By Monica Rowley and Sara Taggart Asking students to notice the world around them as reporters and writers with authority teaches them to respect their observations and creative interpretations. This positioning leads to student-driven inquiry about where they come from and how they can represent and share their community. During the last two years, our
[continue reading…]
The idea emerged at our end of year-staff party in the midst of a vibrant conversation about reading with some of our strongest senior STEM teachers. I listened to our wildly intelligent BC Calculus teacher, who has his Doctorate in Astrophysics, nerd out over N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy. Then, our Computer Science and
[continue reading…]
“Educators spend most of their time distanced from their colleagues. Instead of forcing them to compete with each other, we should help them find new ways to work together.” By Jeffrey Mirel and Simona Goldin Jeffrey Mirel and Simona Goldin, “Alone in the Classroom: Why Teachers are too Isolated,” The Atlantic, April 17, 2012 Even
[continue reading…]
Named for BLTN co-founder and eternal inspirer, Dixie Goswami, BLTN Goswami Action Grants were awarded to nine BLTN teachers this year. The grants allow teachers to diversify their curriculum, to more deeply engage youth with one another and their communities, and to connect across distance and difference. Here are teachers’ initial project descriptions, along with
[continue reading…]
What follows is a partial list of some BLTN members’ awards, presentations, and publications during the 2021-22 school year. Do you have news to be shared? Contact us! Professor Damián Baca chaired “Rhetorical Sovereignty in Action: Community Literacies by and for Indigenous Stakeholders,” a presentation featuring Rex Lee Jim (MA ’01, MLitt ’19), Dr. Ceci
[continue reading…]
Bread Loaf Teacher Network fellows compose reflective reports at key moments in a year. At the close of summer, they reflect on their BLSE course learning and they propose collaborative plans for projects and exchanges in the year ahead. At mid-year, they share their learning from the first half of the year, often using that
[continue reading…]
There is a piece of writing advice that floats around in my mind, the origin of which I no longer remember (if you do, will you let me know?). Paraphrased, it’s something like: “When writing for children, one should never ask, ‘What lesson do children need?’ Instead, one should ask, ‘What lesson do I need?’
[continue reading…]
As BLTN members entered one of four Zoom meetings this year, they exchanged what Bread Loaf professor Ken Macrorie might have called “fabulous realities” about their recent teaching days. (An excerpt from that chat, might bring you a smile.) As the night’s discussion grew, we realized that “small victories” were some of the best antidotes
[continue reading…]
Andover Bread Loaf youth, Jiberly Sandoval and Faith Omosefe, were featured in an “Youth Leaders Unlocking Justice: 100 Years of Advocacy in Lawrence, MA,” an Aspen Institute webinar held December 8. They spoke about their experiences as writers, youth activists, and writing leaders within the Lawrence, MA collective. The webinar is part of the Aspen
[continue reading…]
Editor’s note: Ceci Lewis recently retired from her position as Bread Loaf’s Associate Director. The work she details here draws from her dissertation, Breaking Borders: Women of Mexican Heritage in Douglas, Arizona. See our Fall, 2016 account of Ceci’s doctoral work. Ceci’s academic biography follows this article. For some, retirement is all about rocking chairs
[continue reading…]
