Christina Shunnarah a 2005 graduate of Oglethorpe’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for Early Childhood Education program was taken aback when Dekalb County Schools contacted her to schedule time for her photograph to be taken. Unbeknownst to Christina, the leadership team at her school had nominated her for teacher of the year. The surprise didn’t end there, however. Dekalb County Schools wanted her photograph because she had been named the 2009 Teacher of the Year at International Community School (ICS).

An anthropology and cultural studies in education major, Christina was not always sure she wanted to be a teacher. Her initial foray into that world began with an after-school refugee program in Clarkston, which eventually led to her teaching kindergarten at ICS. It was her love for the school, the work it does and the community it serves, that convinced Christina that teaching was truly what she wanted to do.

Having looked into graduate programs that would prepare her for the classroom, Christina finally chose Oglethorpe’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for Early Childhood Education program, as it allowed her to continue her career while attending classes; offered a variety of challenging and creative classes; and provided the ability to put into practice what she learned right away. At Oglethorpe, says Christina, “I was recognized as an individual and a professional. I was encouraged to explore my interests. As such, I worked on projects and did research on the community that I worked with, daily.” She recalls a social studies group project on anthropology in education where she explored lessons and activities on how to approach diversity in the classroom and being able to use those tools in her classroom, immediately.

International Community School, a charter school in Dekalb County, is “strategically designed to bring together refugee, immigrant and native-born children in an academically challenging and nurturing environment.” Born in New York to immigrant parents — her father was from Jerusalem and her mother from Ramallah — Christina grew up in the metro Atlanta area. While not a refugee herself, as a Palestinian-American, she identifies with the challenges that bicultural and bilingual immigrant students face. “Being part of both worlds has influenced how I see things and encourages me to do the work I do today.”

 Christina’s is also active outside the classroom. A former columnist/blogger for the New York Times Lesson Plans, she describes that experience as an opportunity, as an educator, to share with the world the challenges of teaching in today’s complicated world. Today, she continues to write for other journals, including Teachers College Record. Christina is an adjunct professor in Oglethorpe’s MAT program and teaches at Dekalb Tech, where she helps other educators and pre-service teachers prepare for the classroom. She also volunteers with the non-profit, Women Watch AFRIKA a human rights organization that does outreach among refugee immigrant women from different African countries.