An Evening with Deborah Meier and Emily Gasoi - Center for Inspired Teaching

On October 24th, Inspired Teaching and DC Project Zero co-hosted a conversation with authors Deborah Meier and Emily Gasoi moderated by Founder & President Aleta Margolis to discuss their new book, These Schools Belong to You and Me.

To kick-off the evening, Aleta introduced Inspired Teaching’s commitment to reimagine the role of teacher as Instigator of ThoughtTM, and expressed that she “can think of no greater Instigators of Thought than Deborah Meier and Emily Gasoi.” And the book does just that, it instigates thought. Aleta explained this further, saying “I appreciate that you challenge the reader to think about what schools are, and offer concrete examples of what they can be.”

These Schools Belong to You and Me is centered around a principle question: what is the purpose of school? Aleta described the book as “both an urgent response to the political climate and a timeless call to action to save and invest in our nation’s public schools.”

Throughout the evening, Deborah and Emily continued to demonstrate their passion for supporting the public school system while advocating for change within it–a tension present throughout the chapters of their book. At the beginning of her career as an educator, Deborah confessed: “I couldn’t survive if I couldn’t find a way to change the schools I worked in.”

With a tone of optimism and urgency, Deborah and Emily each shared how they feel the public school system is failing students, and their vision for how we might be able to promote change. The following are highlights from the conversation that showcase how Deborah and Emily fight for public schools while providing a call-to-action to change them:

“We have this default mode of this is what school looks like. I think that is something we need to take on more explicitly and help teachers who are interested in breaking that mold to find ways to come back to their real core values.” – Emily

“Teachers aren’t accountable to each other. We have to change that picture and make the school is a professional development experience day-in and day-out.” – Deborah

“Almost all progressive education ideas were developed as education for the poor and then they became very popular and the rich got them.” – Deborah

When asked how we can overcome the achievement gap, Emily declared, “It is a test score gap and it’s not really meaningful. There are other gaps that are meaningful: opportunity gaps, resource gaps, and gaps in expectations, but the test scores really don’t get at any of that. They are a diversion. We need to say that as much as possible.” – Emily

“When we create a school we like, we tend to want to freeze it there rather than constantly churning them. You have to keep fighting for things of they just become words. Elections, democracy, as we fight for these things we have to remember that success doesn’t mean we’ve put them in place, we have to keep going and keep pushing what we’ve done, and changing our mind.” – Deborah

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.