Caits Meissner has been an arts and community educator for more than 10 years in New York City. Currently she serves as Education Programs Manager at Tribeca Film Institute.
The narrative voice belongs to Lanesha, a 12-year-old girl growing up in New Orleans. Lanesha is frequently picked on and teased because she has a special gift—the ability to see ghosts and spirits. Used to being bullied herself, in this scene Lanesha is a witness when someone else is the target.
Joe Hansen is a freelance writer based in Portland, OR, where he lives with his partner and their spoiled yellow Lab, Charlie. He holds an M.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon and has been a writer, editor and newsroom jack-of-all-trades for newspapers, magazines and web publications since 2005.
Ric has 20 years experience in teaching history and social studies courses at high schools and colleges in northeast Ohio. He is especially interested in incorporating human rights into his teaching and has developed and taught a course entitled International Human Rights for many years. Follow his ideas here.
Julia is a writer and editor based in Washington, D.C. She is a reporter for The Nation’s Health newspaper at the American Public Health Association and a communications fellow at the advocacy group End Rape on Campus. Her writing has appeared in ReadersDigest.com, People.com, Parents.com, Healthline and more.
In this excerpt, Virginia Woolf declares that any talented woman born in the 16th, 17th, 18th or even 19th centuries would have been so hindered from sharing her gifts due to her sex--and if she somehow overcame this obstacle, her name would not have been tied to her work.
As a teacher, being responsive to each child’s needs, strengths and interests requires knowing each child and the developmentally appropriate strategies for each child.