CJ McDermott

While I was student teaching, I was in a fairly conservative, white school. I used the SNCC meeting role play lesson and my students overwhelmingly wanted to use direct action. It opened up so many dialogues and I had never seen students so engaged. Students had amazing discussions and deliberations that they otherwise wouldn’t have had, and I was so impressed by their insight!

I had many students come to me after these lessons and tell me they had never heard these histories before, and how much they appreciated me opening their eyes and helping them learn more. I also had many thank me for making them feel seen in the classroom.