Educating with Passion and Purpose

Introduction

“It was honestly great to feel understood. When a teacher is just as eager to learn about you as they are to teach, I feel like there is a bond and mutual respect, which makes it easier for both students and teachers.”

—Leianna, Class of 2017

Why We Wrote This Book

When the COVID‐19 pandemic began in March 2020, our lives, like everyone else's, were thrown into upheaval. New York City was ground zero for the initial wave of the pandemic, and we were both locked down inside our homes, Rebekah in the South Bronx, and Meredith nearby in Baldwin, Long Island. As we struggled to maintain some semblance of normalcy in our personal and professional lives, we checked in with each other remotely. One day that April, Meredith texted ...