Teacher Talks: Celebrating Educators’ Passion to Teach
Teacher Talks is an annual in-person event where teachers take the stage to share stories of innovative practices, creative solutions, and heartfelt inspiration.
Teacher-presenters come from schools all around Massachusetts. They receive storytelling coaching and support from one another to hone their presentations to be ready for a live audience of peer educators, school and district leaders, education funders, policymakers, former students, and other supporters. Check out the videos from the 2023 Teacher Talks below!
Cultivating Changemakers: Igniting the Joy in Learning
Lexington 4th Grade Teacher and MA 2024 State Teacher of the Year De’Shawn Washington shares how he helps his students see themselves as agents of change, and in doing so, keeps them (and himself!) inspired.
Beyond the Epitaph: Unconventional Lessons from Gravestones
Lunenburg History Teacher Hailee Attorri shares how she uses cemetery visits to inspire her students to become more invested in local history and the surprising outcome of these visits—bringing students closer to her.
Chainsaws and Bandaids: Seeing and Addressing Bias in Education
2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School ELA teacher Dani Charbonneau shares her journey to incorporate equitable practices in her classroom in small and big ways.
A New Vision for Place-Based Learning
Nauset Regional Middle School Teacher Susannah Remillard shares how she uses place-based experiences to build cultural, indigenous, and environmental awareness of her school setting in Cape Cod.
Building Knowledge that Matters
Cambridge Elementary School Teacher Karen Engels shares how she and her teaching team built thematic content units that support students to practice reading and writing within the context of high-interest, complex topics.
Teachers Are Awesome
East Bridgewater High School Math Teacher and 2019 Massachusetts State Teacher of the Year Jamil Siddiqui shares his own journey to becoming a teacher with an inspirational reminder for all teachers that “Teachers are awesome!”