August 26, 2024

By Aleta Margolis, Founder and President

This week, I have the great pleasure of sharing guidance, wisdom, and teacher-focused advice from Judge David S. Tatel, former federal judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, prominent civil rights advocate, and longtime friend of Inspired Teaching. I met Judge Tatel thanks to his extraordinary wife, Dr. Edie Tatel, who hired me many years ago as a brand new professor at American University’s School of Education. Soon thereafter I started Inspired Teaching, and convinced Edie to join us as a mentor.

In this special episode, Judge Tatel speaks about his recently published memoir, Vision, in which he describes growing up in the DC region; talks about becoming blind and, in later life, welcoming his guide dog Vixen into his family; and offers life lessons that pertain to our work as educators.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript for powerful insights and concrete advice on:

• How judges and teachers face similar challenges in their jobs
• How to make sure your students care about voting, and
• How to infuse wisdom from a US Constitutional scholar (Judge Tatel!) as you create a Class Constitution with your students right now, as the school year is beginning.

I can think of no better way to kick off this school year than learning from a deeply respected civil servant who has devoted his life to defending democracy.

Wishing teachers everywhere an inspired start to the school year.

Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Aleta: If you were teaching middle school or high school today, what would you want your students to learn and how would you want them to spend their time in school so that they can be prepared to tackle issues like climate change and voting rights when they become adults and step into leadership roles?

Judge Tatel: I think the most important thing is for students to learn enough science and math, and physics and chemistry so that they can understand what’s happening to our country, to our planet, and be able to participate in a debate. Not to indoctrinate them. Not to tell them, “this is what’s happening, this is what we have to do about it.” But to equip them with the scientific skills and reading skills they need to evaluate the competing claims that our citizens face today.

You know, when one group of people says, “Well, you don’t have to worry about climate change, we can adapt well.” How does a citizen react to that instead of just accepting it? A well educated citizen needs to be able to evaluate that statement and make his or her own judgment about whether he or she agrees with it.

And I would want my seventh graders to begin to learn to learn that on the voting side too. I would want them to understand that the right to vote is critical to all other rights … I would want my students to understand that history, and I would also want my students to understand the current threats to the right to vote.

The bottom line is: I would want to develop a curriculum for my seventh graders that’s ultimately aimed at preparing them to be good citizens.

For additional insights, resources, and information on Inspired Teaching teacher and youth programming, subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter!

Hooray For Monday is an award-winning weekly publication by Center for Inspired Teaching, an independent nonprofit organization that invests in and supports teachers. Inspired Teaching provides transformative, improvisation-based professional learning for teachers that is 100% engaging – intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Our mission is to create radical change in the school experience – away from compliance and toward authentic engagement.

Listen to This Week’s Episode of Hooray For Monday

Transcript available here. Lightly edited for clarity.