The possibilities are endless

Like many of you, I will need to digest this week's material in the coming weeks and begin to apply it to my classroom. I feel that the possibilities are truly endless, and it invigorates me as I prepare for another year. Seeing and hearing educators from across the globe was beautiful and affirmed my belief in the power of cross-cultural collaboration.

I wanted to share an article about a youth conference I helped organize in Los Angeles this past year. The workshops were entirely student-led (with support from teachers and community organizations). Students were asked in a survey to identify issues of interest and relevance to their lives, and the workshops ranged from topics as varied as gender and sexuality, immigration, police presence on campus, health and so on. You can read an article about the conference here: East Side Stories: Youth Transformation Across Los Angeles If you have any questions or would like to see the program, let me know. Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles (which is not where I teach; however, I'm part of their Politics & Pedagogy Collective of teachers and students) is a historic high school; most notably, in 1968, Chicano students walked out of school in what sparked the Chicano Movement and started an important period of school reform.

In light of what I have learned at the institute, I plan to encourage students to incorporate global issues in their workshops next year (and perhaps even Skype with students across the world!)

I look forward to debriefing the week with you tomorrow. I am humbled by the brain power, dedication  and experience of the group. It has been especially refreshing to work with and learn from veteran teachers. The age divide in education is unfortunate and I will be the first to admit that young teachers often assume that veteran teachers have lost their vigor and passion for the profession. Oh how you have proven me wrong!! Thank you for that.