Human Restoration Project

@humanrestorationproject.org

2499 Followers 680 Following

Non-profit: restoring humanity to education. Promoting progressive ed. https://linktr.ee/humrespro

Cover collage for We Are Worldbuilders featuring images of greenery and growth, mushrooms, space themes, and children
Solar system infographic showing various systems HRP works to change.
photo of mushrooms growing on a tree from unsplash
Photo of a campfire scene at night with a starry sky
Cover of Pedagogies of Collapse by Ginie Servant Miklos
"Collapse should not be equated with the apocalypse. If the role of education is to prepare the young for he future, and this is our future, where is the education system in all this?" Details Join us this summer for our book club, where we'll read and meet to discuss the ideas and implications of Pedagogies of Collapse and be joined by the author, Ginie Servant-Miklos, for an extended Q&A session on July 31. The book is available in paperback or as a free open access e-book. Anyone is welcome to attend! Dates: Welcome Session: June 26 @ 11am ET Ch. 1-3: July 10 @ 11am ET Ch. 4-6: July 24 @ 11am ET July 31 @ 11am ET w/ Ginie Servant-Miklos Learn more and register @ https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/book-club
When a teacher follows a mandated curriculum, the platform "teaches for" the teacher. Critical theorist Michael Apple documented this process decades ago, arguing that teachers lose the time and skill to plan their own curricula and instead become isolated executors of someone else's plans and evaluative mechanisms. Likewise, theorist Henry Giroux says it reduces teachers "to the status of specialized technicians within the school bureaucracy, whose function then becomes one of managing and implementing curricular programs rather than developing or critically appropriating curricula to fit specific pedagogical concerns.” The student, in turn, is "measured" on their ability to reproduce predetermined output. Even in competency-based frameworks, "measuring" creativity or critical thinking becomes self-consuming: the skill is not applied but performed for the purpose of assessment. This can become further entrenched. Without proactive use, AI accelerates interpassivity into what Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop in The Disengaged Teen (2025) have dubbed "passenger mode." The role of the student shifts from active participant in making sense of the world to passive consumer of whatever the curriculum (or now, algorithm) outputs. The question "is this true?" gets replaced by "does this sound right?" and eventually the question stops being asked at all.
As Octavia Butler recognized, world-building is not just a project of science-fiction. Through intention or its absence, built by us or built for us, the very real and shared world we inhabit is built bit by bit each day. So is our work in education a world-building project. Through the structures and systems we create and the pedagogies and practices we cultivate, we can either foreclose possibility, concede to inevitability, or become builders of a better imagined future. This was also John Dewey’s charge from the ascendent fascism of his time—the very period that informed Butler’s fictional dystopia—to our own today.
Screenshot of partner names and logos includes Open Way Learning, What School Could Be, Cortico, RAYGUN, US Dept of Ed, Zinn Ed Project, Global Math Summit, Stimpunks, Grow Beyond Grades, Iowa CCI, etc.
We've got an incredible lineup of conversations coming to the Human Restoration Project podcast to wrap up 2025 and kick off the new year! 12/20: Crash Course: Social Studies Education w/ Raoul Meyer 1/10: Why Fascists Fear Teachers w/ Randi Weingarten 1/24: Changing my Mind About Schools w/ Diane Ravitch 2/7: Redefining the Purpose of Education w/ Yong Zhao Search & subscribe to 'Human Restoration Project' on any podcast app or listen directly on our website: humanrestorationproject.org/podcast
Photo collage of middle school students in various stages of constructing disc golf tee pads
Cover of Real Learning Real Accomplishment: Schools that work for Kids
New HRP website with blue skies header featuring HRP logo and the words, Listen Connect Reimagine.
We've got an awesome month of guests joining us on the HRP podcast in August! 👂 8/2: The Empathetic Classroom w/ Maria Munro-Schuster 8/16: ‘Bullshit Universities’ & the Future of Automated Education w/ Robert Sparrow & Gene Flenady 8/30: Taming the Turbulence w/ Jennifer D. Klein Search & subscribe to ‘Human Restoration Project’ on any podcast app or listen directly on our website: www.humanrestorationproject.org/podcast #EdChat #K12 #highered
"Release the idea of failure. Notice where you are. Get to know it. Begin. (and begin again.)"
Youth will always be amazing. They just need the space and conditions to flourish.
And a special thank you to this year's sponsors: Learning InspirED @stimpunks.org @teacherpowered.bsky.social @whatschoolcouldbe.bsky.social @irasocol.bsky.social & @pammoran1.bsky.social (Socol Moran Partners) KMS Intercultural Education Lab for New Teaching
Facing Education in 2025 & Beyond panel with Chanea Bond, Maria Munro-Schuster, Lucket Kiche, & Will Richardson
