Evanston Township High School English and Advancement Via Individual Determination teacher Anita Thawani Bucio says she has built her career around uplifting young students and creating more equitable learning spaces. 

Before joining ETHS 14 years ago, Thawani Bucio taught in Chicago Public Schools for seven years. She also grew up in a predominantly affluent community, she said, and struggled to be seen for who she was in high school. 

Thawani Bucio said her time at CPS along with her own experience shaped her devotion to encourage students who “often aren’t recognized by traditional schooling.” 

“When I chose to take on this profession, it was with the desire to be able to work with young people, but also to utilize my ability, my emotional intuitiveness, to see the brilliance of students who are like me,” she said. 

In her classroom, Thawani Bucio said she aims to foster proactive participation, curiosity and motivation, which she believes are necessary for navigating today’s world. 

In order to uplift student voices and encourage inclusion, Thawani Bucio has worked on a long-term initiative to support Asian and Middle Eastern students at ETHS. She said there was a desire from both students and staff to create a caucus that served and supported the school’s Asian and Middle Eastern community. 

The initiative started as a club, which eventually evolved into a course that Thawani Bucio and colleagues worked on developing for around two years. The course was approved by the board and launched this year.

“I led that initiative during a rough time in our school climate to provide a constructive way to channel the invisibility our Asian and Middle Eastern students were experiencing,” she said. “It’s been such a beautiful way to systematically support our students and give them more opportunities — all our students.” 

Along with teaching classes, Thawani Bucio teaches pre-service teachers at Lake Forest College and DePaul University. She also consults with Northwestern for its student teaching program and collaborates with the School of Education and Social Policy to shape the residency program partnership between ETHS and the University. 

In response to her nomination as an impactful educator in Evanston, Thawani Bucio said she feels grateful to be recognized for the work she’s committed her life to.  

“It’s been such a place of fulfillment for me. I can’t imagine doing anything else but working in education in some way, shape or form,” she said. 

Thawani Bucio was nominated as an impactful educator in this year’s issue of Best of Evanston. She was nominated alongside:

Haven Middle School teacher Juan Martinez 

ETHS teacher Jack Stephenson   

McCormick Prof. Eric Garcia

Medill Prof. Jim DeRogatis  

History Prof. Ken Alder 

Sociology Prof. Doron Shiffer-Sebba 

Email: [email protected]

X: @ina_choe

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