My approach to teaching is deeply influenced by my past experiences working as a community organizer and by my current research. I returned to graduate school after working as an organizer because I realized that too often, school is not a place of liberation for students but just another space that limits their imaginations of what the world could be. I wanted to be part of creating educational spaces that encouraged student’s imaginations and increased their ability to make those visions a reality. I always encourage my students to do creative final projects like interviewing a local activist or recording a podcast episode with their friends on topics of their choosing.
My experience in the classroom has taught me to ask questions such as: What would it look like to prioritize facilitating critical connections in the classroom, especially with students whose formative years were spent isolated from each other during the COVID lockdown? In all my courses, I give students the option of doing creative and collaborative final projects, such as video essays or podcasts. I always encourage them to draw upon their lived experiences and the knowledge within the communities that they are already a part of. This approach is informed by my belief that all students, regardless of formal education in political theory, have something important to contribute.
Their projects always inspire me and remind me of a quote from Grace Lee Boggs, the subject of my dissertation: “A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of humankind.” This sentiment informs my pedagogical philosophy: helping students exercise their creativity and envision transformative possibilities amid political and social crises.
Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks
Emergent Strategies by adrienne maree brown
Land as Pedagogy by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
