Houston Arts Partners Conference
IGNITION: Sparking Creativity in Every Classroom

Dr. Boffone will give a keynote on Saturday, September 14 – 9:00 am

“How I Became the Dancing Teacher: Culturally-Responsive Teaching, Dubsmash, and Building Community in the Classroom”

My students saved me. At my lowest point, my dad died on the first day of school. I didn’t want to be there, but I had nothing to lose. So I began dancing with my students on Dubsmash, an app that lets users record 10-second dance videos. It started small—I began documenting this on Instagram as a way to reach out to my students. And overnight, this small project went viral. Momentum took off and before I knew it, I was finding joy in my teaching again. While most teachers end the school year exhausted, I ended on a high note, performing live with my students on Good Morning America.

In this talk, I will discuss culturally-responsive teaching, using dance to collaborate with students, and finding joy in my teaching again. At the end, I will make a Dubsmash video with those in attendance.