The making of a power teacher: Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations students include cultural experiences in their studies

Three College of Education students—Jasmine Carter, Riley Holmes and Taylor Skinner—participated in a cultural study experience directed by Dr. Qiana Cutts, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations. Using the work of the late Dr. Asa Grant Hilliard, III, a 30-year Georgia State University scholar, historian and professor, as the foundation, the experience was curated as an extension of the MSU Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Project implemented by Dr. Cutts during her fall 2017 Social Foundations of Education course. Specifically, the experience furthered students’ knowledge of how teacher disposition, cultural understandings and pre-service education and preparation impact their ability to become “power teachers” who emphasize school equity and cultivate culturally relevant learning experiences for their students.

 For two days in Atlanta, Georgia, the group visited cultural sites, including the APEX Museum, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward and Georgia State. Activities at these sites included film and exhibit viewings, a teaching observation, and semi-formal dinner and discussion. 

The group had the honor of attending the first annual Asa G. Hilliard, III Memorial Scholarship Dinner, where they met and engaged with the Honorable Patsy Jo Hilliard and Hakim Hilliard, widow and son of Dr. Hilliard; Monica Kaufman Pearson, Emmy Award winner and first African American and woman to become a news anchor in Atlanta; Dr. Gwendolyn Benson, associate dean for school, community and international partnerships in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State; Dr. Akinyela Umoja, chair and professor of African American Studies at Georgia State, and countless other scholars and community leaders.

The group visited other sites, including Skyview Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlantic Station and engaged in a focus group discussion and dinner. The students presented their reflections of and research about their experiences during the 11th Annual College of Education Research Forum in the spring semester of 2018.