Big Fun Arts are Teachers for Social Justice

This past Saturday I attended the Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) curriculum fair here in Chicago.

http://teachersforjustice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=48&Itemid=55

(TSJ) is an organization of teachers, administrators, and other educators working in public, independent, alternative, and charter schools and universities in the Chicago area.

This inspirational and powerful event was held in Orozco Community Academy in the Pilsen neighborhood. Orozco, is a top Elementary Fine Arts & Sciences school that serves grades 1-8.
http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Pages/school.aspx?unit=7610



The event included, The Keynote by Association of Raza Educators who spoke on Consciousness and Democratic Schooling. As well as presentations by The Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE), Committee for Safe Passage to School and others. I was extremely excited to meet Kevan Coval and the Young Chicago Authors and hear spoken word performance by their "Louder that A Bomb".

http://louderthanabomb.org/AboutLTAB.aspx
The day was a full one that included about 20 Resource Tables as well as fantastic workshops given on topics including Creating Relevant Curriculum, Theater and a weapon for Social Change and more.

TSJ works toward classrooms and schools that are anti-racist, multicultural / multilingual, and grounded in the experiences of our students.
TSJ believes that all children should have an academically rigorous education that is both caring and critical, an education that helps students pose critical questions about society and "talk back" to the world.

The current policies lead by default because public discussion and debate is stifled. TSJ is committed to working together with other educators, parents, students, and community members collectively to reshape the discussion of school policy in order to create more just and humane schools.

Next year we hope to be a participant at the Fair and be working along side of our fellows.
Big Fun Arts are Teachers for Social Justice.