Hugo Lawton

Teacher Policy Fellow

Hugo is currently in his second year teaching 4th grade at Greenleaf TK-8.  In his classroom, Hugo focuses on empowering students to develop and make sense of their own identities through discussion, writing, and action. As he continues to develop his practice, Hugo hopes to deepen this focus and expand  his students’ ideas of who they are and what they can accomplish.

Why public education?

Since beginning my teaching journey in Michigan, I have been amazed at how opposite those assumptions were from the truth. I have seen kids who are resilient, creative, and passionate about changing their communities. I have seen teachers working efficiently and skillfully to meet the needs of their students. I have a principal who goes to great lengths to make sure we have the resources that we need. Throughout my career in public education, I look forward to having the opportunity to shine light on the wonderful work being done in many American schools.

Why Oakland?

In my search for a community in which to teach, I had three requirements: a diverse community (in terms of ideas, cultures, and experiences), a school with a strong connection with the community and its needs and strengths, and colleagues who want to work together to meet the needs of their students. Despite travelling all over the country in search of these three things, in Oakland, and Greenleaf, I found all of this.