TJ social studies teacher Dakota Trammell cares deeply about supporting her students. photo by Evelyn Jackson
Social studies teacher works to support every one of her students.
As one of TJ’s social studies teachers, Dakota Trammell influences the lives of TJ students. Trammell teaches Intro to Ethnic Studies,History of Power, Conflict, and Healing, and U.S. History. This is her sixth year teaching, with her entire tenure spent here at TJ. Because of the classes she teaches, the vast majority of Trammell’s students are freshmen. With so many of her students being completely new to high school, Trammell tries to teach them skills that will support them during their stay at TJ and beyond. “I try to teach them good habits that will allow them to be successful, not just in my class, but in other classes,” she said.
History of Power, Conflict, and Healing (HPCH) is a graduation requirement for all Spartans from the class of 2027 going forward. HPCH and Intro to Ethnic Studies (IES) are each one semester long and are taught together through the course of a school year. HPCS looks at genocides, historical conditions, and the process of healing for victims and survivors after a genocide. IES focuses on minority groups in the United States, teaching about their history, cultures, and experiences. It also discusses the systems and events that have caused the groups to be considered a minority or oppressed group. “I feel like the kids become more exposed to different ethnic groups and different cultures. U.S. history is definitely important, as they are currently U.S. citizens, but I think exploring different cultures and religions and belief systems—just different groups of people—is more important or valuable to them and their experiences later on in life,” said Trammell. For many students at TJ, the two classes are their first introduction to other cultures and ways of life they may not be familiar with.
In previous years, Trammell taught AP Human Geography in addition to her other classes. However, TJ dropped the class in 2024 after Intro to Ethnic Studies was made a graduation requirement for the class of 2027 and on. “I really enjoyed AP Human Geography,” Trammell said. “I thought it was a great opportunity for freshmen coming in to really challenge themselves with a college course. But I also thought the curriculum and the content itself was really important and valuable to the kids. I think IES doesn’t fully replace that.” With the loss of AP Human Geography, TJ no longer offers any AP classes for freshmen.
Despite the changes, Trammell still loves her job. “I think our admin does a fantastic job supporting the teachers,” Trammell said. “Admin here is usually 100% behind a teacher while still considering the students’ perspective on certain situations.” For many of the teachers here, TJ is their favorite school at which they have worked. For Trammell, it’s the only one. Trammell started working at TJ in 2019 as her first teaching job, and she’s stayed at TJ since. Trammell has wanted to be a teacher for a long time, but she didn’t always enjoy school as a kid. In elementary school, she was almost held back a grade. After working hard to bring herself up to competency levels, she managed to meet and exceed grade requirements. “That made me realize I wanted to become an educator because I didn’t think the demeaning way my teacher approached me was supportive at all,” explained Trammell. “It made me feel like I was a failure. I never wanted my students to feel like that. I made a point to become a teacher and try not to make the kids feel that way.” For Trammell, supporting her students and helping them feel confident in the classroom is the most important thing.
In Trammell’s free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, watching anime, and kayaking. “I got into kayaking over the summer and I want to keep doing that when I’m able and capable and available.” She also had her first son last year. “Babies are a lot. They take a lot of time.” While Trammell doesn’t have as much free time anymore, she still tries her best to carve out time for her hobbies.
Teaching allows Trammell to make an impact and build up, rather than tearing down, students who are new to high school learning. “I think it’s one of the jobs that, by the end of my life, I’ll be very proud of.”
