Destiny Hooper

After the theater education program she was in at Loyola University was canceled, Destiny Hooper became a regular theater major. “However, I realized while studying theater that my English classes were my favorite classes, so then I switched and became an English major, and the rest is history,” said Hooper.
Once Hooper finished her accelerated master’s program and received her degree in secondary education, Hooper began teaching at an IB school in Chicago. While there, she taught social studies and ELA integrated. “It was cool to see how we could look at literature in terms of historical context and to see how people’s stories are just that, history,” said Hooper.

Hooper moved back to St. Louis after the pandemic, when she realized she wanted to be closer to family and she wanted to be closer to her younger siblings who currently attend Captain Elementary School. Hooper knew she wanted to work in the Clayton School District after attending her sibling’s open house at Captain. “Just hearing the teachers talk about growth mindset and inclusion in a kindergarten classroom, I was thinking ‘Oh my gosh, yes, I love this place. So that really excited me and then the opportunity presented itself,” said Hooper.

A big part of Hooper’s teaching style is building trust with her students. “That has been important to me in my career is building that trust with my students and allowing them to be authentically 100% themselves and supportive of them. Because I have had educational experiences where, you know, sometimes educators want you to fit this box so it’s liberating when you have the opportunity to be yourself,” said Hooper.

Beginning flamenco dancing at just 5-years-old, Hooper used her passion for dance to help start an after-school program for flamenco dancing. “When you are unfamiliar with something, it can be uncomfortable, and sometimes you don’t want to do it. I got to see my students who joined my program, not familiar with how to move their bodies and struggling but still keep going. It was a demonstration of grit and perseverance, that they could then see the rewards afterward, and that was amazing to see,” said Hooper.

Wanting to create a diverse curriculum where she could see her own identity reflected is what fueled Hooper to start a career in education. “I want to include multiple perspectives and different races, genders, and ethnicities, so that my students can see themselves but also see their differences,” said Hooper, “I think that’s something so beautiful about society and human nature is that we are all different but we can recognize the beauty in others, even if we are different.”

Hooper is excited to begin teaching College Prep English II as well as Honors English II. “Everyone here is so passionate about what they do, I feel honored to join this team,” said Hooper.