While Chicago’s South Side is an area buzzing with history and culture, there is one local gem hidden among the hustle and bustle: Comfort Agboola. At Edgar Allan Poe Classical Elementary School, Agboola serves as a middle school English Language Arts (ELA), reading, and math teacher. An avid writer herself, Agboola’s passion bleeds into the classroom—providing project-based educational opportunities that ignite a love of learning among students.
In her classroom, students explore their creativity in the living room, library, or publishing area; a space supplied with typewriters. While learning about typewriter mechanics, upkeep, and history, students truly get “hands-on” when using the devices to practice spelling or respond to writing prompts. Agboola emphasizes the importance of storytelling by empowering students to explore personal narratives through essays, presentations, and “open mics.” She also equips students with practical life skills through a classroom economy system, where students earn and manage their own “money” (tokens) by doing classroom jobs, filing taxes, balancing checkbooks, and performing online banking. Her innovative approach has contributed to significant year-over-year student growth on NWEA and IAR assessments.
Agboola’s leadership extends beyond her classroom. As Middle School Lead Teacher, she coaches new colleagues, facilitates progress meetings, and refines handbooks and discipline procedures. She serves on Poe’s Instructional Leadership Team and the Justice League (culture and climate team), providing walkthroughs, sharing feedback, and strengthening restorative practices. She is also deeply involved in professional networks: she is the 2025 Cook County Co-Regional Teacher of the Year, a 2023 Milken Educator Award recipient, a Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow, and was recently elected Chair of the Nominating Committee for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Through her consulting company, Lit and Love, LLC, Agboola provides workshops, coaching, and tutoring across Chicago. She created The Teachers’ Lounge professional development series, empowering educators with strategies in literacy, writing, SEL, and educator wellness. She is also in the process of developing Lit & Lead Global: The Global Literacy and Leadership Network, a transformative initiative designed to advance literacy, leadership, and environmental equity, centering Black educators as leaders in education and sustainability.
Students flourish under her guidance—many publishing their work, participating in citywide competitions, and gaining experiences beyond the classroom. Over the years, she has spearheaded initiatives such as a “Tech Day” collaboration with Microsoft, a podcasting club, debate team, and Model UN.
Agboola earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from DePaul University (2008) and a Master of Arts in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (2012).
Her work has been highlighted nationally, most notably when she was recognized as Illinois’ sole Milken Educator Award recipient in 2023–24.
“Emphasizing storytelling and providing opportunities for..." (read more)
SOAR: Educator Recognition Newsletter
