Features

The University of Washington College of Education will celebrate the graduation of more than 700 teachers, researchers, leaders, policymakers, early childhood professionals and other educators on June 11.

Looking out her window, Déana Scipio (PhD ‘15) can see fourth through sixth graders playing in the grass. When she visits the garden, kids are learning about plants and planting things ー though they won’t get to see them sprout. It’s part of the stewardship work they do, planting for other kids to harvest later in the year.

But it’s the experiences of the graduate students, those teaching the children, which are even more exciting to her.

Tina Y. Gourd (PhD ‘15) and Jennifer Gale de Saxe (PhD ‘14) are graduates of the UW College of Education and co-editors of the recently published book “Rearticulating Education and Social Change: Teacher agency and resistance, early 20th century to the present.”

The book demonstrates activist work by educators throughout the history of education. Underemphasized modes of resistance are analyzed within the context of their communities, and impacts from historical and cultural factors on the individual educators’ efforts are viewed through a lens of teacher agency.

For Gareth and his parents, Bill and Alyssa Sunderland, good days are precious.

“We knew something wasn’t right as early as seven months,” says Alyssa. Gareth was a happy baby who showed signs of growth and language development, but not in the usual forward trajectory. “He would say a word or gain a skill, then lose another,” she says.