The Classroom as a Site of Healing: Pedagogies of Care and Justice

Healing is not just a therapeutic aim—it is a pedagogical imperative. In a world shaped by systemic harm, oppression, and crisis, educators must create learning spaces that acknowledge students’ full selves—their identities, histories, and lived experiences. Traditional educational models have too often ignored the ways trauma, racism, sexism, and class divisions shape students' engagement, confidence, and sense of belonging. Yet, these forces also affect educators, who face their own emotional, intellectual, and institutional challenges in teaching?
How do we foster meaningful learning when students arrive in distress? How do we, as educators, sustain ourselves while holding space for students’ realities? This panel explores the tensions and possibilities of teaching in ways that prioritize healing, care, and transformation. Panelists will share concrete strategies for designing classrooms that cultivate agency, curiosity, and intellectual growth—spaces that recognize harm but do not center it. Join us for a conversation about how education can be a practice of healing for both students and educators.

Moderator
• Adam Bond, Baylor University 

Panelists: 
• Heath Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary 
• Stephanie Crumpton, McCormick Theological Seminary 
• Michael Hogue, Meadville Lombard Theological School 
• Kenneth Ngwa, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary 
• Shana Sippy, Centre College