Wake up! News/Current Events Social and Discussion Group for Teens

This is OUTschool.  Let's talk about current events in ways you won't be able to discuss IN school.

My classes are designed for teens who are either homeschooled or after school teens too.  I am here to serve all teens & parents to the very best of my ability and everyone is warmly welcome!

This is a weekly ongoing discussion group for students who are passionate about current events and how marginalized populations are impacted.  In an engaging manner, students will watch a video or read an article of a current event.   The event will be something related to marginalized populations, civil rights, racism, homophobia/transphobia, women's rights and more.  Students will be asked to share their thoughts about the event and what it means and what, if anything, could be done about it now or in the future.  This class is perfect for the civic minded students.  We may feature guest speakers in some classes.  

As professional educators of academia, we no longer give long lectures or "teach" in live meetings which is an older style of teaching. Students don't assimilate much information during long educator lectures, they prefer to interact with one another plus the educator. We, educators, are taught to be more like coaches, guides, and mentors to our students, individually and as a whole class. We sometimes help to facilitate meaningful discussion by asking particular questions of the class in live meetings while the students are sharing their new knowledge. I ask the right questions at the right time during the class discussion to make it a great teachable moment.


I am always open to comments, and suggestions, and make modifications in all of my classes during the course of the class. Have a conversation with your student and then reach out to me through private direct messaging on Outschool and we can have a great conversation about your comments, concerns, and suggestions to meet and fulfill the needs of your student.

Please note that if there are 0 students after the first 10 minutes of the live online class, the class will be canceled for that day. The live meetings are scheduled for 45 minutes; however, depending upon the number of students and the amount of participation from the class, some live meetings may be shorter than 45 minutes.

This class requires a minimum of TWO students in order to proceed. If you know of another teen who might be interested, please let them know about the class. If there is not a minimum of two students enrolled in this class approximately 24 hours before the start time it will be canceled and you will receive a FULL refund. I encourage you to sign up for the next available time. Thank you for understanding.


This will obviously depend on the news of the week, but here is an outline of what is planned

Week of April 10- Latest news on how teachers in schools are being limited on discussions related to gender and/or the latest book banning event.
Week of April 17-  Latest news on how various state legislatures are limiting treatment for trans youth. 
Week of April 24- Latest news on how Critical Race Theory in schools and/or a current event related to systemic racism.
Week of May 1-  Latest news on limiting the rights of health care for women.



What will be taught?  We will critically analyze and discuss a current event each week.
What topics will you cover?  We will cover events that impact civil rights, marginalized communities, women's rights, affirmative action, taking a knee, me too movement, racism, privilege and more.  
How is your class structured?  At the start of class, a current event will be introduced.  A class discussion will follow.
How will you teach?   Students will watch a video or read an article, and then they will be asked what they think about it, and what, if anything, we can do about it.
What's your teaching style?  In this class, I will facilitate the discussion.
How much will learners get to interact with you and each other (mention specifics like: lecture, games, slides, video clips, discussion)?   Discussion is the primary way we will interact.  For larger classes, students may go into breakout rooms.
Any required experience or knowledge learners need?  Students who take this class should have a passion for news and the potential social and political ramifications of the current event.