From coaching Speech and Debate to leading discussions on hip-hop lyrics, English Teacher Talayah Hudson immersed herself in a variety of roles during her time at the Upper School (US).
“I’ve had the privilege of being involved in the community in a myriad of ways,” she said.
Ms. Hudson joined the school in 2022 and has served as an admissions file reader and interviewer, a member of the Senior Spring Project Committee, the coach of the Speech and Debate team, a member of the Discipline Committee and the faculty advisor of the Black Student Union (BSU).
“One of my favorite classroom moments was at the end of my second year when I taught Hip-Hop as Literature for the first time.”
As the class’s final assignment, students presented musical autobiographies, identifying songs that supported them in some way during adolescence, Ms. Hudson said.
“It was very moving to hear students talk fondly and scholarly about songs they cherished … One student highlighted Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” in their biography, which led to a class-wide rap-along.”
Ms. Hudson said she is preparing for a new teaching opportunity across the country.
“I will be moving back west to teach in my home state,” she said. “This is definitely a bittersweet moment, but I am looking forward to being back in California and teaching in a new environment.”
