Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/969549
t e n d e r m o m e n t with a female vis- i t o r, r e s t i n g h i s head on her shoulder. "These photos show that people can find meaning and be contributing citi- zens even if they are incarcerated," says Poor. "ey humanize inmates in a very real way — even though many of them h av e don e t er ri bl e thin gs an d m a d e terrible choices. I have found hope and inspiration can exist inside prison and that there are a lot of smart and talented people on the inside." Th e ph otog raph s are n ot h er only prison project. She recently won a Jeffer- son Award for a podcast she creates with inmates called Ear Hustle — prison slang for eavesdropping — which details daily life inside prison. Topics include what the first day of prison is like, pets in prison, coping with HIV, and how birthdays are celebrated behind bars. The Jefferson Awards Foundation honors programs that are focused on community leadership. e podcast, which launched last June, is so successful that it won an interna- tional contest to be broadcast nationwide on the Radiotopia online network. " T h i s aw a rd i s for myself and the m e n ( i n m a t e s) I work with, because we produce this pod- cast as colleagues and collaborators," says Poor. "Our plan is to offer a real range of stories that are funny, poignant, uplifting and educational." Poor says her work at the prison has made her more compassionate as a per- son and increased her awareness of the need for prison reform. It has also made her more aware of victims' rights, too. "I have never been a victim of a vio- lent crime," she says. "Sometimes I feel torn. But one day many of these men will come out of prison. And I think everybody agrees that it is in everybody's best inter- est if the angry and violent person who came into prison can be transformed into someone who is not angry and violent when he leaves. And hopefully, through my work, I can help with that." For more information on Poor's projects, visit her website at nigelpoor.com. To hear podcasts, tune in to earhustlesq.com. Reroute the School-to- Prison Pipeline Policies and practices that favor incarceration over education do us all a grave injustice. Through a toolkit and multiple resources, Teaching Tolerance suggests five ways educators can reroute the school-to-prison pipeline by shifting the approach they take toward students, from a punitive one to a responsive one. Shift 1: Adopt a social-emotional lens. Teach to the whole child. Shift 2: Know your students and develop your cultural competency. Learn and affirm the social and cultural capital your students bring to the classroom. Shift 3: Plan and deliver effective student-centered instruction. Teach with the purpose and urgency your students deserve. Shift 4: Move the paradigm from punishment to development. Model, reinforce and praise positive, healthy behavior. Shift 5: Resist the criminalization of school behavior. Keep kids in the classroom and police out. Go to tolerance.org (search for "rerouting pipeline") for more. "These photos show that people can find meaning and be contributing citizens even if they are incarcerated." Freeing Schools from the School to Prison Pipeline Freeing Schools from the School to Prison Pipeline Educators share strategies for keeping kids in the classroom and out of the courtroom EdJustice Educators can help keep kids in the classroom and out of the courtroom. Read about various strategies in NEA EdJustice's special report at tinyurl.com/ NEApipeline. 23 A P R I L / M AY 2 018