Cindy Dziwura has been teaching and inspiring middle school students for the past 20 years. She’s an Invisible Children all-star, and an alumna of the original Fourth Estate Summit. Not to mention she’s hosted screenings with the Deep South Roadies for the past several semesters. I caught up with her to talk more about her experiences as a teacher, an attendee of the Fourth Estate Summit, and why teachers should attend this year’s Summit.
Tell me a little about you teacher background, how long have you been in the field and how did you get you start?
I have been teaching 20 years. My bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia was in advertising but I knew I always wanted to teach. So I worked for a year and returned to school to add my education courses. I started out teaching after substitute teaching for a year and began my teacher career as a 7th grade World Studies teacher. Since then I have taught 6th, 7th and 8th Social Studies and Language to both gifted and at-risk students.
How do you utilize Invisible Children’s curriculum and how have your students responded?
I utilize my IC resources all throughout my curriculum. I have a day of the week that I spend the entire class period on international issues throughout the world and I began the year with showing one of the IC videos to let students see one-on-one that the most of the world does not live like we do, or even close to the way we live. There are always the new IC adoptees who become so passionate about the cause that they then bring their parents into the realm of injustice and what is not reported from the mainstream media.
You’re an Invisible Children legend and a Fourth Estate Alumna. What drew you to Invisible Children and why did you decide to attend the original Fourth Estate?
I found out about Invisible Children when a student brought in the IC film White is for Innocent, and I was blown away. I couldn’t believe that I had been teaching all those years and had never even heard a word about Joseph Kony and the LRA. I didn’t think it was even possible for it to be true. I was drawn to IC by how human everything seemed to be. How could the world let this go on if people in this world knew what was happening? Some students then bought the other videos, found out more from the website and out of the blue in the middle of the summer I got an e-mail from IC requesting a screening at our school.
What was your favorite memory from the Fourth Estate?
Okay – you know that is the most unfair question, but I will try to summarize it best by saying that everyday was like a little piece of heaven and hope. From reuniting with the Deep South Roadies, meeting Jason, Laren, and Bobby and having meaningful conversations with them throughout those days with them was like meeting Oprah, Bono, Mandela, or Martin Luther King Jr. – seriously! Being so inspired by 650 people with the same passion for international justice was a crazy and once in a lifetime event. Of course, starting the insane conference with Jed and Jason’s Bastille game was absolutely, 100% certifiably crazy!
What would you say to teachers who may be considering applying for this year’s Summit, but may a need a bit of persuading?
I would tell the teachers who were possibly going to the Summit that it will be the revival that their soul needs. In addition to being the most well done professional conference they will ever attend!
Think people should hear about this?