What impact did the TOOJ session have on your students?
“My students uniformly reacted that this was one of the most impactful (if not THE most impactful) experiences they had in high school. The power of having Bey speak directly to them just shifted their entire worlds. The best way to build a culture of compassion and understanding is to have people meet each other and to get some first-hand understanding of how these men ended up in prison and the kinds of deep and sensitive thinkers they are. It shatters the stereotypes students hold of “those people” who end up in jail.”
— public high school teacher
Why do you recommend the workshops for other teachers?
“There are so many ways this workshop dovetails with skills students learn in class. How to ask questions, how to listen, how to respond respectfully, how to change their positions based on new information, etc. It is magical to witness, and a privilege to be able to frame and debrief the experience with students. Students learn real-world communication skills and learn to think outside of their own experiences.”
public high English school teacher
What was the power of having two classes joined over Zoom?
“For my high school students to be paired with a college classroom made them feel like real scholars. It encouraged students to step up and bring their full intellectual abilities to the discussion. It definitely changed the way some students viewed college (in a positive way) and simultaneously demystified the college experience and inspired students to think about learning in a more open way.”
public high school teacher
What was the power of having former prisoners talk with your students?
“The students having access to first-hand, lived experience was profound. For the men to take the time to speak in general, and individually to students, to listen to them, and to respond to their questions gave the students a different frame in which to see themselves. Their words and ideas were taken seriously, and their compassionate responses were valued. It is difficult to find words to explain just how impactful this was on students. It really made them feel important and valued as thinkers and participants.”
public high school English teacher