About Desi
A fifth grader saw a teacher in me before I did. I’ve been listening to students ever since.
Teacher, arts director, academic dean, principal, and teacher educator. Twenty-six years of helping schools bring the joy back.
My story
Fate called me to teaching.
I was waiting in a school lobby when I struck up a conversation with a fifth grader. She marched me to the front office and announced I was applying for the fifth grade teaching job. I got it, and she ended up in my very first fifth grade classroom.
Twenty-six years later, I’ve held nearly every role a school has: elementary, middle, and high school teacher, teaching artist, performing arts director, curriculum coordinator, academic dean, and principal. I’ve trained future teachers at NYU, UCLA, and Pepperdine.
Along the way, I’ve watched great teachers lose their spark and students disengage. I’ve also learned how to bring both back.
What I believe
Joy is a strategy. When teachers feel seen and students feel safe to take risks, everything else gets easier.
Engagement, retention, culture, and results all follow.
What I bring
Practical, joyful, and built to last.
Next-day strategies
Tools teachers can use in their classrooms the very next morning.
Systems that breathe
Clear roles and simple systems so leaders and staff work with more ease and less overwhelm.
Coaching with heart
1:1 coaching that brings the “why” back into the work, for heads, deans, and teachers.
Bio
Dr. Desi Cameron
Dr. Desi Cameron is a teacher educator, speaker, coach, and consultant who helps schools build joyful classrooms, energized teachers, and happier, more productive school communities. Over 26 years, she has served as a classroom teacher, performing arts director, curriculum coordinator, academic dean, and principal, and she has trained future teachers at NYU, UCLA, and Pepperdine.
Desi has led more than 40 keynotes and workshops for organizations including LAUSD, LACMA, The Getty, the Skirball Cultural Center, and Rangsit University in Bangkok. A Los Angeles Teacher of the Year, she holds a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from NYU, an Ed.M. in Arts in Education from Harvard, an M.A. in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida, and a B.F.A. in Performance from the University of Miami. She hosts the School Sparks podcast and is currently leading a two-year arts consultancy for a K-12 independent school in New York City.
Short bio for event programs
Dr. Desi Cameron is a teacher educator, speaker, coach, and consultant with 26 years in schools, from fifth grade teacher to principal. A Los Angeles Teacher of the Year with degrees from Harvard and NYU, she helps schools bring joy, energy, and lasting results back to teaching and learning.
Credentials
Trained as an artist. Proven as an educator.
Philosophy
The arts and arts education are a human right. In my classroom, I aim to foster a brave space, where we take risks, step beyond our comfort zones, and express our true selves.
Let’s bring the spark back to your school.
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