The Bumps and Bruises of Healing in a Pandemic: Peace Circles, George Floyd, eLearning, and Growth

• In Event: Epistemological Inquiry Into Teaching

Abstract

This paper is a narrative inquiry into the experiences of a middle school math teacher from the south side of Chicago who was conducting peace circles in his online classroom. These peace circles were intended to support the emotional development of his students during the uprisings in their neighborhoods following the murder of George Floyd. Following the process laid out in Jean Clandinin’s work, we tell the narrative and then discuss and break it down using both narrative inquiry and critical race theory to develop and restory the experience. This process yields several constructive conclusions about promoting emotional healing in an elearning environment and, more broadly, how to identify and respond to the “bumps” in one’s experience.

Authors

• Donald Owens, Chicago High School of Agricultural Science

• Alexander B Pratt, University of Oregon