Blog
In my inaugural year of teaching, my co-teacher introduced our class of 30 Kindergarteners to the enchanting melody of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent. Rather than adhering to the conventional tunes of Judeo-Christian festivities and mid-century carols, she chose a song that delves into...
A Lesson that Loves Our Students: Trans Consciousness PD Curriculum
Purpose:
Schooling in the US context includes an ongoing social indoctrination in systemic patriarchy and cis-gendered heteronormativity. These values and ethics can be found in the overwhelming majority of literature and art and...
The hard truth is that many of our schools have never been safe spaces for the young. Creating spaces of belonging entails creating schools and societies that love our students.
The current partisan governmental refusal to implement gun control and to place personal profit over the...
A new year always invites a time to create or evolve classroom rituals. Rituals are key to building a culture of belonging, respect, care, love and joy.
There are several ways that teachers can create classroom rituals that are creative and responsive to diverse sets of learners:
- ...
I appreciated the role of art as a way to proceed, reflect and share my thinking and learning. What a powerful way to connect with students and adults! -Jen Hladun, Principal of Lincoln High School
Over the past two years, we have been working with schools and arts organizations through an arc...
How much do you love Prince? Or Beyonce? Jason Mamoa, perhaps? Alok V. Menom? Harry Styles? These popular artist icons can change our cultural expectations, lead us to make self-improvements, encourage the emotions lodged in our bodies to release, and offer us insights and wisdom to lessons...
Mariah and I generally speak of creativity and culture interchangeably, and often in the same breath. While this alignment may seem obvious to many, we think it important that we pause and break this correlation down a bit.
When we think about culture, we know that it is not a static...
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Through the Arts can be defined as the knowledge, methods, forms, and purposes that the arts and culture play in building cognitive capacity for independent learning and collective wisdom. Teachers and educators can support the development of culturally...
Did you know that creativity can be developed... just like learning how to speak a new language or learning to swim? Here are five skills that your students will gain from creative arts practice routines:
- The Power of Observation: Observation requires attention and awareness. All the...
Misinterpretations of culturally responsive teaching and learning can and will happen! As teachers take on liberatory and or emancipatory pedagogy, a commitment to practice is required. Nuanced attention to complex ideas and questions requires critical and constant reflection.
In the...
It’s not a new idea at all. It’s a very ancient idea, and one that has clung to the sidelines of our educational system for way too long. It’s been waiting ever so patiently for recognition, acknowledgment, and a ready audience. It’s been dancing in the background with...
The system of education in the U.S. was built on foundations of white supremacist patriarchal structures. This is something we all, or certainly those of us impacted negatively by the implications of this statement, know by now. What is clear is that there is a need for a full leap in our...
