER hear those great stories, only the negative.

Baltimore deserves to have great things broadcasted, especially in education!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dancingtamika
• Twitter: @TamikaPeters112

Image Credits
@visualsofjailamarie