Erek Kooyman

Biography

I first experienced teaching when I moved to Honduras and stepped into an eighth grade class room a few years after completing my undergraduate study.  There, I not only became fluent in Spanish, but I discovered a passion for education as a key means of pursuing equity.  

I began teaching in the U.S. as a bilingual math teacher in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, taking classes for teacher certification at the same time. I loved my students, and I loved teaching math. I loved being immersed in a culturally diverse community of dedicated bilingual students. I discovered that using formative assessment was critical to analyze how I was teaching, so that I could continuously adjust to the needs of my students.  

Later, as Principal of Congress Elementary School, I relied on similar student-centered practices to increase enrollment and foster a productive, holistic learning community. This neighborhood school was "diverse" in every way. We served with equal passion multilingual learners, students experiencing housing instability, students living with trauma, and students from generations of wealth. We focused on recruiting and retaining talented educators, forged countless community partnerships, established a robust parent network, and grew into a thriving community school.