Joshua Block [Cross-posted on Cooperative Catalyst] Earlier today my American Government students watched the amazing film The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky and His Legacy. The documentary, which is framed around Frederick Douglass’ famous quote that “Power concedes nothing without demand,” is a powerful reminder that democracy is an ongoing process and continual struggle. While watching the film I […]Read Post ›
(Cross-posted on Edutopia) Early in my teaching career, I viewed students’ struggles as a temporary phase that would end once they started working harder and “figured it out.” Students would come to me with questions, or I would notice their confusion and talk with them, but I was very careful not to give them too […]Read Post ›
One personal effect of the budget cuts in the School District of Philadelphia has been that my teaching load has switched from a combination of English and History classes to all History. I miss teaching English but it is amazing how much I become immersed in whatever is in front of me. I find myself […]Read Post ›
This is a longer version of a post that I edited down for Edutopia. You can read the full version here or the shorter version there. As part of my family’s summer travels we stayed with some friends who had recently moved into a new house. They discussed wanting to change a light over their table […]Read Post ›
Today my American Government classes wrapped up our unit on Democracy and Education. We started the class by viewing and commenting on the digital stories that students made to communicate unique ideas about democracy and education at this moment in Philadelphia. Students had done a great job of creating work that is poignant, insightful, and […]Read Post ›
Mr J Block 