A Year in the Life of a Peace Teacher
Stories from the American Classroom
At a time when violent conflict regularly dominates headlines, four high school teachers in Alabama, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington have spent the last year as part of USIP’s Peace Teachers Program. The program provides a select group of teachers with the resources and support to help students gain the knowledge, skills and perspectives to work toward a more peaceful world. Their stories reveal how students from four very different communities across the U.S. make sense of the world and what they were inspired to do over the past year as part of this USIP program.
Young people are hungry for examples of people working for peace in some of the world’s most violent conflicts, and they are curious about ways they too can make a positive difference. On July 12, USIP’s current Peace Teachers reflected on their year providing students with the tools to have an impact on their community—and the world—through peacebuilding. From teaching history through a peacebuilding lens to building awareness around current global issues and local resources, the teachers shared how they advanced their students’ understanding of international conflict and the possibilities of peace in ways that aligned with state standards and their existing curriculum. They also presented strategies that can be applied in every classroom. Join the conversation with #USIPPeaceTeachers.
Speakers
Nancy Lindborg, welcoming remarks
President & CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace
Megan Chabalowski, introductions
Program Officer, Public Education, U.S. Institute of Peace
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, moderator
American novelist, short story writer and journalist, and Member, International Advisory Council, U.S. Institute of Peace
Ryan Adams
Chelsea High School, Chelsea, AL
Casandra Bates
Centennial High School, Franklin, TN
JoAnne Bohl
West Central High School, Hartford, SD
Jennifer O’Boyle
Klahowya Secondary School, Silverdale, WA
