In a recent NPR piece interviewing author Alex Wagner, she stated: “I think we do a lot of work in this day and age focusing on the future and on the past….we don’t invest enough in the present.”[i] Wagner was talking about her exploration of her genetic backstory, but the fact is, we focus on […]
human rights
Teaching Black Consciousness and White Privilege
One matter we have gotten over very quickly as a country is the notion, beginning in 2008 and carried throughout the Obama presidency, that we now live in a “post-racial” society. The fact that an African American was twice-elected to the nation’s highest office gave rise to the idea that racial discord can now be […]
Inspirational Educator: Sarah Shourd
Sarah Shourd is a teacher. She is a writer. She is a reformer. But most of all, Sarah Shourd inspires us all by surviving 14 months of solitary confinement in Iran. Yes, after spending time educating the refugees of Syria in their new homes in Iraq, Ms. Shourd decided to take a leisurely hike in […]
Teaching Human Rights
by: Ric Domingo Like any profession, we teachers have to keep up-to-date with our craft. Content, methodology and, of course, testing, all go through phases of creation, disfavor, re-creation, and evolution. One trend that is very likely here to stay, especially for the social studies and humanities, is “global” education. State and federal standards don’t […]