Start Somewhere

How I Navigate the Classroom as a Neurodivergent Teacher by Fatema Elbakoury
EdSurge, February 5, 2025

How can one overcome societal challenges, be a solid educator, and be proud of one's neurodivergent identity? A high school English language arts teacher in San Francisco shows us one way. Her article, “How I Navigate the Classroom as a Neurodivergent Teacher,” provides valuable insight into the making of a non-traditional educator. It is a story of overcoming often silent challenges within an environment of entrenched misunderstanding and labels. Elbakoury truly speaks to the soul of neurodivergent educators who seek to understand their place in the many classrooms found on campuses and the productive possibilities in all unique, external quirks and curves in executive functioning. Coincidentally, and merely a byproduct of thoughtful writing, Elbakoury encourages school administrators to build a foundation of understanding and empathy for creating more effective neurotypical allyship in schools. The assets of neurodivergence, as Elbakoury shares, reside within these educators' lived experiences that they can build up as tools for themselves and their students. As Elbakoury notes, “We know what it’s like not to register anything the teacher said and to be met with raised eyebrows – as if we are poor students who don’t pay attention.” Here, neurotypicals, essentially all who are not neurodivergent, should feel the striking of a personal chord that hopefully leads to less misjudgment and more compassion for neurodivergent teachers and their students. After all, Elbakoury’s story shows that empathy has to start somewhere. 

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