About
Syeita Rhey-Fisher (Sy), a Hartford native, earned her B.A. from Trinity College and M.S. in Teacher Leadership from Quinnipiac University. Rhey-Fisher also holds an Intermediate Administration and Supervision (092) certificate and will complete her 6th Year Degree in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University, May 2020. She is a certified teacher with over a decade of experience in the classroom teaching both in Hartford public and charter schools. Syeita Rhey-Fisher is committed to both advocating and providing a quality education for all children regardless of their zip code.
Rhey-Fisher began her teaching career as a 2007 Teach For America Corps member. She was placed at the school she herself attended as a youth in Hartford. During her tenure in Hartford Public Schools, she taught grades two, three and four. It is through collaboration with colleagues and engaging in positive and cooperative school communities that she has been able to effectively work towards improved educational outcomes for learners. Rhey-Fisher has served as an elected member of a few school governance councils (SGCs) helping to make decisions on school improvement. She is an organizer for HFT & CCNE's “My Classroom to My Colleague” (MC2) teacher pipeline initiative for Hartford graduates. In her pursuit to ensure educational equity, Rhey-Fisher has written numerous op-eds and articles on educational topics such as the importance of teacher voice and teaching the whole child. Her work has been published in the CT Mirror, Education Post, HuffPost and more. In partnership with other Education for Excellence (E4E) members, she served on the Hartford action policy team that helped to research and publish recommendations on the advancement of unique population of students (special education and English language learners). Rhey-Fisher founded the initiative DiversifyUrEd. This initiative connects students with literature by marginalized people to promote cultural awareness. It also provides various resources to help make schools and classrooms more culturally responsive. Syeita Rhey-Fisher also addresses educational equity through her writing in the hopes of building cultural competency. She is the author of the book, Self Portrait: Intimate Reflections, which is an autobiographical collection of poetry. She is working on a children’s picture book and a middle grades novel. It is her hope that children of color will see how characters who look like them and whose experiences are more reflective of theirs become problem solvers and demonstrate perseverance. As someone devoted to being a continuous learner, Rhey-Fisher constantly participates in workshops, leadership immersion programs and educational conferences nationwide. She has earned a certificate in Online Teaching. Rhey-Fisher is able to design and deliver engaging online instruction with rigorous, inclusive and formative assessments. She is passionate about inspiring youth to become globally competitive, lifelong learners. Rhey-Fisher lives in Hartford, Connecticut and is the proud mother of three. |