Exciting! Exhilarating! Thought-provoking and reflective! These were all words I thought of during, and immediately after, the 2020 NCSS Virtual Conference. Attending the conference is one of my favorite events each year, and although this year looked a little different than any other year, I still came away from the conference feeling invigorated and fulfilled. I was still able to connect with my colleagues via the virtual platform chatbox, Twitter, nightly movie discussions, and more. I attended so many wonderful sessions, visited each “booth” in the virtual exhibit hall, and chatted with exhibitors. And, as someone who loves taking notes, I was able to capture pages of notes filled with great new ideas and resources. Best of all, I was able to hear from so many of you and witness the amazing things social studies educators are doing across the country and around the world. 

I like to immediately reflect on my experience at any conference and after some time has passed. Here are just a few of my own conference reflections:

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Chelsea Clinton kicked off the conference discussing their work on She Persisted: Harriet Tubman. I loved when Andrea Davis Pinkney pointed out that Harriet Tubman was an original promoter of social justice. For me, this was a great reminder that the idea of social justice is not a new one and that we are building on the work of others as we work towards creating a more perfect union. 

Ken Burns shared how this year highlighted three “viruses” in society: 1) COVID-19, 2) racism, and 3) the manipulation of facts. So many other presenters discussed these “viruses,” illuminating why racism and the manipulation of facts are so problematic for our democracy and what they are actively doing to help confront these issues. Ken Burns also said, “Part of what we do in social studies and history is to recognize each other." This really resonated with me as the “why” of social studies and why it’s so important in combating these “viruses.” 

Rebecca Nagle shared her personal truth as a native woman. My takeaway from her session is how much more we must all do as social studies educators to ensure our students understand the past and current issues impacting native people. A few years ago I listened to her podcast, This Land, and reflected on my own ignorance of native issues today. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to this podcast, I highly encourage you to do so.

As an Iowan, I feel a personal connection to Nikole Hannah-Jones. She grew up in Iowa, but had a very different experience growing up than I did. These experiences are foundational in the work she does today. During her session, she said, “You can look across America and virtually nothing has been left untouched by the history of slavery.” She brought in James Baldwin’s famous quote, “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.”  These points have profound implications for where we are as a country today and why studying and analyzing history is critical for the future of our democracy. 

George Takei closed the conference speaking about his experience being incarcerated as a Japanese-American during World War II. When introducing Mr. Takei, I mistakenly said he was imprisoned within a Japanese concentration camp, omitting a keyword: American. This was a mistake, yet it turned into a reflective moment for us to add context to the event. Mr. Takei addressed this within the session and discussed why it’s so important to remember that he was an American. The country incarcerated fellow Americans. Mr. Takei also reminded us of the critical role educators have in ensuring the next generation examines the mistakes of the past in order to play an active role in the future.

I will continue to reflect on the NCSS 2020 Virtual Conference and best of all, I can now go back and watch the recordings of all the sessions I couldn’t attend at the time. I look forward to continued conference learning and reflection. In addition, check out the Wakelet board created by Karalee Nakatsuka where many conference resources were shared.  We hope to see you at our upcoming NCSS 2021 Annual Conference and Centennial Celebration events.