Mrs. Holly Murphy

 I completely understand the value of writing and speaking in today's global society.  I will not abandon the structured essay or the public speaking event in favor of other summative projects. However, I think that in order to best support students for today's world, we can't shy away from the value of the multiple literacy standards.  According to the International Bureau of Education, (click here)  multiple literacies is defined as: A concept calling for a broader view of literacy, also referred to as ‘new literacies’ or ‘multiliteracies’. The concept is based on the assumption that individuals ‘read’ the world and make sense of information by means other than traditional reading and writing. These multiliteracies include linguistic, visual, audio, spatial, and gestural ways of meaning-making. Central to the concept of multiple literacies is the belief that individuals in a modern society need to learn how to construct knowledge from multiple sources and modes of ...

   "Vision is being able to see that which no one else can see." Simon Sinek describes vision as an iceberg, something that has great implications and a dramatic impact but is easily misinterpreted, overlooked or omitted. Forgive the English teacher in me, but I'll continue with the metaphor. Like an iceberg, vision has great power beneath the surface, but it takes a unique perspective and experience to see the ice at the surface and suspect more lies beneath. Watch the video below to hear Simon Sinek make this connection: What is vision? It is what lies in the imagination, that which cannot be seen. It only becomes realized when it is shared, when others pick up the idea and bring it to their spaces as well.  And the more people that share the vision, the larger the impact on the culture of the group.  Vision is a tricky thing. It must be developed in the mind of the leader, but it cannot only reside there. It has no power there. Instead, it becomes powerful wh...

Room for Antiracist Inquiry: An Example Unit This summer, I had the privilege to work for the Upward Bound programs at both Nebraska Methodist College and Creighton University. These programs are designed to enrich the academic experience of students that will be the first in their families to attend a college/university and live below the federal poverty line. These programs both nurture and challenge students. For the literature course I taught for each program this summer, I attempted to reimagine Tupac Shakur's famous "The Rose That Grew from Concrete" poem and position it as an antiracist lens of study.  Students started by reading the poem from Shakur, discussing metaphors and interpreting the poem's significance. Next, I wanted to challenge students to see the metaphor's application to today's society and further understand the struggles facing communities of color today. To help students interpret the "concrete" mentioned in Tupac's poem ...