Freda Anderson

I am in my 2nd year of teaching here at the U School. Before I was a high school teacher, I was a 1 to 1 for a student with special needs, and a daycare teacher before that. I have been interested in education since I was in 9th grade. I am a product of Philadelphia public schools. I was born and raised here in Kensington by a single mother below the poverty line. I know firsthand the power that a loving community and good education can have on a person’s life. At the U School, I work with kids in the Organize Lab. I like to describe Organize Lab as “the Activism Class.” I strive to teach young people to make sense of the power structures and systems of oppression in the world, and help sharpen the tools they will use to tear those structures down and rebuild them in a way that is fair for everybody. I currently live in Kensington with my partner, down the street from my mother and the house that I grew up in. I am proudly genderqueer and pansexual. I am a proud Kenzo. I am a proud survivor of childhood trauma. These experiences have shaped my approach to teaching. I enjoy writing and performing slam poetry, camping, reading, building Legos, watching bad movies, going to concerts, dancing, and fashion. I love my job at the U School and all of the amazing, beautiful, and empathetic young people that I am privileged to work with. ​