Shout out to all of the incredible keynotes, workshop facilitators, and panelists: Sarah Fine, Ed.D. Nawal Qarooni Emma McMain Angela Stockman Audrey Watters Vy T. Dao Shana V. White Charles Logan Great Plains Action Society Chanea Bond Lucket Kiche Maria Munro-Schuster Will Richardson
Screenshot of opening slide featuring map outline of conference events and sponsors
Promotion for CTRH! 2025 (Quest for Connection) | July 21-23, Virtual |Images of all presenters: Nawal Qarooni, Angela Stockman, Emma McMain, Charles Logan, Sarah Fine, Chanea Bond, Shana V. White, Audrey Watters, Lucket Kiche, Great Plains Action Society, Vy Dao, Maria Munro-Shuster, Will Richardson.
Headshot of Farimab Khavari: Farimah Khavari Artist she/her Farimah is a dedicated children's illustrator, who brings vibrant characters and illustrations to life through her artistic endeavors. With a love for creating visually engaging content tailored for young minds, she aims to spark imagination and curiosity in the hearts of children. Through her work, she aspires to contribute joy and inspiration to the child's colorful imagination.
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Zaynab leading the group talking about PBL.
You can join @heymrsbond.com & other educators for 'Facing Education in 2025 & Beyond', a humanizing dialogue about the challenges facing education today and how we can collectively address them in 2025 and beyond. humanrestorationproject.org/conference #EduSky
Promotion for CTRH! 2025 (Quest for Connection) | July 21-23, Virtual | Pedagogical Documentation: Learning Stories as Stewardship - Educator and author Angela Stockman invites participants to move beyond traditional measures to explore how pedagogical documentation serves as an act of stewardship—honoring, preserving, and nurturing rich narratives about learners and learning. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to transform assessment from simple measurement into a powerful practice that values curiosity, deep thinking, and lasting student growth within and beyond the classroom. 1:15-3:15 ET | Wednesday, July 23rd
Conference to Restore Humanity testimonial: "Conference to Restore Humanity is, without fail, the highlight of my summer learning. I know that the community that coalesced this year...will see me through the year to come." - CTRH2024 attendee July 21-23 | virtual | $50 humanrestorationproject.org/conference
Upcoming Episodes: June 7 - Our Family Culture June 21 - Chanea Bond July 5 - Stimpunks Foundation July 19 - Dr James Mannion Search & subscribe to 'Human Restoration Project' on any podcast app or listen directly on our website
Promotion for CTRH! 2025 (Quest for Connection) | July 21-23, Virtual “Conference to Restore Humanity! is an online conference for progressive educators who seek to transform systems of school toward brighter, engaging spaces.” An image of a fantasy map shows a journey from land to sea through a variety of conference-style activities.
Promotion for CTRH! 2025 (Quest for Connection) | July 21-23, Virtual | “I had no idea what to expect but the conference provided an inspiring abundance of kindred spirit educators who are doing the work of making the world better through humane educational experiences. I learned so much about both theory and practice. The variety was delightful, with so much attention paid to the aesthetics and the experience of the participants, from music to graphics to videos to platforms. I have never attended anything quite this magical.” CTRH! 2024 Attendee
Resist & Indigenize with Great Plains Action Society Join young people from Great Plains Action Society, an Indigenous-led grassroots organization advocating for Indigenous rights, as they speak to their experiences and perspectives as Indigenous youth. How can we dismantle oppressive systems and rebuild with frameworks focused on Indigenous knowledge, culture, and community? 3:30-4:15 ET | Tuesday, July 22 Conference to Restore Humanity! 2025 July 21-23 | virtual | $50
Promotion for CTRH! 2025 (Quest for Connection) | July 21-23, Virtual | Building Nourishing Collaboration: Exalting Our Children & Their Caregivers: Monday, July 21 • Educators must move beyond one-off school events to foster deeper, authentic collaborations with caregivers, honoring their role in literacy learning. In this workshop with Nawal Qarooni, participants will examine biases, explore language stories, and integrate family practices into curriculum. Critical Social & Emotional Learning: From ‘Competencies’ to ‘Culture: Tuesday, July 22 • This workshop with Dr. Emma McMain reimagines SEL as open dialogue rather than a rigid checklist. Participants will explore how personal values connect to culture and collaborate to create artifacts that turn social and emotional learning into a shared process of growth. Pedagogical Documentation: Learning Stories as Stewardship: Wednesday, July 23 • Educator and author Angela Stockman invites participants to move beyond traditional measures to explore how pedagogical documentation serves as an act of stewardship—honoring, preserving, and nurturing rich narratives about learners and learning.
Thesis screenshot: “It’s Like a Baby Jail!” The impact of regimented daily routines on children’s participation in early childhood education Chloe Keegan