Date of Award

2024

Abstract

This Capstone project explores the question: how do I relearn belonging to the Earth by listening to and being in deeper relationship with all of life? I focus on the liminal spaces I encountered during my work as the garden instructor at the Franklin County Jail. I begin with a theoretical grounding in abolition and how I am shaped by the community around me as I explore concepts of “kinning” (Van Horn, 2021, p. 3). I bring forward how my own learning became more legible, while sharing my reflections on myself as a teacher, learner, and leader.

I share instances of powerful collaboration through co-teaching a class and developing two community partnerships in order to practice relational leadership, build pathways for incarcerated students to connect to their community, and support my own learning. I reflect on feedback I gathered from conversations with my partner regarding how I show up. I uplift insights on sovereignty, relationship protocols, and our inherent worthiness from reflection as I taught classes at the jail during the fall and winter of 2023-2024.

Program Director

Heather Laine Talley, Ph.D.

Professional Affiliate Coach

Ramsey Champagne, M.Ed., LMHC

Document Type

Project

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