The Not In Our School Learning Community Workshop Series is a new initiative offering workshops on the 2nd Thursday of each month throughout the spring for educators who want to create identity affirming classrooms.
We would like to invite educators in NIOT communities to join a monthly series of professional development workshops to share strategies for building a culture of inclusion and belonging in the classroom.
Key Dates:
Thursday Jan. 12, 7 ET / 4 PT
Building CommUNITY: Promoting Civil Discourse
Thursday Feb. 9, 7 ET / 4 PT
Anti-Bullying: Countering Hate & Bias in the Classroom - Race and Ethnicity
Thursday March 9, 7 ET / 4 PT
Anti-Bullying Countering Hate & Bias in the Classroom DisABILTY
Thursday March 23, 7 ET / 4 PT
Parent session: How to talk with your children about difficult topics or standing up to bullying & intolerance.
Thursday April 20, 7 ET / 4 PT
Anti-Bullying Countering Hate & Bias in the classroom LGBTQ+
Thursday May 11, 7 ET / 4 PT
Countering Antisemitism and Hate in the Classroom: Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life documents Pittsburgh's powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Teachers who complete the series of workshops will receive a certificate of professional development.
Presenters: Mary Sok and Jamie Lott-Jones
![]() |
Watch the kick-off information session, "Set the tone for your year! How to launch a NIOS campaign,” led by instructor Mary Sok (above video) filmed on August 30, 2022. Mary is a teacher at Watchung Hills Regional High School, a professor at Kean University, and an Executive Board member of the Diversity Council for Global Education and Citizenship.
Resources Mentioned in the Workshop
- Video about Watchung "White-Out Bullying" action: https://www.niot.org/nios-video/white-out-erase-bullying
- Biopoem Activity: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/biopoem-identity-poetry
- Teaching Strategies: Identity Charts: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/identity-charts
- Video about Students Map Bully Zones video: https://www.niot.org/nios-video/students-map-bully-zones-create-safer-school
- October Anti-Bullying Film Festival Videos: https://www.niot.org/nios-october-film-festival (Students can watch films and report on them and the ideas they learned from the videos.)
- NIOS Quick Start Guide: https://www.niot.org/nios/quickstart
- NIOS Pledge: https://www.niot.org/take-pledge (You can read the pledge over the loudspeaker or make it part of another event and ask students to read along.) Downloadable PDF