In one classroom, all students hold a copy of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. For this particular unit, the teacher sits behind her desk with a clipboard watching the students digest the nuances, symbols, and allegorical elements of the book in complete silence. Every day for the couple weeks the unit takes, the students sit for 45 minutes … More Giving students reading choice
The spring of my junior year of undergrad, my boss at the time Dr. Robert Pyne met two women for lunch. These two women – teachers, mothers, and now grandmothers – came with disappointing news. An education program they had founded and championed for more than 15 years was ending officially, and they were heartbroken. … More The Project
In the month of April, each weekend is taken up by a conference or workshop of some kind. That amount of travel, networking, and frankly, smiling, can be exceptionally draining, especially when approached with a negative frame of mind. But when eagerly anticipated, like I did for this weekend in South Bend, Indiana, they can … More Conferences: A Researcher’s Happy Place
Last week, we saw the world glance at a CNN notification on their phone: a new school shooting. 17 this time. Suspect was “deeply troubled.” The conversation turned towards the usual: thoughts and prayers. Mental health. Not the time. Let them grieve. Not the time. When is the time to talk? The amazing shift, after … More Skills of a Teacher in 2018 – Part One
I fell into restorative justice and prison reform accidentally. But just like each of my earlier understandings, my passion for the topic became genuine. In the end, the way we arrive at our understanding is perhaps less important than what we do once we reach it. Appealing to ignorance in the face of social injustice is one thing, as I could have in high school, but now that I’ve been made aware of the injustice, it is my moral responsibility to act in anyway that I can. … More Accidentally Falling into Social Justice
Mary M. McConnaha 