Nebraska Professionals to Present & Engage:

On Being Radically Soft in the Classroom The poet and artist, Lora Mathis, coined the term “radical softness” in 2015 to promote the idea that freely engaging with and sharing emotions is a radical, political act.In my presentation, I will trace a brief overview of the ideas of radical softness, share some of my own practices of radical softness in the classroom (i.e. strategies that worked, strategies that didn’t work) and end with a case study for participants where they develop their own “radically soft” response to a hypothetical classroom/student situation. – Tammy Zimmer

Hearing Voices: Listening for Opportunity in the Classroom Using research, I identify moments when I silence students and moments when I nurture and then use that reflection to refine my pedagogy.  Audience members will receive copies of artifacts like rubrics, assignments, exercises, etc. that evolved from this reflection. I will share a running list of reflective questions about student voice for audience members to consider and facilitate reflection with participants. – Cheney Luttich

Citizens of the World: A Reading-Writing Course with Sixth Graders in Mexico I taught a reading and writing course for sixth graders at the elementary school I once attended in my hometown in Mexico. In collaboration with local teachers the course was designed to engage students in building an identity as "citizens of the world," mainly through values that would have an impact on their community. Participants read texts focused on human rights and through writing reflected on how their actions and attitudes could help improve their respective communities. This presentation wants to engage us in these very reading and writing strategies designed around Self and community, particularly considering the context in which this course took place. – Eder Jaramillo

Connect Students with Meaningful Work Opportunities Help students of all ages and backgrounds find meaningful work through the power of storytelling, using free resources from the Meaningful Impact Hub. Meaningful work makes the world better by solving problems like disaster recovery and prevention, supply chain disruptions, and access to healthy food. Our resources help people look at big problems systemically, from multiple perspectives, to uncover unexpected career opportunities that make the world better. Learn how to help students uncover the stories that shaped who they are, and broadly explore stories of impact across Nebraska, to find where they fit in the world. With the right motivation and a powerful end goal in mind, any student can re-write their story and pursue work worth doing. – Amanda Sweet (Technology Innovation Librarian/Nebraska Library Commission) with Deanne Hyde Boilesen

On Beyond Accommodations  This session will begin by thinking about how we frame access and need in the classroom, as well as the kinds of labor that students must undertake to advocate for themselves or to receive traditional accommodations (many of which may be ineffectual). Then, as a group, we will discuss how we can provide new ways of belonging in the classroom by modeling the communication of needs and engagement in discourse about access. Finally, we will talk about opportunities to build communities of care in the classroom (inspired by the Disability Justice movement) in order to create a more equitable, supportive classroom experience for all students. – Jason McCormick

Doing the Personal Work: Understanding Identity Construction and Implicit Bias  This presentation will cover how identity is constructed through life experiences and socialization and how assumptions about the identities of others lead to implicit bias. Participants will be introduced to reflective exercises that increase awareness of our personal biases and promote the intentional self-reflection needed to reduce acting on biases in our interpersonal interactions. Taking personal responsibility for our biases is part of a broader effort to reduce bias, including steps at the community and systemic levels. – Rachael McLeod

Lunch (Midwest Culinary Institute) and 2022 NDEC Teacher of the Year / Nebraska Indian CC presentation with Zeke Brummels