2017 National Teacher of the Year to visit School of Education

Sydney Chaffee, a humanities teacher from Boston, will participate in a reception and lecture on November 2

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Sydney Chaffee, the 2017 National Teacher of the Year, will visit IU next week.

Chaffee will participate in a reception and lecture starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 2, in the Grand Hall at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. She’ll also give a presentation and discussion at 10 a.m. Friday, November 3, in the Auditorium of the Wright Education Building.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Chaffee teaches humanities at Codman Academy Charter Public School in Boston, Massachusetts, where she focuses on the intersection of history and literature to help her students learn from lessons of the past to make change in the world. Chaffee, who has taught for 10 years, believes education must be authentic and encourages her students to take risks by creating a safe environment in her classroom for diverse learners.

“I hope to participate in a national conversation on how education can be a tool for social justice and empower students to stand up for themselves and create change,” Chaffee said.

Chaffee’s visit is sponsored by INSPIRE Living-Learning Center and the Office of Recruitment and Retention for Underrepresented Students at the School of Education.