Devon Woodruff didn’t plan to be a teacher. In fact, she vowed not to be one (like her music-teaching mother). . .She wanted to be a veterinarian at age five, then spent a lot of time on her passion for fashion design, and also considered marine biology as a career. However, she loved English Literature (shout-out to her high school teacher Mrs. Lamonte!) and found her path to teaching in college.
Along the way Devon also managed to play tuba at Carnegie Hall and spend a year living in Florence without speaking a word of Italian initially. These days she channels that curiosity and courage into her 8th grade classroom at Innovations Academy (IA), a tuition-free public charter school in San Diego serving K-8 grades. Devon shows up with everything she’s got, whether she’s running the annual talent show, planning a nine-day national parks trip with 8th graders, or helping a student work through a hard moment. She found IA after burning out at a traditional district school, and she’ll tell you IA hasn’t just made her a better teacher, it has made her a better person.
Please tell us about your background and how you found Innovations Academy.
I have been teaching for 12 years and 10 of those have been at Innovations Academy. I taught at other schools prior to this and quickly realized that IA was my home. I was searching for another teaching job after being beaten down by a traditional district school and was close to giving up when IA reached out to me. I have taught 5th, 7th, and 8th grade at IA and was even assistant director for three years. I strongly believe in the philosophy of our school and feel that it’s the best way to teach and engage with children in order to create independent, creative thinkers.
What do you LOVE about Innovations Academy? What sets it apart from other schools?
I love the fact that teachers AND students get so much autonomy, voice and choice in their daily journeys. We spend more time at school than we do with most of our families, and the fact that we have the freedom to build a community in our classroom, rather than just having to check the boxes and follow a pacing guide in the curriculum has been incredibly empowering as a professional and as a human being.
I am able to look at each person I interact with as a partner rather than a co-worker. The care and dedication that our staff has for not only our students but for each other is something I value deeply. We get to explore learning in ways that other schools would never allow and get students interacting with the real world in a way that is more impactful than anything else I’ve ever experienced (both as a teacher and as a student). I also really appreciate the fact that (IA director) Christine supports my ideas and encourages me. I feel seen and safe to take risks and that is because of Christine’s leadership and dedication to our school.
I appreciate SO many things about Innovations Academy. IA has nurtured and fostered my own growth as a person and I am proud of the person I am today and I dedicate most of that growth to being a part of this amazing community.
Tell us about some of your involvement with Innovations Academy.
Being a part of the 8th grade team means that I am involved in many activities at school:
- We put on multiple fundraisers throughout the year, including the Halloween carnival – which is planned by students and executed by students.
- We also plan field trips throughout the year, more than any other grade level (sometimes going on several in a month).
- I have also run the talent show for the past nine years.
- We organize 8th grade promotion.
- We take 8th graders on a nine day field trip at the end of the year where we visit national parks.
- There are great social emotional learning activities and opportunities at Innovations Academy. How is this reflected in your teaching?
I am a strong believer in our SEL program and I think it’s difficult for people to believe in it until they fully engage with it themselves. We ask that kids go to the source when they have problems and support them in having difficult conversations, and I believe that it’s important for staff to practice the same.
I personally feel that our class council meetings are the most impactful technique that we use at IA to empower children and problem solve together. This year, for example, we were having a lot of trouble getting our lunch tables consistently clean. It felt like a battle every day and our TA was having to chase kids down and eventually was just getting into arguments with them. At a traditional school, punishments, and loss of privileges would be the next step and we were definitely tempted to go there. However, I knew that when I was feeling that way, it was a signal to involve the kids in addressing this problem. We brought the problem to the kids and asked for solutions. They brainstormed and came up with a system that worked for our group and have had a successful first month.
Please give us a couple examples of hands-on project-based learning in your classroom.
We have two exciting projects coming up. Our first one is the New York Times Podcast Contest. Students are tasked with creating a five minute podcast about any topic and we will be exploring the power of storytelling through this medium. Students will then submit their podcasts to the New York Times in the hopes of getting selected. Students do all the work, from brainstorming and scriptwriting, to recording and producing.
Another project coming up is involving World War 2. We are learning about many things, but will be specifically learning about the idea of rationing and what caused this and how it impacted the people who stayed back at home during the war. Students will be tasked with designing a WWII era food truck where they can only use ration ingredients. They’ll be designing a logo, menu and actually cooking and serving a dish to guests at our exhibition night. We want students to understand the strain that war puts on a country and how the struggles of war extend beyond the actual fighting.
What is something you wish you knew at age 19?
SLOW DOWN!! Life will fly by and you should just enjoy the moment you’re in.
Fun Facts About Devon:
- I grew up in a musical family and played many instruments growing up. I started on the flute and violin, moved to the saxophone and bari-sax, and finally fell into the tuba. I had so many amazing opportunities playing music when I was growing up. I got to play in the London New Year’s Parade, played a tuba solo in Carnegie Hall, and learned perseverance, teamwork and grit.
- My mom was a teacher and I swore I would never follow in her footsteps. She was my music teacher growing up and I always felt that I didn’t get to play the cool instruments in class because she tried not to play favorites, a very deeply upsetting thing for me in 3rd grade. However, I found myself “teaching,” even if I didn’t see it that way. I tutored kids in different instruments all throughout high school and I helped run and teach at music camps. When I went to college it just kind of made sense and I decided to go for it and haven’t regretted it since!
- Originally, I wanted to be a fashion designer. In high school, I won the superlative “most unique style” in the yearbook. I wore adventurous clothing and was the queen of thrifting; I even wore high heels to school. When I initially went to college I went to Santa Rosa Community College which had a very robust fashion program and partnered with FIDM. I learned to design my own clothes, make my own patterns, sewed my own clothes and started to put together my own collections. However, when I discovered how expensive fashion school would be, I quickly shifted my focus to Marine Biology. But when I saw how much math and science that would take, I leaned into English Literature and developed a passion for teaching!
Thank goodness Devon kept searching for her best career and found her home here at IA, we are so lucky she did! You can find out more about Devon and other teachers here on our website. Check out more about our small, tuition-free K-8 and enroll today!
About Innovations Academy:
Innovations Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in San Diego, California. Our small school values a hands-on, inquiry-based education with high academic standards using self-expression, compassionate connection, and purposeful learning. Our new modern campus is intentionally designed with curiosity and exploration in mind. Join our innovative school today! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Find us at innovationsacademy.org.