The Genius Garden
This curriculum was designed, written, and consulted by a collective garden of brilliant scholars and educators who have rich experiences as parents, teachers, school and district leaders, curriculum leaders, and community advocates. In addition to Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, they are:
is a Bangladeshi American Muslim who is passionately committed to creating an inclusive joyful environment where all students can thrive. She is an adjunct Professor of Leadership and Education and has held a variety of roles throughout her career, including founding a bilingual program as a classroom teacher and working as a curriculum coordinator, district administrator, and Director of Multilingual/English Language Learners. With over fifteen years of experience in the field of education, Dr. Abedin’s contribution to the curriculum ensures the content is not only culturally and historically responsive but also linguistically accessible. Dr. Abedin firmly believes that true genius lies in the ability to recognize unique brilliance where others may see only the ordinary. Through this philosophy, she seeks to transform the current educational narrative of our children,
Dr. Sabrin Abedin
is a joy-filled Black educator with two decades of classroom experience who hopes to offer fun, whimsical opportunities for students to dream about possibilities in their lives. She believes supporting all students to connect their genius and joy to their learning is the root of a strong education.
Chelsey Culley-Love
is a National Board Certified Black educator in Los Angeles, California, with four decades of teaching experience. Because curriculum often nurtures skills only, she hopes to see more lessons in curricula that help develop students’ identities, skills, intellect, and especially criticality and joy.
Stacey Joy
is a Black woman with Jamaican and Chinese ancestry. She is a native New Yorker, a proud Harlemite where she supports the pastoral ministry of her husband, and a mother of five daughters. Dr. Mootoo serves as an adjunct professor of human development and pedagogical learning theory for aspiring educational administrative leaders. Since February 2001, she has served as an elementary school teacher, assistant principal, district leader, and educational administrator. Her professional approach provides learning experiences for students that align with her core values of love, liberation, community, hope, and joy. She believes genius is our inheritance.
Dr. Malissa Mootoo
is a passionate educator with ancestral roots in Guyana and Montserrat, a territory of the United Kingdom. She believes in every student’s intrinsic gifts. Her work is driven by love and the conviction that curriculum should empower students to learn, grow, and ultimately thrive. She believes genius is the fruit of the heart.
Dr. Kyra Narain-Lloyd
is a practicing elementary school teacher of Black American and Tuscaroran ethnicity, which are the anchors of his values, interests, and principles. He sees joy as the internal and external expression of happiness one has from their experiences and hopes to offer a unique perspective through his cultural and pedagogical knowledge. Each day children are in his presence he works to provide them with a joyful learning experience.
Roderick Peele
is a Pakistani American Muslim woman, mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, and teacher. Dr. Vlach was a public school elementary educator for seventeen years in Texas, and is now a literacy scholar and teacher educator. She strives to continually embrace and uphold teaching for criticality and joy in all curricula she writes. Dr. Vlach believes that the genius of our young people and their families shines through in the many ways that make each of us unique and human.
Dr. Saba Khan Vlach
is a Latine educator in the Chicago area whose work is rooted in nurturing the stories and histories of young people through literacy. Her hope is to create experiences that bond young people with the power of words.