Bread Loaf Teacher Network Newsletter |
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You're Invited: BLTN April 6 Meeting: DEI and the Anti-woke Climate |
BLTN Director Beverly Moss has described the context for what we believe is a time-sensitive and crucial conversation.
Educators, K-12 and in higher education, find ourselves caught in the crosshairs of culture wars about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion within almost every aspect of our jobs—curriculum, hiring, school policies, among others. As literacy educators who believe in the power of literacy to advocate for social justice, how are we negotiating through this changing landscape where teachers and schools are being told what we can and cannot teach (mostly what we cannot), what topics are forbidden? At the center of “Anti-woke” legislation is literacy. We’ve always known that literacy is not neutral; it is socially situated and implicated in political power struggles and oppressive acts.
How are you teaching within the current political climate, particularly as it relates to attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), curricula and training, censorship, and anti-racism? How can we use literacy to advocate for social change? How can BLTN support you in DEI efforts? As students at Bread Loaf, as teachers, as community activists, what are your concerns?"
If you're interested in these questions, please join BLTN on April 6 (7-8 pm Eastern) for a roundtable discussion on what it means to be a literacy educator, in traditional and community spaces, in the current “anti-woke” climate. Register here for your Zoom link.
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NextGen News: BLTN's Youth Network Highlights |
BLTN NextGen, our youth social action network, presents some recent highlights.
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Tiffany, Morgan, Kameron, and Dr. Hostetler of NextGen-Aiken
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- We welcome new affiliate sites from Chelsea, MA (Site Mentor Yaneris Collado); Philadelphia, PA (Site Mentor Monica Rowley); and Henrico, VA (Site Mentor Colin Baumgartner).
- Congratulations to NextGen's Youth Advisory Board for hosting a moving writing and conversation conference last month under the theme, "What's Love Got to Do With It?" Twenty-five participants wrote and shared perspectives on the connections between love and community change.
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NextGen-Aiken (SC) youth presented on Family Literacy Nights at Augusta University's National Writing Project Conference in Augusta, Georgia. Youth from Aiken are preparing to host peers and adults from four sites at Aiken's Camp Long at the end of March.
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What's the Story? Vermont and NextGen-Vermont's co-leaders, Tim O'Leary and Bill Rich, traveled to Aiken, SC in March to work with NextGen-Aiken youth on filmmaking techniques.
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Katherine Titus, Youth Writing Leader from Andover Bread Loaf in Lawrence, MA, and Youth Advisor for NextGen-Lawrence, has been actively involved in the Log Cabin project, a collaboration between ABL, Phillips Academy, and Lawrence High School, focusing on giving Lawrence High School youth expressive writing experiences.
- NextGen-Louisville has a busy month ahead with two Family Literacy Nights (Fern Creek High School and Jeffersontown High School), participation in Jeffersontown High School's Mental Health Fair, and contributing to a "space for peace" in the Jeffersontown Senior Courtyard. Louisville will send a team to Aiken retreat as well.
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These Halls Can Talk, the anchor organization for NextGen-Atlanta, continues to interview alumni of Booker T. Washington High School as part of its ongoing oral history work. Last month, the Atlanta Board of Education recognized the contributions of These Halls Can Talk to Atlanta Public Schools as the school system celebrates 150 years of history! This Friday, These Halls Can Talk will travel to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. to explore how they can fit Washington High School in the larger narrative of African American History.
- NextGen-SFIS at the Santa Fe Indian School gave the third of its four writing workshops (open to all) last month. The "Love Heals" workshop was held February 28 and sponsored by BLTN teacher Michael Martinez's class. Look for an announcement for the final SFIS workshop of the year on April 18.
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La Casa Roja Youth Advisors Tonya Bluehorse and Alvanna Yazzie are building connections with Piñon High School on the Navajo Nation as they prepare to bring a cohort to the Aiken retreat.
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BLTN Journal Call for Submissions: Teaching and Writing for Joy |
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The theme for the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of the Bread Loaf Teacher Network Journal once again follows the summer scholarship, discussion, and planning around the topic of “Teaching and Writing for Joy.” We are seeking a wide range of responses to how you and your students employ teaching and writing to bring joy to your work. Our target length is 1500-2000 words. We welcome and encourage student voices and digital media. Contact Journal editor Tom McKenna for submission instructions, or to discuss an idea.
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Fellow Feature: Gladys Gitau-Damaskos Speaks "In the Name of Justice" |
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"I think justice for me means telling the story, making sure there is a record of something happening. A lot of times when things happen to marginalized communities, a lot of folks with power will erase that story....[W]hen we seek justice...we have to tell the story so it exists in the public record." Writer, artist, teacher from Lawrence, Massachusetts, and BLTN Fellow, Gladys Gitau-Damaskos told of her experience with 2018 Columbia Gas crisis in Lawrence on the PBS show "Stories from the Stage" last fall. Gitau-Damaskos is a teacher at Spark Academy in Lawrence, as well as co-founder, editor, and contributor to Exposed Brick Literary Magazine.
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Clicking image will open web page with video. Direct link is here.
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Pedagogy of Play: Join the BreadWeb Discussion |
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This month on BreadWeb, BLTN Fellow Dr. Kayla Hostetler shares the Project Zero Working Paper, "Towards a Pedagogy of Play," and prompts us to consider these questions: "What are your experiences with play pedagogy within a classroom? Are there examples you could share with us? How could playful pedagogy be a powerful ally for teachers? What are the difficulties of playful pedagogy?" Join in!
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| Contact Tom McKenna if you would like to participate and don't currently have BreadWeb access.
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Spring 2023 Dixie Goswami Action Grants: Rolling Acceptance for Mini-Grants |
Since a limited amount of funding remains for the Spring 2023 Dixie Goswami Action Grants, BLTN teachers (current and former) may apply on a rolling basis for small grants ($250-$500) while funding lasts. Here's the link to guidelines.
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Please notify us of accomplishments you’d like to share in the monthly newsletter. Contact Tom McKenna if you’re interested in publishing in the BLTN Journal, under this year’s theme, “Teaching and Writing for Joy.”
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Follow BLTN on Social Media
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| Follow BLTN NextGen on Social Media
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