Building a Welcoming Classroom Community: Take Five with Bella Dehmlow

Take Five is a series that highlights members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our students. All throughout the 2024–25 school year, we will be spotlighting our amazing CPS teachers! If you know a teacher who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

Meet Bella Dehmlow, a bilingual social studies teacher at Peace and Education Coalition High School (PECHS). Located in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, PECHS is an alternative high school that serves students ages 16–21. Ms. Dehmlow describes the school environment as incredibly supportive, with all staff working closely together to help each other and meet their students’ needs.

As an educator, Ms. Dehmlow is high-energy and enthusiastic while skillfully serving a wide range of academic abilities in her classroom. PECHS has a large population of newcomer students and English learners, and Ms. Dehmlow balances instruction in both English and Spanish, using skills she honed while teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Spain for two years. During this time, she also learned Spanish and gained a whole new level of understanding and appreciation for her students who are learning a second language. 

"Since joining the PECHS community, Bella has made an immediate and profound impact,” said Principal Rebecca Kijek. “What truly sets her apart is her ability to make every student feel seen and heard. Her dedication and innovative teaching methods are not only enhancing student engagement, but also fostering a sense of belonging within our community."

Read more about Ms. Dehmlow below!

How did your experience learning a second language impact you as an educator?

It helped me better understand what my students are experiencing as they learn English. You’re exhausted every day because it’s a struggle to communicate, and it feels really uncomfortable and embarrassing being unable to fully express yourself. I also got sick at one point, and trying to navigate a health system that you’re unfamiliar with is so difficult and overwhelming. And I was in a position with a lot of support—people in Spain are generally very welcoming to Americans who are there to teach English, and I chose to move to another country and learn another language. These circumstances are very far from what a lot of my students experience.

Can you describe your teaching approach?

I like teaching social studies because it presents a lot of opportunities to discuss social change, current events, and topics that are extremely relevant to students’ everyday lives, and they get really engaged in our discussions. A lot of my students are coming from difficult situations and have experienced a lot of uncertainty. There’s also a lot of difficulty and uncertainty throughout history, and we spend a lot of time talking about how people come together, even during difficult times. Connection is the foundation of a lot of my lessons. 

You’re known for creating a feeling of belonging in your classroom. How do you accomplish this?

I always start the year by having students write me a letter. It can be about whatever they want it to be. Some students will tell me about their hobbies and what they like to do after school, and others will tell me about something really challenging they’re going through. This helps me understand individual students better, and it’s also helped me understand how many of my students have similar stories and are going through the same thing. I’m very intentional about creating an environment where I’m helping students connect with each other and feel safe.

What do you love most about your work?

The best part of my work is connecting with students, and being able to open up my classroom as a place where kids feel safe, comfortable, and like they are able to connect with one another. My mom, who was also a social studies teacher, always says that “the goal for all of us should be to help other people suffer a little less.” I come back to that all the time. Even if the day was hard, if I was able to reach one student, it means it was a success. 

What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

Right now, I’m really enjoying being back in Chicago and spending a ton of time with my family and exploring the city. I also love being active—I recently picked up bachata dancing. I’m horrible at it, but I’m having a lot of fun.