Meet the Pre-K Teacher Inspiring Kids to Be Unapologetically Themselves

Ahead of the 2024 school year, PS's The Educators is spotlighting 24 public school teachers around the country who are making a difference.

Christie Martin Aviles is a pre-K teacher at Dream Charter School in New York City entering their 10th year of teaching. Early on in her career, she realized students could only receive quality education if their identities could flourish in their communities. Known as Mx. Aviles to their students, they're passionate about being their authentic self in the classroom. Keep reading to get to know them.

What inspired you to be a teacher?
In all honesty, teaching wasn't part of the plan. It just kind of happened via an emergency teacher program serving high-need areas. But it all kind of makes sense for me, and after nine years, I feel like it was meant to be. I see so much purpose and application behind what I studied in my undergraduate and graduate programs in my current work as a teacher. And ultimately, it's shaping into a career I'm quite proud of. I really do love teaching. It's fun, and the nine-month work schedule suits me and my lifestyle well. I especially love being an early-childhood educator.

What's the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part of my job has been seeing the growth of students from the beginning to the end of the school year. I love seeing the confidence children develop over the year, and how they become great advocates for themselves and others. It's one of the reasons I love teaching such a young age group — they literally blossom before your eyes.

Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Mrs. Roberts for 10th grade English Honors and 12th grade AP Literature. She was your typical kooky English teacher who made literary discussions more fun. I was also her little "teacher's helper" — teacher's pet, if you will — and it gave me a level of confidence and importance I needed to feel at the time. She was also the first person to read a statement of purpose for college in which I came out to myself.

What's your go-to teaching uniform?
A go-to teacher uniform has got to be any 'fit that includes my "teacher apron"; reason being I work with 4- and 5-year-olds and I am always getting random things splattered on me, from snot to paint to juice. It's also handy for having my teacher stickers and stamps for rewarding best effort and excellence in learning.

What do you always make time for because it makes you feel good?
I love making time for cooking after a day of teaching, especially when it's paired with a glass of wine or quality time with my gal pals. I really appreciate the effort that goes into a home-cooked meal and being able to indulge with a glass of "teacher juice," as wine is often referred to in our school office.

What's your morning routine on a school day?
On a really good morning that involves having gone to bed super early the night before, I wake up and do a quick energizing Vinyasa yoga flow to get my body limber for a day of chasing kiddos around. I then go upstairs and make myself a cup of iced coffee — my morning drink of choice year-round — and brief morning walk with my dear dog, Marci, who is practically my younger sister. After that, I find a cute 'fit that is both affirming to my gender but also comfy enough to be sitting on a rug building towers or reading a book alongside children.

How do you practice self-care?
When it comes to self-care, I think a lot about what brings me peace and how I can ensure I protect my peace. After a day/week/year of constant stimulation from having to attend to the needs of my students, I find joy in having moments of silence to myself. This helps me gather my brain and just really identify what is it that I want to do after work, which can range from a nice stroll to Central Park with Marci where we admire flowers along the way, to reading a book not related to work, to lying out in the park listening to music, or simply not doing anything. Self-care can also be planning a great day in the city, visiting a flea market, finding a new bakery to discover new pastries, or finding the next best food spot I'd like to check out. It all really depends on what I'm feeling.

What are you watching?
Currently in a rewatching binge of the following shows: "Sex and the City," "Ozark," "Beef," and of course "Abbott Elementary" — a must-watch for teachers or anyone curious about what teaching can look and feel like.

What are you reading?
Currently reading two books: "Giovanni's Room" by James Baldwin, which I picked up while on a trip to New Orleans. And "School Clothes: A Collective Memoir of Black Student Witness" by Jarvis R. Givens, which I picked up while in Chicago at this cute bookstore called Women & Children First.

What's your fitness routine?
Currently defining my fitness routine as anything related to moving of my body or movement, which can be a long walk in Central Park, an hour workout at the local gym, or using workout bands and doing a series of squats to strengthen the glutes. I also consider my job to be very active, as I am hardly sitting down; that's the beauty of being a pre-K teacher.

How do you keep from getting sick during the school year?
Honestly, I work with the germiest grade you can. I feel I'm quite immune since I'm constantly getting sneezed on. But my supervisor ensures we're stocked up on Emergen-C supplement powder and a turmeric-ginger tea from Trader Joe's. These are my go-to whenever I'm feeling a slight itch.

What's your go-to feel-good music?
Currently, I have been exploring this playlist my boyfriend shared with me titled "Classics," which has a range of music from oldies to indie bands like The Drums to some really cool Japanese tracks. It's my favorite playlist to explore on my way to work and on my way home from work — it gets me in the zone. When it comes to teaching and music in the classroom, I have a great soft guitar instrumental I love to play to welcome the children in the classroom and to ensure a calm vibe to start the day, and then my go-to post-nap song to wake up the children is Pharrell Williams's collab with the Minions, "Happy."

What's your favorite teaching moment?
The best teaching moments, which I think any teacher can agree with, are when a child unapologetically passes gas in the middle of read-aloud or any group moment and you, as their loving teacher, have to own that moment of flatulence as your own to save that child from embarrassment. And then you have to preach that "everyone farts . . . even teachers," and you hear the collective chuckle and gasp of your endearing students.

Yerin Kim is the features editor at PS, where she helps shape the vision for special features and packages across the network. A graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School, she has over five years of experience in the pop culture and women's lifestyle spaces. She's passionate about spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, entertainment, and style.