Every year, Facing History and Ourselves is honored to create a public platform to highlight, uplift and celebrate the lives, actions, and voices of incredible Upstanders at the schools that make up our Los Angeles Partner School Network (LAPSN). Having just published the series "A Network of Innovation," featuring thoughtful reflections from LAPSN educators on the meaning and practice of school community, student-centered classrooms, and units that thread together social-emotional learning, civic engagement and identity, this series of Upstander posts this week is the perfect complement. These are Educator Upstanders who look out for and center their students, give them the space and opportunities to explore the meaning of Upstanding, expand their Universe of Obligation and Choose to Participate. 

Every year, Facing History and Ourselves is honored to create a public platform to highlight, uplift and celebrate the lives, actions, and voices of incredible Upstanders at the schools that make up our Los Angeles Partner School Network (LAPSN). Having just published the series "A Network of Innovation," featuring thoughtful reflections from LAPSN educators on the meaning and practice of school community, student-centered classrooms, and units that thread together social-emotional learning, civic engagement and identity, this series of Upstander posts this week is the perfect complement. Many of these Upstanders were given the space and opportunities to explore the meaning of Upstanding, expand their Universe of Obligation and Choose to Participate by remarkable educators who live out Facing History's mission: we challenge teachers and students to stand up to bigotry and hate. 

Every year, Facing History and Ourselves is honored to create a public platform to highlight, uplift and celebrate the lives, actions, and voices of incredible Upstanders at the schools that make up our Los Angeles Partner School Network (LAPSN). Having just published the series "A Network of Innovation," featuring thoughtful reflections from LAPSN educators on the meaning and practice of school community, student-centered classrooms, and units that thread together social-emotional learning, civic engagement and identity, this series of Upstander posts this week is the perfect complement. Many of these Upstanders were given the space and opportunities to explore the meaning of Upstanding, expand their Universe of Obligation and Choose to Participate by remarkable educators who live out Facing History's mission: we challenge teachers and students to stand up to bigotry and hate. 

This is the fifth story in our series, “A Network of Innovation: Ideas, Questions, and Wisdom from our LA Partner Schools.” This week, seniors at Animo Jackie Robinson are formally presenting their Student Action Projects, the culminating act of their Ethnic Studies course and a rich high school learning trajectory that emphasizes upstanding and community engagement. Ethnic Studies teacher Jasmin Gonzalez describes not only how students complete this challenging project, but how it takes an entire school community and coordinated, vertical planning to pull it off. While the experience is uniquely envisioned and carried out by Animo Jackie Robinson, the connections to Facing History’s focus on upstanding, core pedagogical approach, and support for interdisciplinary learning stand out as core elements that make our partner schools a dream to work with. 

This is the fourth story in our series, “A Network of Innovation: Ideas, Questions, and Wisdom from our LA Partner Schools.” Cleveland Humanities Magnet has a long history of innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous educational programming. Upon joining the Facing History Los Angeles Partnership School Network four years ago, two 12th-grade teachers attended a summer seminar on the Holocaust and Human Behavior. Victor Silva teaches the historical anchor of an interdisciplinary unit that combines philosophy, literature and digital humanities. He has also developed a remarkable memorial project that challenges his students to go beyond learning and consider how they will ensure this history is not forgotten.

This guest blog is part of a series, “A Network of Innovation: Ideas, Questions, and Wisdom from our LA Partner Schools.” Much like his Valor Academy colleague Ben Katcher, who published a prior post on teaching The Nanjing Atrocities, first-year history teacher Elijah Falk has developed a powerful unit that challenges students to make contemporary connections to historical injustices and grapple with the ways in which pivotal events in history have been distorted. His unit on The Reconstruction Era exemplifies how accurate portrayals of and deep engagement with history can illuminate the importance of choices students make in their everyday lives. 

This guest blog is part of a series, “A Network of Innovation: Ideas, Questions, and Wisdom from our LA Partner Schools.” Probably the most important and consistent focus of our collaboration with our partner schools, developing and maintaining a strong school culture and community has been tricky under the conditions of the pandemic. In this honest reflection, New LA Middle School principal Gabrielle Brayton wrestles with how easily educators take for granted that students see community as an inherent value. She asks, in this moment where many have contracted their Universe of Obligation, how can educators make the case that students should care and look out for each other?

This guest blog is part of a series, “A Network of Innovation: Ideas, Questions, and Wisdom from our LA Partner Schools.” Each of our partner schools has at least one unit-length Facing History case study that every student experiences on their path to graduation. At Valor Academy High School, there are numerous Facing History units. Ben Katcher’s unit on the Nanjing Atrocities has long stood out to us because while this is a particular event that is often unknown and untaught, it nevertheless touches on so many critical universal themes that students find relevant and compelling. We invited Ben to share about his approach. 

Over the next four weeks, we will be using this blog to feature a range of voices, ideas, and curricular projects within our Los Angeles Partners School Network. This network of partner schools in the Los Angeles area, ranging from South LA to the northeast San Fernando Valley, and from East LA to Mid City, represents some of our most in-depth collaboration with educators and schools. The educators and school leaders have much to share about innovative programming, building whole school culture, and creatively navigating challenges. We hope you enjoy their stories, feel inspired and find great ideas. 

I first joined Facing History and Ourselves in 2001 because it felt like the kind of education I craved but never had. We didn’t talk about things that mattered when I was in school. And while my single mother sacrificed much to prioritize my education, there wasn’t much space for self-reflection at home. One year I won the Black History Month essay contest hosted by our local AME Church, but we never spoke about how deeply segregated our tiny New Jersey shore town was, or why I never socialized with my Black friends outside of school.