On a new Teachers’ Lounge, Joey Brewer! He's the new Dean of Students at the Spoon River Valley School District. Brewer has spent the past two decades teaching history and social studies at rural schools in western Illinois -- the region of the state often known as "Forgottonia."
Inspired by that, he started “The Forgottonia Project” -- a student-led local history initiative. They organize oral histories, discuss local literature, pursue local journalism, pen social commentaries, produce podcast interviews, and loads more.
"There's this deficit-thinking that success is something that happens somewhere else," he said. "It's funny how when you give students the reins to ask questions that they're curious about, you end up confronting that thinking."
We have a great conversation about the unique challenges and advantages rural schools face, how you teach students to confidently ask questions, and, when the goal is making your students more curious about their community and more empathic with the people in their lives -- how do you measure success?
SHOW NOTES
Educators in this episode:
Joey Brewer
Stories featured in this episode:
Music: Our show's theme music is from the northern Illinois-based band "Kindoves" and their songs "Popn," "Origins" and "Quiche." You can find more of their music on their Soundcloud page. You can also listen to the episode of WNIJ's Sessions from Studio A where they were featured.
Teachers! People who know teachers! People with stories about teachers! Send us an email and be part of the show!
