Teachers often struggle to engage and empower students and demonstrate critical approaches to culturally responsive teaching. If we are not purposeful, we, as educators, can unwittingly become complicit in the reproduction of the dominate culture power structures and racial oppression that exists in society. This session seeks to challenge the conventional role of the teacher and suggest ways in which we might frame our lessons and manage our classrooms to affirm our students' voices while also building their critical thinking skills. The speakers in this session hope to empower teachers of New Haven and the broader area to recognize the power they have to inspire students to bring their whole selves into the classroom – and into the world at large.
