Step into the transformative world of bell hooks' spiritual pedagogy. Thirty years ago, hooks (1994) released Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, a groundbreaking work that revolutionized teaching. In her follow-up book, Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope, hooks (2003) delves into spirituality in education, offering a roadmap for holistic leadership and teacher training. This dynamic session will immerse participants in the contemplative, critical, culturally relevant, and intersectional insights from hooks (2003), particularly the chapter titled “Spirituality in Education,” where she asserts, “We can’t begin to talk about spirituality in education until we talk about what it means to have a life in the spirit. So we are not just teachers when we enter our classrooms, but we are teachers in every moment of our lives.” Utilizing this quote as a guiding principle, participants will encounter a space to practice the teachings of bell hooks’ spiritual pedagogy while engaging the essence of being well (Be True to You). In this session, participants will engage in reflective dialogue and discussion, guided by five teachable moments of embodiment, calling, opportunity, liberation, and home (hooks, 2003).

Participants will experience five teachable moments:
TM #1: “Embodying the Teachings”- a mind and body approach to well-being practices
TM #2: “Calling the Spirit”-encountering challenges of living in the spirit in educational spaces
TM #3: “Opportunity”-being true to the core and bridging across differences with compassion
TM #4: “Liberation of the Spirit”-recognizing a spoken and lived truth in community
TM #5: “Returning Home”-maintaining the integrity of being guided by sacrificial love