Today's educators, from kindergarten through higher education, are uniquely positioned to provide their students with real life opportunities that demonstrate and promote equity, change, and social justice ideals amongst their peers, throughout the schoolhouse and into their communities. These opportunities for students, supported by the norms and culture of the classroom, often come in the form of daily interactions with curricula, which affords teachers the window to teach how to disrupt inequity among students and in their lives. For teachers and school leaders to open this window, each must also have the courage to investigate and learn from the mirrors of the experiences of others reflected to them. The work of the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College provides educators with the courage to investigate those personal mirrors for the benefit of their students. Their courage is found in the sharing of stories about themselves and by turning off their automatic responses to the stories of others. The following chapter considers how The Principles, the philosophical foundation of PJI, translate into an equitable classroom practice. This qualitative case study of 24 teachers explores the impact of the PJI Teachers Academy in the k-12 classrooms of these teachers.
Educators have the unique opportunity to promote equity, change, and social justice ideals to an entire generation. Through daily lessons, classroom norms, and beliefs, classroom teachers can disrupt inequity among students. The Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) at Valencia College has worked with approximately 140 educators through the week-long PJI Teachers Academy over the past three years. This workshop explores the basis of the PJI philosophy, the Principles for How We Treat Each Other: Our Practice of Respect and Community Building (PJI Principles), and discusses social justice practices and norms that research indicates support equity and inclusion in the classroom. This workshop will begin with a brief introduction to the Peace and Justice Institute and the presenter backgrounds. Research has indicated that the practice of reading the PJI Principles aloud, discussing them with members of the community, and focusing on application impacts the way we communicate with each other in our personal and professional spaces. In this session participants will read the PJI Principles aloud, hearing the voices of their online community as they discuss the implications of a standard set of norms. Following the initial reading, the presenters will dive deeper into three of the principles, working with participants to explore practical applications of the PJI Principles. With the understanding that social change towards equity and justice can begin with teachers and their classrooms, this workshop will conclude with research regarding personal and professional change related to the PJI Principles. This presentation is open to all participants.
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