What dilemmas are English educators currently facing in the classroom, and what approaches are they taking to navigating them? On October 23 in the Poetry Center, secondary school  teachers from across Long Island and SBU English professors spent 90 minutes listening to and learning from each other in an open round table in pursuit of a common goal: understanding where students are, what they need, and how the teaching of English can contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual growth of students, not only in the classroom but in life. 

The Summit Conference was created in 2022 by Josh Cabat, Director of the English Education Program at SBU, as a way to build bridges between teachers of English at the secondary and university levels. According to Cabat, “It’s important for us to build and maintain this social network in order to depend on one another.” All of the teachers agreed that It is impossible to discuss literature without acknowledging the social issues that come with it. Part of teaching literature is teaching about empathy, either  with the characters or with the  themes of the book. It is not an educator’s job to teach their students what to think, but how to think, and this is done by exposing them to the diverse realm of literature from various walks of life. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic has sparked an upsurge of what teachers are calling the productivity struggle. Despite their students being more than capable, a number of teachers state that their students doubt their potential and articulation. This Summit spoke about the importance of creating and maintaining a comfortable and safe space for their students to help them find their voice. We found that simply asking students, “How are you?” goes a long way in having the students feel seen and heard in the classroom. 

It was incredible to observe this dialogue personally, because as a student, I never thought to put myself in the shoes of an educator. I was absorbed in the stories these teachers had to tell, and for the first time in my life, I understood what it was like to be on the other side of the classroom. The event offered a powerful lesson in empathy that’ll stick with me in a longlasting way.