What’s good, Everyone? I’m Melissa, and I work as an assistant professor of English in Tampa. Two weeks ago, I asked my students to analyze three songs. As I played one of the songs (“Love the Way You Lie”), I commented that one of the best parts of my job was getting paid to listen to Eminem. I incorporate various digital tools in my teaching. Right now, my students are loving the in-class use of Mentimeter. I post everything from quick surveys and writing prompts to open-ended questions that result in a word cloud. Students respond in real time using their mobile devices (verbal responses are still an option). I provide encouraging statements about the posted responses, which reduces students’ fear of verbally stating a wrong answer. In turn, students become more engaged and excited to participate in discussions.

I would say that teaching in Florida is one of the most complicated issues I face in the classroom. Instead of diving into the specifics of that issue, I will just say that taking this course right now fits the very definition of just-in-time learning.

Peace, Melissa🌺

Hi Melissa, welcome to this class! Reading your intro, I would love being a student in your class! I love the digital tool integration! More power and wisdom to you as you navigate the waters of teaching in Florida these days.

Hi Carolina, welcome to the class! I'm glad that you are hear and engaging in this course! NPR is a good source to integrate into your classroom.

Hello, colleagues! I teach literature at the high-school level and want to broaden my curriculum, moving beyond Eurocentric literary traditions to explore world literature in a way that centers appreciation for the richness and complexities of non-Western cultures. African literature has been the focus of my own reading in the past year, and I am excited about all that I will learn from this course—and from you—as I work toward my goals. I’m particularly interested in learning more tools and strategies for introducing context in engaging, thoughtful ways that work to disrupt cultural stereotypes.

Hello, 

My name is Tanisha Dudley-Williams and I'm excited about this course! I teach ESL in Memphis,TN. African culture is something I'm very passionate about and I look forward to learning more about it!

Hi everyone! I am a high school science teacher in Cincinnati, OH. The media I've recently been consuming is video games. I recently finished Garden Story, where you play as an anthropomorphic grape who has to save the garden from rot monsters. In the credits I noticed that it was funded by the Atlantic Council(!?!), a NATO think tank. The message of the game was that sometimes the bad guys are the good guys, and life exists in cycles, I guess. I don't know why the Atlantic Council would fund that, but the game was fun, so... ?

I'm struggling with how to incorporate critical thinking into my science courses. I think science classes do a good job of teaching problem solving, but we often don't expect kids to use critical thinking skills in a science course, which means we don't teach important science literacy skills.

Good afternoon, 

My name is Sarah,and I am an educator at a comprehensive art museum in Virginia.  In my job, I am tasked with running our Distance Learning program in which students in upper elementary through college classrooms video conference with an educator who is positioned in our galleries.  Guided looking exercises, most of which are based on the Artful Thinking routines from Harvard's Project Zero, help us provide an experience rooted in student inquiry and discovery.  I also help design online classroom and teaching resources.  I am so excited to learn with and from the other educators on this course and to interrogate the ways I present and explore the art in our African Art collection with students and teachers across the curriculum.  

Hi everyone! I'm Aurora, and I teach middle and high school social studies in Ithaca, NY. I teach at an alternative school (<a href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lehman Alternative Community School) that is public but is portfolio-based, has no grades, and has a vibrant student and staff democracy. Teachers get to create their own classes and curriculum, and students pick their classes.

I teach a 9th grade class called Atlantic History: Africa and Latin America -- but I never took a class on African histories in college, and so am really excited to get more of a grounding in content that is so important. I've done reading and lots of internet searches about what other people teach, but know I need more knowledge. One theme I struggle with is how to teach difficult parts of history (e.g. slavery, colonialism) without making it seem like certain cultures and groups are victims.

I love teaching because I think it's delightful to get to know young people, make them think hard, and watch them grow. I also love history and how creative I get to be with my lessons. 

Recently I've been really into watching cooking videos on instagram and pinterest, and then actually trying the recipes!

Hi!

I'm Larisa, and I teach history at an all-girls Catholic boarding and day school in California. Currently I teach world history since 1500, global issues in historical context, and research seminars on dictatorships and international relations. I'm really looking forward to learning about different ways to approach the history of Africa, particularly between 1700 and 1885 and beyond the Maghreb and DRC. 

Right now I'm devouring The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. It's a fascinating read in general, but specifically I've enjoyed the number of times it's caused me to stop and think about my assumptions about societies, power structures, and progress.

@jamie-lathan I appreciate the positive vibes. If I were to suggest a day to visit my class, I would choose the last day of the term. I host a potluck right before students present their final projects😄

~Melissa🌺

As a dedicated educator and mother, I am proud to be in my 9th year of teaching at a Title One school in South Los Angeles. With a Master's degree in Education for Curriculum and Instruction, I am passionate about fostering a love for learning in my students. My professional experience includes teaching English Language Arts and Theater in an environmentally themed school, where I strive to create engaging and inclusive learning experiences.

The form of media that I am currently enjoying the "We Are Here to Help" Podcast with Jake Johnson and Gareth Reynolds. It is clever and leans heavily on their backgrounds in Improvisation to "help" their callers.

Hello, everyone! I am a Spanish, humanities, and religion teacher at a K-12 classical school, teaching at the high school level. (Right here in Durham, NC - where Dr. Jamie Lathan is also located 🙂 ) My primary background is studying Latin American history and theology, but I am teaching a new course this semester very similar to what Aurora described for her class - a history course focused on Latin America and Africa and the intersections and tensions. It's my attempt at bringing some decolonization to an otherwise very "Westernized" curriculum in our high school (true to form for classical schools), in the midst of a faculty who is very sympathetic and on board with such efforts. I didn't become a high school teacher until I was 41 and discovered (much to my surprise) that I love teenagers. 🙂 I enjoy being available to my students for mentoring and particularly supporting students who are struggling, for whatever reason. I also just finished reading The Dawn of Everything (hi, Larisa!) and have enjoyed using portions of it in my class, which has helped students question some of the typical narratives they have received. I think a challenge I'm facing for the history of Africa in my course is how to help students connect with the societies and cultures in concrete ways when they have so little background knowledge or context. So excited for this class and to learn from all of you! 

@larisa-young I've been wanting to read The Dawn of Everything--good to hear your recommendation!