Deciding how, as an educator, to best respond to the current political moment in the US has felt overwhelming. At times this year my students shared and created in powerful ways in response to current issues. At other times, I could sense their fatigue and need to not spend time talking about the latest horrific […]Read Post ›
At a time when the constant stream of information around us feels overwhelming and fraught, students need tools to help them decode, analyze, and process. Many educators have written recently about the need to identify Fake News. This is certainly true but this call ignores the fact that students, and citizens, need the skills necessary […]Read Post ›
Earlier this year my 12th graders conducted an inquiry into education. By giving students an opportunity to learn about education theory, talk to the general public about education, and reflect on their own educational experiences, I hoped to help them develop their own ideas and understandings mainstream education, the education they experience at SLA, and […]Read Post ›
[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 ›
Mr J Block 