Joshua Block

Humanities Teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Passionately believes that education is a tool to help people understand and transform their individual and collective realities.

Modern Day de Tocquevilles (in a pandemic!) and more..

At the end of a year of online teaching, in the midst of exhaustion and disorientation, I feel grateful for all that my students offered me throughout the year. I felt the struggle of building a nurturing, collaborative community online. Whenever I hit a low point, students stepped up, helping me and the group find […]Read Post ›

#LivingDemocracy on NWP Radio

Thanks to Cristina Cantrill and the wonderful folks at National Writing Project for this NWP Radio episode about Teaching for a Living Democracy. Click the image below to listen to audio or watch the video.

Discomfort Zone

My work as a teacher in Philadelphia frequently reminds me that school should encourage young people to take risks while they are challenged to examine themselves, their roles, and the potential for their voices to shape the world. But it took traveling 9,000 miles for me to really understand how schools can profoundly impact students’ understandings of […]Read Post ›

Presentation from Educating for Justice in the Digital Age

It is always an honor to share my work with other teachers! Click below to view my presentation from PhilWP’s Celebration of Writing and Literacy. Many links to resources can be found in the presenter notes.

Committing to a Pedagogy Check

[Cross-posted at TC Press] I write at a time when those of us who are used to spending our days with young people wonder about when we will return to a daily reality of school filled with the cacophony, joy, and chaos of time spent with students. This time of tragedy and uncertainty is a trigger […]Read Post ›