I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Haiti with the Bread Loaf Teaching Network - a global education activism network - this past August. During the week, I learned from Haitian educators and activists and led a professional development workshop around using art and imagination in the classroom. Best of all, I was able to lead a C3 workshop on a beautiful nature persevere with 12 Haitian high school students. The workshop was focused on imagination and memory. Students analyzed abstract painting, imagined objects and/or scenes they saw within the painting, and connected it to a pivotal event in their life that helped mold them into who they are today. All the students wrote beautiful poetry, which they all bravely shared. To everyone's surprised, two farmers in the preserve stopped as they were moving horses, analyzed the art and wrote poems, which were then translated. It was an incredible experience. Being half-Haitian and far removed from the culture, the trip was life-changing in all aspects of the word. Haiti's history is revolutionary, tragic, and complex. The vast complexities continue today, though listening to many of the passionate educators and activists seeking to uplift their homeland, was inspiring and hopeful. I left the motherland, grateful and connected with a vivid culture I've largely taken for granted. Most importantly, I have plans to collaborate and work together with the Haitian school where the professional development was held and have already begun work on a curriculum focused on the Haitian Revolution that led them to become the first Black Republic. The people, sites, food, and culture remain in my heart, mind, and soul. I have a feeling I'll be back there much sooner than later. Click here to read a reflective poem I wrote when I returned. Stay tuned... Marquis President / Lead Teacher