Early Career Teaching Institute

Teaching is an act of grief as much as it is an act of love — and nobody warned us about that. The children who challenge us most have often spent years learning that educators ultimately give up and move on. These students push, resist, wound us in small ways and large ones, not because they don't care, but because they are terrified of what comes next. And in our most exhausted moments, when our patience has worn thin and our hearts feel empty, we are called to stay anyway. This workshop is an honest and tender conversation about what it means to keep loving when love is hard to find. We will explore how educators can rebuild their capacity for hope, not by pretending the struggle isn't real, but by learning to notice the small, sacred moments of joy and connection that flicker even in the hardest classrooms. We will sit with the practice of forgiveness — of our students, of the systems that fail them, and of ourselves — and discover how reflection can become an act of healing rather than self-criticism. This session is for every educator who wants to protect that love and find their way back to it, again and again.

Early career teachers are often encouraged to implement student-centered, inquiry-based, and justice-oriented teaching practices. However, when these approaches are first introduced, they can feel uncomfortable, messy, and even unsuccessful. Students may resist, discussions may fall flat, and teachers may feel pressure to return to more familiar routines—especially within the constraints of pacing guides, testing demands, and school culture.

This interactive workshop draws on a classroom-based case study of a high school history teacher who attempted to integrate new instructional approaches focused on diverse perspectives. His initial attempts were marked by confusion, silence, and frustration—leading him to remark, “This is painful.” However, over time, these moments became the foundation for more meaningful student engagement and discussion.

Participants will explore a three-phase framework—disruption, constraint, and breakthrough—to better understand their own experiences when trying new teaching strategies. Through structured reflection, small-group discussion, and practical planning, participants will identify challenges in their own contexts and develop strategies for sustaining justice-oriented teaching practices, even when they feel difficult or uncertain.

After leaving teacher education programs, early career teachers often navigate new contexts in isolation, making it difficult to sustain justice-oriented practices amid pressures to conform to existing norms. This session supports early career teachers in reframing moments of struggle as part of the process of growth, building sustainable practices, and remaining committed to equitable and engaging instruction. Furthermore, this session fosters a sense of community creating space for early career teachers to share experiences, challenges, and approaches across contexts.