Spark Spotlight shines a light on an educator making a meaningful impact in their classroom and community. Together, we celebrate their creativity, inspiring stories, and unwavering dedication to SFUSD students’ success. 

This month, Spark spoke with Jason Muse, a first-grade teacher at Carver Elementary, to hear about his commitment to teaching literacy.

We met Jason at the mid-year Literacy Institute. Hosted by the SFUSD Curriculum & Instruction team, this all-day professional learning event focused on deepening teachers’ understanding of SFUSD’s new literacy curriculum, exploring effective instructional strategies, and sharing best practices for teaching children to read and write.

Jason has been a teacher for 13 years, with the past three dedicated to teaching first grade. His transition to first grade was fueled by a strong commitment to supporting students at the earliest stages of their learning journey and addressing systemic inequities in education. 

“My favorite part about teaching children to read is that it is a vital necessity for them to be able to learn,” Jason shared. “A lot of times they're learning it for the first time or thereabouts, so watching them develop that skill and then start applying it to learn is a beautiful experience. It's so foundational and it's going to be monumental in the future.”

For Jason, it is essential that teachers are clear and intentional about why they teach: “For me, my “why” is very much rooted in a social justice lens, making sure that my students have all of the tools that they need to be successful and actualize themselves. It's especially important for that group of students, who have been historically marginalized. Historically there’s a disproportionate negative impact, these students are not reaching or accomplishing those skills.”

The institute provided Jason with an opportunity to reflect and gather new strategies to improve his teaching practice. He found the workshop on utilizing the high-dosage tutoring platform Amira particularly valuable, as his school is implementing Amira in the classroom for the first time this year.

Amira is another action step taken by the district to support students in their literacy journey. Available in both English and Spanish, Amira is an adaptive digital platform which offers ongoing tutoring support to students in foundational and reading skills. It provides reading practices to students, using interventions based on the science of reading to give students real-time support at their skill level. A study shows that students who read consistently with Amira see double the growth in their reading fluency. Amira also provides teachers with real-time reports on students’ progress, saving them time and providing them with accurate assessments. 

“Amira is a wonderful tool for teachers,” Jason offered. “So learning how to use it the best way possible is going to make my job easier. And again, rooted in my “why”, it’s going to serve the purpose of making sure that all the students that I have have quality instruction. So that's what I'm the most excited to take back to my classroom.”

When faced with challenges, Jason finds strength in remembering why he teaches. He explains:

“Being aware of why I am teaching sustains me when things get hard—when students are pushing back, when facilities fall short, or when the right support isn’t in place. All of that fades into the background because what you really care about is being the best instructor you can be.  That’s why attending institutes like this is so important. I'm excited! I get to go back to class and try some new things! Some of them are probably not going to work and some of them are going to work, you just move on and improve from there.”