[Cross-posted on Edutopia] For many students, the experience of school is a series of lessons on the necessity of submerging their primary identity and culture in order to succeed academically. These students are repeatedly taught about “appropriate” behavior and that the path through school, and many parts of life, is easier if one conforms to […]Read Post ›
Every year the good people at the Education for Liberation Network publish Planning to Change the World: A Plan Book for Social Justice Teachers. It is a wonderful, inspiring resource and well worth buying. This year they included a profile of me and my colleague Melanie Manuel: Here is the text: Please introduce yourselves. I’m Melanie Manuel and […]Read Post ›
My time in Aotearoa New Zealand is coming to an end. I am so grateful to have had this time to explore and learn about New Zealand and NZ schools. This is truly a special place and I was fortunate to connect with so many thoughtful educators. My final project is about Supporting Teachers to Change the […]Read Post ›
It has been a tremendous honor to visit many different schools in Aotearoa New Zealand to observe, learn, and also share my own work. In the secondary schools I visited, I spoke with teachers and administrators who have a strong interest in pedagogies and practices that can make school more meaningful for students. Many schools I worked […]Read Post ›
Aotearoa New Zealand is a bicultural country. The reality of what this means is complex in a place where the history of human habitation and the beginnings of cultural conflict were quite recent (source). On a physical level, many schools I’ve visited prominently display Māori art: Biculturalism means that there is a legal obligation to Māori people, despite […]Read Post ›
