Celebrating our rock star teachers!
As excited as we are – and we are excited! – to share news on the “Milkweed” film front, we also want to celebrate a group of extraordinary teachers who are using Jerry Spinelli’s young adult novel to teach students about history, empathy and the importance of being Upstanders.
They are located in more than 70 classrooms in 26 U.S. states and 4 cities in Canada. Their schools are Jewish, Catholic and secular, rural and urban, large and small. Our immeasurable gratitude to:
Wyndell Smith, ALABAMA ; Chris Hazeltine, ARIZONA; Madelyn Silvis, Caroline Wilcox, Leslie Griffith, Tina Wakeman, Megan Munro, and Yael Krieger, CALIFORNIA; Kyra Alvez Moats, COLORADO; Katie Dirr and Penny Miller, GEORGIA; Shannon Metzger and Traci Ceretto, ILLINOIS; Lyndzee Lee, INDIANA; Pamela Inch and Jessica Blaum, IOWA; Reanna Jacobs, MARYLAND; Rebecca Terry, MICHIGAN; Anne Marvy Hope, MINNESOTA; Beverly Dewell, MONTANA; Teynae Richardson, NEVADA, Rita Williams, Lori Staman, Bethany Lawlor, Chelsea Smith, Rose Kravetz, Christine Cooper, Katherine Denisse Roman, Irma Lopez, Elysia Altiero, Julie McDowell, Steven Vassallo, Tara Gardner, Keri-Ann Haley, Katelyn Landi, Jessica Suppa, Stephanie Baines, TeddiLyn Welden, Erin Wulderk, Kathren Belh, Kelly Amato, Nicole Huber, and Curt Buckler, NEW JERSEY; Jenna James, NEW MEXICO; Carrie Daley, Leslie Picinich, Rebecca Hamilton, Anthony Perez, Mitchell Polay and Kristy Angelo-Symons, NEW YORK; Sierra Parker, Paige Fender, Paulette Sokolow, NORTH CAROLINA: Ryan Barbari, Jennifer Argo, Jenni Howell, Matt Dematteis, Alisha Heifner, Daniella Paras, Amy Wagner, C. Cook, Lisa Feldmann, Shanna Huth, OHIO; Dara Hudson, OKLAHOMA; Melinda Kelly, and Stacy Schreiber, PENNSYLVANIA: Catherine Culp and Angelia Armstrong, SOUTH CAROLINA: Frank Casares and Amanda Oglesby, TEXAS; Heather Martin, VIRGINIA; Wendy Rodriguez, WASHINGON; Kathi Wiedenhoeft, WISCONSIN; Shira Wolch, Todd Skilton and Laura Zulauf, Ontario, and Stephen Walsh, British Columbia, CANADA.
In addition, we wish to thank our teachers in the 2021 Milkweed Pilot, which was funded through a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation of New York. We learned so much from them! They were: Hadas Rav (California); Tania Schweig and Bat Sheva Miller (California); Jessie Birnbaum (California); Maxwell Rotbart and Rishi Ramnath (Colorado); Civia Ainspan White (Kansas); Kara Pickman-Rosenwald (Minnesota); Sharon Singleton, (New Jersey); Rebecca Ben-Gideon (North Carolina); Victoria P. Norman (North Carolina); Kristin Woosley, (Ohio); Heather Kantrowitz, (Texas); Allison Lynch (New York); Jennifer Haase and Catherine Guilz-Feldman (New York); and Steve Travale (Ontario, Canada).
And a tremendous shout-out to our curriculum developers, KK Neimann and Dr. Ellen Kennedy, founder of World Without Genocide, who have created masterful lesson plans to introduce this difficult subject matter to young people in a way that educates, enlightens and inspires.
If you are a middle school teacher (or know one!) who would be interested in receiving this FREE curriculum designed for social-justice-minded youths, please send us your contact information.
“Milkweed” curriculum developer Dr. Ellen Kennedy, founder of St. Paul-based World Without Genocide
“Milkweed” curriculum developer KK Neimann
“One day, as I was rereading the last few chapters [of “Milkweed”], a student saw me wiping tears (as always when I am moved) and I told him to wait until he read the end of the story because it was the best ending ever! He came up to me today and said, "You're right, I almost cried at the end -- it was both happy and sad at the same time." I can't wait until they are all finished and we can have those rich discussions about symbols and characters!!!! — Pilot teacher Victoria Norman, East Rutherford Middle School, Bostic, N.C.
