Jacqui Sheehan is a teacher at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis and attended our original Fourth Estate Summit in 2011. We recently got to pick her brain about what her experience was like and why she thinks it would be beneficial for educators to attend the Summit this August in Los Angeles.
Why is attending the Fourth Estate valuable for teachers?
It will remind you why you teach, it will reignite your passion for being a catalyst for student action, and it will include some of the best LEARNING you have done in a long time.
How did attending the 2011 Fourth Estate Summit develop you as a leader in education?
I refer to the Fourth Estate constantly. STILL. I am not as emotionally-charged as some, nor can I be as involved with Invisible Children as much anymore, but I think about the lessons I learned at the Fourth Estate and the people I met and the people I listened to quite a bit. The Fourth Estate is a perfect metaphor for what happens when people are passionate for good, instead of allowed to be lethargic for the plight of self-service.
Teachers rule.
How have you seen your classroom change by what you experienced at the 2011 Fourth Estate Summit?
My classroom practices have not changed in a huge way, but memories of the Summit remind me of how life SHOULD be, especially when I get bogged down by apathy and paperwork and my students’ fear of thinking.
What was your favorite moment at the 2011 Fourth Estate Summit?
This is very difficult. So, I will make a list.
1. I got to take seven students with me. What we shared together, what they learned and wrote about, what they are now pursuing in their lives in part because of what we learned…these gifts are priceless.
2. I LOVE dancing. I HATE high school dances. Students mistake grinding for dancing, and they are so afraid to let loose and have fun. The dance party was BEAUTIFUL, and the addition of LXD was nice.
3. The journal. I am serious. I needed that. Still do.
4. Gary Haugen. Agh. (PS. It was REALLY hard to pick the single speaker to highlight.)
5. Having Jason Russell and Jedidiah Jenkins MC the weekend set the tone for something that was serious but also incredibly fun.
6. Breakout sessions. My favorite would have to be my student who was on the creative team and how he got to do real work while he was there. I felt like those breakout sessions were the most beneficial to him.
I could keep going, but I will stop.
Think people should hear about this?