Chanel Daniels began working in The Learning Center as a Graduate Writing and Reading Lab Tutor in August of 2012 and is now serving in an interim capacity as the Writing and Reading Lab Instructional Aide. She is also one of two English Coordinators for the TRiO Student Support Services Program, as well as one of the ASTEP English faculty on campus. Chanel has taught several levels of English classes as an adjunct instructor in the English departments at Skyline College and SFSU for 4 semesters and is a graduate of SFSU, where she studied English Literature, Post-Secondary Reading, and Composition.
“What I enjoy most about my work in the Learning Center is having the opportunity to be in the midst of the action and being in a position where I can truly make an impact. Coordinating for the TLC and TRiO, I am able to take a grass roots approach to meeting students’ needs by getting to know them as individuals, supporting our amazing tutors and student assistants in their endeavors to support students, and interacting with the invaluable professors that contribute to our numerous student workshops and tutor training seminars. There is always something going on in the Learning Center and on the Skyline College campus, in general, so I empower students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible in order to get the maximum benefit during their time at Skyline College. I love learning from and collaborating with my incredible colleagues that comprise the TLC and TRiO staff; these special folks have become like a family to me.”
Chanel describes her teaching philosophy in four words: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. She uses texts representative of diverse backgrounds and experiences that students can identify with outside of the classroom, which enables them to feel the urgency of finding their own voice and sharing it in the academic realm. As a strong advocate of Paulo Freire’s theory on liberation education, group work is a regular part of her classroom dynamic. If you come into Chanel’s classroom on any given day, you might see students writing on the board and her sitting at a desk. Chanel strives to meet students where they are even if this means revising previously developed curriculum in order to better fit their needs and their interests. She describes the teaching and learning process in this way: “I learn so much from my students, and the community learning that takes place along with the extra time that I extend to them as an instructor and mentor becomes the catalyst for their success. As a teacher and support coordinator, I get the best of both worlds.”
Chanel has worked with students at all levels from elementary through high school and has also had the privilege of teaching, tutoring, and mentoring underrepresented groups of students through such programs and organizations as SFSU’s Educational Opportunity Program, USF’s Upward Bound, CCSF’s African American Scholastic Programs, and Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Inc. in the San Francisco Mission district. Some of her favorite pastimes include listening to music, singing, crafting, writing poetry, getting lost in a good book, and spending quality time with her Dad.
To get more information about TLC programs and services, please visit us in Building 5, or visit us on the web at www.skylinecollege.edu/learningcenter
Article by David Reed
