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Library

Anna Padgett

Location:

Lower East Side, New York, NY

Recorded by

Emily Mitamura

Listen to full interview
Full interview, track 1
Full interview, track 1
Full interview, track 2
Full interview, track 3
Clips from this interview:
And Now We Can, God Wiling
You Either Get One Or The Other
They're So Willing To Adapt To The Demands Of This Moment
What Can We Build On
That Which I Get From The Children Is Still Here
Turn The World Around
Summary:

This interview with Anna Padgett was conducted on April 15, 2021 remotely via Zoom. Anna is an early childhood educator based in New York City. In this interview, Anna focuses on what it means to teach in pandemic times, particularly in the transition between Zoom and in-person learning (which happened about a month ago). In particular, she explains what learning with/without touch, access to facial expressions, tactile exercises (like growing plants, physical time together) means for young children (4-5) and how folks in the classroom can come to know one another. Having just returned to the classroom and being able to draw and be together is thus a big and positive change. Anna also discusses the stress of upcoming layoffs (scheduled to happen the day after this interview takes place) at her school as well as other uncertainties in her life including her daughter changing schools, living in temporary housing until her new apartment is ready, not knowing whether she will have this same job, and other aspects that make it hard to envision fall 2021. She talks about what it would mean for authority figures to understand and value the work she does with young children and what they create together.

Themes:
The beginning of lockdown
,
Remote technology
,
Problem solving
,
Touch
,
Isolation
,
Teachers
,
Mental health
,
Interviewer Bio:

Emily Mitamura is a queer Japanese American poet and grad student living in Minnesota. Her academic work interrogates the American empire and the construction of history. She is currently teaching a class on girlhood and empire in Gender Women Sexualities Studies while working on her PhD in political theory.

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
Audio quality:
Medium

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