Gloria Ladson-Billings Welcomes Students into Her Home
They read her book and learned about her life, teaching methods, and research. Recently, more than 65 UMW education students and faculty members enjoyed an up-close-and-personal virtual visit with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings.
College of Education Professor John Broome says students in his Introduction to Teaching and Learning and Managing the Secondary Classroom courses had been reading The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. After one of the classes finished an online discussion from their individual spaces of social distancing, Ladson-Billings joined the virtual classroom from her home in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Gloria is literally one of the most famous, influential, and impactful education theorists and researchers in the world,” says Broome. “I wanted to do something special for my students, so I arranged a surprise to enable them to have some private time with her. She was happy to do it. I truly expected she would chat a few minutes, since she is always busy writing and editing books and articles, but she seemed to enjoy talking and answering their questions. At the end of the 90-minute virtual visit, my students were just shocked and smiling.”
Ladson-Billings spoke at Mary Washington in 2017 when she served as UMW’s Educator-in-Residence, and Broome has maintained contact with her since. During last week’s virtual visit, she responded to UMW student questions and offered real-world advice – from avoiding labeling young students with terms like “high risk,” to being fair and equitable in the application of classroom rules.
Overall, she advises future teachers, “Let your students know that you are human and have feelings, and then treat them as if they have feelings too. Remember, you are interacting with young human beings at one of the most critical points in their lives.”
She adds, “Teachers play a pivotal role, and it truly is important work. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it’s not!” Click here to read more about Gloria Ladson-Billings.
In addition to teaching education classes at UMW, Broome also has become a valued advisor to other educators as they adapt to teaching online during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Broome was recognized for his leadership in launching the Higher Ed Learning Collective to share high- and low-tech remote-teaching tools for educators. The Collective currently has 25,000 members in 100 countries. Click here to read more about John Broome and the Higher Ed Learning Collective.
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