We are deeply grateful for all that Vanessa has done to build a robust network of educators and to help shape the growing initiatives that have become cornerstones of Teaching for Change’s work.

DCAESJ’s early childhood working group facilitator, Makai Kellogg, co-wrote a new book, Reflection, Perspective-Taking, and Social Justice: Stories of Empathy and Kindness in the Early Childhood Classroom.

Teaching for Change’s Teach the Beat is honored to be a Capital City Go-Go (the NBA G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards) partner for the 2023–2024 season. As a Go-Go partner, Teach the Beat is a featured host in the Capital City Go-Go’s Education Day Games on February 8 and March 5. Go-Go Education Day fuses a basketball game with the distinctive sound of go-go music. 

By Makai Kellogg and Sara Beshawred
On Saturday, November 18th, the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group met at the Teaching for Change office. The group focused on addressing holidays in the classroom with an anti-bias lens.

Kimberly Ellis is a force, and we were thrilled to host her part-time as the Education Anew Fellow at Teaching for Change, in partnership with Communities for Just Schools Fund (CJSF), for the last two years.

The anti-bias early childhood working group gathered virtually for their May meeting. After their standard land acknowledgement, the group dove into the meeting centered on gender identity in early childhood classrooms.

In lieu of a formal meeting during the month of March, all working group members were encouraged to attend and/or participate in annual events from a few of our partner organizations. 

Teaching for Change is partnering with Filmfest DC: The Washington, D.C. International Film Festival for a twelfth year (April 19-30) to spread the word about the international film festival and to bring films and filmmakers for several films into D.C. virtual classrooms.

D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice is forming a second annual working group for D.C. area early childhood (birth to 8-years-old) teachers experienced in and committed to anti-bias education. Read more >>

D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice has launched a working group for D.C. area elementary (3rd-5th grade) educators. The group meets monthly on weekday afternoons. If you are interested, please apply.

The middle/high school People’s History working group came together for their May meeting on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Alison Rice led the group in an activity reflecting on the words of James Baldwin in A Talk To Teachers.

The Elementary working group began their February meeting by selecting an item from their space that reflected their current emotions and discussed why they connected to it. Participants shared items that sparked confidence, strength, and joy, including a Post-It note from their mom and a puzzle that their students are collaborating on.

The founding co-coordinator of the D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice People’s History Curriculum Working Group, Caneisha Mills, has been named the 2021 D.C. History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Teaching for Change is partnering with Filmfest DC: The Washington, D.C. International Film Festival (June 4-13) for a tenth year to spread the word about the international film festival and to bring films and filmmakers for several films into D.C. virtual classrooms.

The library at Claremont Immersion, a bilingual Spanish-English elementary school in Arlington, Virginia, hosted two special literature events this November to celebrate Indigenous cultures and languages with the school community.

The people of D.C. are in collective grief and mourning on the death of Washington Teacher Union president Elizabeth “Liz” A. Davis in a car accident on April 4, 2021. She has been a powerful presence in the lives thousands of students, teachers, and families through her unwavering dedication to radical teaching, righteous activism, and grassroots organizing.

Thanks to support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Teaching for Change can schedule artists for remote classroom visits.

Tiffany Mitchell Patterson opened the session, welcoming newcomers, and noting ”It is so important to be in community with each other. I hope everyone can use this time to find inspiration and motivation for the upcoming weeks.” She engaged everyone in a spirited round of people’s history Kahoot. The last question acknowledged the vital role of everyone in the sessions: Which group of people work the hardest and contribute the most to a just future for this country? (a) Politicians (b) Corporate executives (c) City planners (d) Classroom teachers.

By Lila Chafe
On the warm Wednesday evening of March 3, 2021, early childhood educators joined the DCAESJ Anti Bias ECE Working Group’s monthly meeting. As they logged on, participants shared memories from years of collective joy and action, preparing for the departure of the working group’s coordinator, Rosalie Reyes.

We share our best wishes for DC Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) coordinator Rosalie Reyes who is departing Teaching for Change and stepping into new horizons in their life. As they describe their next pursuits: “I will be diving into early childhood education research, continuing racial justice pursuits through birth-work as a doula, and I will begin Washington State University's Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education doctoral program in the fall.”