2020 shifted the very foundations of our profession. That shift was not without some pain. We mourned the losses of classroom spaces, the ability to see students daily, and the ways that we have traditionally served them. In the face of all these losses, all of us (at some point in this journey) have longed for a return to “normal”.

In this presentation, Cornelius Minor will explore how our nostalgic reverence for life Pre-March 2020 is misplaced… that even though we felt certain about some things, that there were still too many kids, families, and whole communities left at the margins of our work. Though we know that inequities have always persisted in American schooling, "equity" became a visible issue during the pandemic. When we consider how gender, race, class, and ability impact our work, we cannot afford to think merely about "kindness" or "diversity". Such thinking is not enough. We can reconsider our methodologies, pedagogies, and tools to use them in ways that benefit ALL students powerfully. Our path forward can be defined by individual teachers that work from this understanding. During this time together, we will explore the question, “What if we did not return to normal? What if we returned to BETTER?”  

Participants will learn how to identify things that are not working for students and communities.

Participants will sharpen their imaginative capacity to generate possible approaches to community challenges.

Participants will think about the kind of information gathering required to articulate change and progress.