Search

Heise is a sixth-grade social studies teacher living in Utah and working toward a Ph.d in education, culture and society.

Matthew Swoveland is an educator at Roca, an organization that works with very high risk young people in Chelsea, Mass. He is passionate about education as a key element in the reintegration of young people after gang involvement and incarceration. He has taught everything from classical Greek tragedy to a history of cheese in the western world. Above all, he believes in the power of relationships to transform the ways we process information, build meaning, and relate with others.

Natalie Sturdevant is a Teach For America alum and taught eighth grade reading in a small Texas town on the border of Mexico. As a librarian, at Crazy Horse School on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Wanblee, S.D., since 2012, she’s created and executed a media class using current events as a lens for students to reflect on and develop their identities. Natalie seeks to help students develop a critical consciousness of their community and our world by wrestling with topics such as race, oppression, and socioeconomics.

Amanda Blaine loves supporting individuals and groups creating social and environmental change. She draws on nonviolent communication and years of working as a public school teacher and dialogue facilitator. She lives near Seattle.

Edna Brown is a veteran English Language Arts teacher, essayist, poet and social justice advocate residing in St. Louis. She began her career with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Maryville University and teaching adults with disabilities in one of the first community-based group homes in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Edna went on to study social work at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. Finally, she earned master’s degrees in both Secondary Education (Curriculum and Instruction) and English (Composition) from the University of Missouri, St. Louis

Andrea Bittle is an educator in Chapel Hill, NC. She teaches and writes from Durham, NC.

Michele Israel owns Educational Writing & Consulting (www.micheleisrael.com), where she works with large and small educational, non-profit and media organizations to bolster products and programs. Her rich career spans over 25 years of successfully developing educational materials and resources, designing and facilitating training, generating communication materials and grant proposals, and assisting in organizational and program development. In addition to lesson plans and other teacher resources, Michele’s portfolio includes published articles, instructional guides, and a booklet entitled