Professor. Writer. Speaker. Prison Teacher.
As I surveyed the cluttered, expanding, and deeply moving memorial site at 38th and Chicago, I tried to see that street corner and the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath through the eyes of the incarcerated men I am privileged to teach at two correction facilities in Minnesota. I knew that many of them […]
George Floyd Through the Eyes of a Prison Teacher Read More »
As I consider the tragedy of George Floyd’s death and its devastating aftermath, I keep thinking of the incarcerated writers, many of whom grew up in the Twin Cities and are heartbroken by recent events. Before the pandemic hit, I was scheduled to teach this spring for the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, a remarkable non
The Tragedy of George Floyd’s Death and its Devastating Aftermath Read More »
Tonight was the first night of a new class, one that I am teaching with John Schmit, an English Professor at Augsburg College. It’s a sociolinguistics class called Language and Power. On this first night it all came flooding back why teaching here seems so important, why it is both exhilarating and devastating, why I
Knowledge is Truly Food for our Souls Read More »
Greetings! The pandemic is deeply affecting all of us, but inside the prison walls, it’s particularly terrifying. I think constantly about my incarcerated students, worrying as cases are reported in different facilities. One of my former students Eli Darris, has written about shown lessons about isolation that he learned from being in prison. He has
Tony is a tough guy. Real tough. For the life of me, I can’t imagine most of my students doing anything violent. They look innocent—young and fresh faced, and actually sweet. No kidding. Tony isn’t one of those guys. He looks mean. His eyes don’t smile, even when his mouth does. His hair is close-cropped,
Tony and the Blue Book Read More »
An important element of any educational psychology class is learning to create lesson plans. My educational psychology class in my prison class was no different.
How To Do A Full Body Workout In Your Cell Read More »
My well-equipped prison classroom sometimes leads me to overlook the conditions of incarceration that are a reality of my students’ lives.
Fist Bump Through the Bars Read More »
Can we separate the art from the artist, the writer from his book? I confess. I still teach Sherman Alexie’s books.
I want to ignore everything I learn about Sherman Alexie. Am I a hypocrite? Read More »