CSTA Equity Fellow Tory Wadlington defines equity within his teaching practice as the inclusion of all, allowing all to be their whole selves without fear of judgment while maintaining an ever-evolving classroom space.
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CSTA Equity Fellow Tory Wadlington defines equity within his teaching practice as the inclusion of all, allowing all to be their whole selves without fear of judgment while maintaining an ever-evolving classroom space.
“I always hated school growing up, and it was solely due to me not feeling included in things,” shared Wadlington. “Anything, from sports to academic teams, it seemed that my teachers treated me as if they learned about my character out of a book. They did not bother to get to know me personally and often stereotyped me, which in turn limited my growth until I attended Grambling State University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), for undergrad.”
“It wasn’t just me either. I have always been very observant and noticed how they were treating students of color, students with different socio-economic backgrounds, and students with disabilities,” Wadlington continued. “It was almost as if their default was to make that student feel different.”
Wadlington, a fifth-year special education teacher in southern California, does not want his students to have the same experience. “Once I became an educator, I made it my mission to make ALL students feel as if we are different valued parts of one moving body in my classroom,” said Wadlington. “Everyone served a purpose, and their culture and background was valuable to the purpose of our class, which was to continue to grow beyond expected success.”
Wadlington is passionate about disrupting inequities. He started his career bringing CS to the special education classroom, working with students with behavior/emotional disabilities. “I used technology to create a calm atmosphere by using LED smart lights, online music players, and resources such as Nearpod to make the class more engaging and consistent,” he shared. “My goal is to find or create the marriage between CS and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) strategies.”
This passion isn’t just confined to the classroom. Wadlington is working with Scholastic magazine to help introduce culturally responsive teaching and anti-racism to K-5 students. “I believe if we teach them while they’re young, then they will grow up with a better mindset,” he shared.
In addition, Wadlington is the co-founder of Equity in Action CA, which creates safe and inclusive spaces for educators and speakers of color, different cultural backgrounds, preferred pronouns, etc. He also served on the board of the Inland Area chapter of Computer Users in Education (CUE) for using SEL in CS for students and teachers.
Wadlington is a part of his site’s Black Student Union (BSU) as a co-advisor and his district’s equity team and is helping to start an HBCU initiative for educational technology within his district. He is also a city commissioner for the library, where he plans on making it more diverse and inclusive, and celebratory of all the cultures that make his area unique and beautiful.
“All of this is possible thanks to my amazing culturally responsive and equity-focused colleagues,” shared Wadlington. “We help each other, and I am not afraid to ask for resources or support when I am having trouble, or not being least restrictive in my classroom.”
Wadlington applied to become a CSTA Equity Fellow to become more knowledgeable and stronger as he plans to work toward his professional goals. “Either way, I know for a fact that being a part of this fellowship is key to reaching my goal. This could be my Excalibur, and I look forward to how many people I can help with it.”
Learn more about the CSTA Equity Fellowship and this year’s cohort here.