enhance learning outcomes, mediating potential risks to children, and providing protection for educators who may also face vulnerabilities( Wenger 1998; Cochran-Smith & Lytle 2009).
Cultivating Teacher Agency from Within
The individual teacher’ s self-efficacy and internal motivation are central to exercising agency. Given threats of attrition, teachers need to believe that their actions will lead to achieving their intended goals( Bartell et al. 2019). In the vignette above, Mr. Omar found himself at odds with accountability mechanisms when trying to implement equity-oriented practices. After receiving the feedback from his administrator, Ms. Spade, Mr. Omar decided to adjust the original lesson without the use of the unapproved book. Drawing on his professional judgment, he thought deeply about the core intention of the lesson he had planned— involve students in sharing similarities and differences— and he reviewed the information they shared in the K-W-H-L graphic organizer. He then reimagined and reconstructed the Who Belongs Here unit so that he could engage students in authentic learning experiences, even if he could not use the same anchor text.
Mr. Omar invites students to bring hats to the next morning meeting. During the gathering, they show and talk about a range of head coverings. Muhammad explains that his kufi is worn during prayer at the mosque, while Serenity describes the scarf her grandmother wears to church. As children listen, they begin asking questions about when and why people wear different hats, prompting a conversation about religious traditions, family, and identity.
Then, Mr. Omar encourages each child to create and share their own drawings. They have the opportunity to share their work in pairs or small groups and with the whole group. Each of them eagerly shares their items and stories, and their conversations extend well beyond the meeting. For example, Sophie explains that the people in their drawing are celebrating a family tradition connected to their culture, while Taahirah shares that their drawing shows the hat their uncle wears during an important holiday. As children listen to one another’ s stories, they begin recognizing how different cultural identities and traditions are represented in their classroom community.
Because of his concern about Ms. Spade’ s reaction, Mr. Omar had invited her to observe the lesson. She sees how the children’ s engagement has evolved into an inquiry that fosters learning across the curriculum, including the targeted literacy and language goals of vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion. She also notes how Mr. Omar made use of multiple assessment modalities for children to show their knowledge and skills. After the lesson, Ms. Spade expresses that she found compelling evidence of authentic learning in Mr. Omar’ s classroom, including her observation that the children were making connections between their drawings, their classmates’ stories, and the different cultural identities and traditions represented in the classroom.
Mr. Omar’ s work illustrates how the application of proxy agency— the ability to act through or with others within restrictive systems— can support teachers in enacting curriculum in caring and equitable ways, even amid policy and curricular constraints.
10 Young Children
Summer 2026