My name is Nicole Hunter. I was born in the Henry Horner project. At the age of 5 years old I moved to the North Lawndale community of Chicago IL. I attended John Marshall High in the West Garfield community of Chicago. In 2004 I graduated from Compton Community College then went on to Savannah State University. In 2014 I graduated from Harold Washington College city college of Chicago IL. I have been a preschool teacher for 20 years and a professional nanny for 5 plus years. I am a mother and  the owner and executive Director of Limes Smiles for Miles Inc. 

 

WHEN I WAS A CHILD MY COUSINS AND I WOULD ALWAYS PLAY SCHOOL AT HOME. MOST OF THE 

TIME MY BIGGER COUSIN WOULD BE THE TEACHER AND SHE WOULD HAVE US SITTING IN 

MADE-UP DESK AND STAIRS COPYING WHAT SHE WROTE IN FRONT OF US. I WOULD ALWAYS 

LISTEN TO HER INSTRUCTIONS WENT SHE TOLD US "YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO PLAY IN 

SCHOOL!" SHE WOULD WRITE MATH PROBLEMS ON THE PRETEND BROAD IN FRONT OF US AND 

HAVE US TO COPY EACH ONE ON OUR PAPER. WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO BE THE TEACHER I 

WOULD PLAY LIKE WE WERE GOING ON A FIELD TRIP TO THE ZOO. WE WOULD PRETEND LIKE 

WE WERE ALL RIDING IN A VAN, NAMING AND COUNTING THE THINGS WE PRETENDED TO SEE 

TREES, BIRDS, CLOUDS, STORES, OR MC DONALD'S. WE ACTED LIKE THE CAR WAS GOING 

FAST AND SLOW. WHEN WE MADE IT TO THE ZOO, WE PRETENDED TO SEE AND NAME THE 

ANIMALS THAT LIVED IN THE ZOO. WHEN WE DROVE BACK FROM THE FIELD TRIP WE WOULD 

TALK ABOUT HOW MANY ANIMALS WE SAW, THE MONKEYS AND THE LONG GIRAFFE NECKS. AS A 

CHILD, I UNDERSTOOD THAT I CAN HAVE FUN AND LEARN AT THE SAME TIME WHICH IS WHAT 

INFLUENCED MY ABILITY TO TEACH THROUGH PLAY. I FINISHED MY STUDENT 

TEACHING AT THE CHINESE AMERICAN SERVICE LEAGUE AND I COMPLETED MY AAS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, PRESCHOOL EDUCATION IN 2014. I WANTED TO BECOME A TEACHER TO HELP CHILDREN THAT WERE

LESS FORTUNATE THAN I WAS. I GREW UP IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE CHILDREN WERE NOT ALLOWED

TO SPEAK UNLESS THEY WERE SPOKEN TO.  I GREW UP IN THE INNER CITY WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF

DRUGS, CRIME AND POVERTY. I REMEMBER NOT GOING TO SCHOOL UNTIL I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE.

I WAS BEHIND ON ALL OF THE SUBJECTS AND WAS EMBARRASSED TO GO TO SCHOOL. BUT THEN I MEANT
A TEACHER IN THE THIRD GRADE SHE WAS FUN AND EXCITING. SHE ALWAYS HAD COLORFUL AND NEW MATERIALS 

 SHE WOULD BRING TO THE CLASSROOM. ONE DAY SHE HAD AN ASSIGNMENT TO CUT OUT 

WORDS FROM A MAGAZINE THAT DESCRIBED US. AS I WAS LOOKING AND SEARCHING FOR 

WORDS I REALIZED THAT I UNDERSTOOD MOST OF THE WORDS THAT I WAS CHOOSING. I HAD 

COME ACROSS ONE WORD, I SOUNDED IT OUT, AND IT REALLY DID NOT MAKE SENSE. I 

ASKED THE TEACHER WHAT IS THIS WORD AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE TEACHER SAY 

"SOUND IT OUT" AND I DID THEN SHE SAID TO GO AND LOOK IT UP. I WENT TO LOOK UP 

THE WORD AND IT MEANT DIFFERENT. FROM THAT DAY ON, I ALWAYS KNEW WHAT “EXOTIC” 

MEANT AND FELT LIKE I COULD BE DIFFERENT FROM MY SURROUNDINGS TO MAKE A POSITIVE 

CHANGE IN MY COMMUNITY. THE IDEAS I BRING TO THE TEACHING FIELD ARE TEACHING 

THROUGH PLAY AND COMMUNITY ADVOCACY WHICH BUILDS A THRIVING COMMUNITY. I WANT TO 

ALLOW CHILDREN TO BE CHILDREN AND LEARN THROUGH WHAT THEY DO BEST, WHICH IS 

PLAY! I WANT PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO GET TIMELY HELP AND 

RESOURCES THAT ENSURE THEIR NEEDS ARE BEING MET. THIS WAY EDUCATION IS NOT PUT 

ASIDE FOR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE SHELTER, FOOD AND CLOTHES. MY PLANS ARE TO OWN A LICENSED AND ACCREDITED CHAIN OF CHILDCARE FACILITIES. I WANT TO SERVE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS TO ALLOW INCLUSION WITH DAILY ROUTINES AND FUNCTIONS.  

 

My hopes are to be a community asset everywhere I go. I have created an outdoor garden nature space all inclusion classroom for children diagnosed with Autism and Down Syndrome. The community is an essential part of LSFM from the active board members and passionate local community partners and stakeholders. We strive to provide excellence through research planning for our students and plants. LSFM is an educational and agricultural  program. We focus on state guidelines education learning standards and city wide guidelines for gardening , sole treatment and nutrition density foods. LSFM is reversing the negative stigmas of children diagnosed with autism and Down syndrome with outdoor autonomy to physically explore sensory in nature, eating habits, gardening skills and sleeping patterns.