About Cultivated Connections Design and Consulting (CCDC)
We are CCDC. Your arts partner.
Learning how to teach shouldn’t be a struggle. We’ve been there, and we’re here to help.
Imagine having a classroom where students learn by expressing themselves. They show empathy and listen to each other. All while meeting lesson objectives.
Now imagine a positive learning environment with strong procedures and planning systems you feel proud of.
You can have both!
At CCDC, our mission is to cultivate healing, social awareness, and education through the arts. This means we must change how we support teachers and students if we want to transform education.
Whether you’re a:
- Performing arts teacher looking for culturally responsive practices, teaching foundations, and professional development
- General education teacher wanting to integrate the arts into your lessons
- School leader wondering how to support the arts in your school
Our team at CCDC has you covered!
We provide professional development, virtual workshops, and one-on-one coaching for K-12 performing arts and general education teachers. You’ll receive teaching and arts integration strategies to create joyful, collaborative classrooms while supporting student achievement.
You’ll reenter classrooms with new ideas to help your students flourish through creativity.
And yes, these strategies can close learning gaps in your classroom!
Your students will learn using movement, visual, and auditory methods. They’ll reach their goals while growing a love for learning.
To
meet our founder
Tanjarae Porter, Senior Consultant
Hi, I’m Tanjarae! Founder of CCDC.
I’ll never forget talking to my principal about my students failing. My students succeeded in their classwork, but I wasn’t using teaching strategies to prep them for their assessments.
I’d never learned how. I know how it feels to struggle the first few years of teaching, and I don’t want you to feel the same way.
That’s why I used my 10+ years of teaching experience to found CCDC. I’ll show you everything I didn’t know I needed when I became a dance educator turned general education teacher.
If you’re an arts educator, we’ll give you the teacher preparation you need to work sustainably to minimize stress. So you’ll feel energized and creative in your classroom.
Why? Because I want you to feel prepared and confident in your teaching practice. And students need teachers and school leaders like you to create joyful, thriving classrooms!
I’ve used my background teaching middle school science, social studies, kindergarten, and dance. And my background as an Enrichment Instructional Coach, Dance Specialist, and K-5 Reading Interventionist to create CCDC.
To help you be the teacher you want to be and give your students the classroom they deserve.
My Credentials:
- MEd Curriculum & Instruction: Reading Specialist PreK-12, Carson-Newman University
Certified K-12 Reading Specialist Licensure, Carson-Newman University
- Bachelor of Professional Studies: Dance Education, University of Memphis
Certified K-12 Dance Teacher Licensure, University of Memphis
