Teaching Africa Across Disciplines Course Introductions - Humanities in Class Online Courses Forum

Hello!

Lou Inguito — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 20:56:42 +0000

Hello Everyone!

My name is Lou and I am from Los Angeles. I love teaching for many reasons but mostly because I love creating community in my classroom. I try my best to provide a nurturing and empowering environment for all of my students. Within that class, I get to help then learn new things and develop critical thinking. It's great! A piece of digital media that has had my attention lately are teacher Instagrams. I like getting new ideas from my fellow teachers.

Hello from NYC!

Katrinka Hrdy — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 20:01:43 +0000

Hello, my name is Katrinka, and I'm a middle school History teacher in the Bronx. I teach at Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Our 7th grade curriculum is devoted to Human Geography, and over the last few years we have added a long unit on Regions of Africa. I'm excited to learn more about different resources and materials that can be incorporated into our unit, with a focus on the idea that Africa is not a Monolith, and that the fairly arbitrary borders imposed during the colonial era have had long lasting effects on different regions and people of Africa. In particular, we are hoping to approach this developing unit with a growth perspective, keeping African voices and experiences central in conversations and assignments. One of the most complicated things I encounter when teaching about issues in Human Geography, especially at the middle school level, is how little context my students have about some topics, and I wrestle with how much time to spend on background and history. It's a gargantuan task, but worth it!

Hello from Los Angeles

Hugo Perez — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 04:01:36 +0000

My name is Hugo Perez. I enjoy teaching 5th grade because of the interesting conversations I get to have with my students.

Kindergarten Teacher from Los Angeles

Juan Sandoval — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:52:41 +0000

My name is Juan Sandoval and I love to tach kinder because I see growth in my students and get to see many "AHA" moments. This is my second year teaching. The most complicated idea for me is personal as I am the only male teacher in the school and people feel like sometimes I should be working with the upper grade kids.

Hello!

Jessica Friday — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 23:50:31 +0000

Hi All!

I'm currently teaching AP World History, World Cultures, and Sociology in a small suburban high school in eastern Pennsylvania. I love introducing students to ideas and topics they haven't encountered before and helping them to see the familiar through a new lens. However, in the current political climate, I'm sometimes overly conscious of the discussions we have in class. Further, I struggle to deliver quality content and skill practice when class time has been repeatedly cut.

While I'm on Twitter as @jl_friday, I've never actually contributed anything. Currently, I'm avidly following Liberating Narratives, a blog for teaching world history.

Hello from Charlotte

Nerlynn Etienne — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 03:43:57 +0000

Hello everyone! My name is Nerlynn and I teach history at a local college in Charlotte, NC. I am originally from Miami, FL. I look forward to learning what I do not know. The journey and discovery is always the most interesting part.

Hello Everyone!

Mary Perez — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 04:27:53 +0000

Hello everyone! I am Mary Perez and I teach 4th grade in the Los Angeles area. I love teaching and being in the classroom because I enjoy being surrounded by eager students who are ready to learn. It amazes me how much simple acts can brighten both their and my day. At the moment, we are working on how to work together and collaborate to show acts of kindness within their peers in the classroom.

Hi

Nancy Tallas — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:41:09 +0000

Hi everyone, I teach third grade in the San Fernando Valley area. I enjoy teaching because I am able to make connections with my students. I love hearing their stories of where they come from. It may sound cheesy but I want to make a difference in their little lives because I am may be the only person showing stability and love.

-Nancy Tallas

Hello from Pennsylvania

William Fee — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 18:16:07 +0000

Hi, I'm Bill Fee, the Lead Instructor in the STEMlab at the State Library of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, PA, United States of America. I'm local to Central PA, originally. I love seeing the aha moments, especially in science and engineering. Lately I have been working my way through architectural sites pulling together a hands on unit with designs and designers around the world.

It's always a challenge to get people who are not of non-European descent to see why they need to see role models of people who are.

Hello, from California

Amber Banks — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 17:19:26 +0000

Good morning, my name is Amber Banks and I am currently in my fourth year of teaching. I teach 10th grade World and AP World History. I have not had much time to engage with much social media lately, but I am pretty consistent with watching the Breakfast Club Power 105.1 on YouTube in the mornings. To be fully transparent, I do not always focus on Africa as I should in my classroom. I strive to discuss the beauty and innovations of the content, but I avoid discussing enslavement because my students do not always take it seriously. So I need to do a better job of teaching Africa in its entirety I feel.