Description
Book SynopsisIt started with a dream, a dream in the night that challenged the dream of the author's life. That dream, which evolved through her personal experiences, was to start an African-centered school. The dream in the night ignited the journey that led to this book, which was to discover answers to critical questions such as: What is an African-centered education model? How do former students perceive this experience? And can, or even should, this educational model be effectively adopted in traditional public schools? Joyce Piert offers this book as a critical resource to parents, educators, potential teachers, community leaders, and policymakers who are seriously pondering the question of how to provide all students with a holistic educational experience. In
Alchemy of the Soul, the vibrant voices of African American young adults share their stories in robust and candid narratives of their educational experiences at an African-centered school.
Trade Review«
Alchemy of the Soul is an essential addition to the evolving body of African-centered education literature. Joyce Piert effectively elucidates the essence of African education; the illumination of the human spirit. Through her work Piert serves as facilitator of agency for the students, the most essential element of the educational process. This work is a must-read for parents, scholars, educators, and other students, for it is through the voice of the students that we are provided standards and means to assess existing and prospective African-centered educational models.»
(Kefentse Chike, Adjunct Professor, Africana Studies Department, Wayne State University)
«
Alchemy of the Soul offers a rich and intimate portrait of an African-centered educational institution. Joyce Piert explores the conceptual, political, and relational dynamics that enlivened and sustained this school community over the course of decades, and in so doing moves us beyond theoretical and philosophical reflections about the idea of an African-centered pedagogy, but takes us into the complex web of social relations where these ideas gain expression… Piert offers us a view of a grassroots, liberatory, culturally rich institution and reminds us of the power and potential of communities to struggle for freedom, purposefully socialize our youth, and seize the future.»
(Kamau Rashid, Educational Foundations and Inquiry, National-Louis University)
«
Alchemy of the Soul is an essential addition to the evolving body of African-centered education literature. Joyce Piert effectively elucidates the essence of African education; the illumination of the human spirit. Through her work Piert serves as facilitator of agency for the students, the most essential element of the educational process. This work is a must-read for parents, scholars, educators, and other students, for it is through the voice of the students that we are provided standards and means to assess existing and prospective African-centered educational models.»
(Kefentse Chike, Adjunct Professor, Africana Studies Department, Wayne State University)
«
Alchemy of the Soul offers a rich and intimate portrait of an African-centered educational institution. Joyce Piert explores the conceptual, political, and relational dynamics that enlivened and sustained this school community over the course of decades, and in so doing moves us beyond theoretical and philosophical reflections about the idea of an African-centered pedagogy, but takes us into the complex web of social relations where these ideas gain expression… Piert offers us a view of a grassroots, liberatory, culturally rich institution and reminds us of the power and potential of communities to struggle for freedom, purposefully socialize our youth, and seize the future.»
(Kamau Rashid, Educational Foundations and Inquiry, National-Louis University)
Table of ContentsContents: The Dream Within a Dream – Roots of an African-Centered Educational Model – Defining an African-Centered Educational Model – Locating the Caravan to Egypt – Locating the Treasure – Gleaning the Mines for Treasure – Holding the Treasure to the Light – Blemishes in the Treasure! – Back at the Sycamore Tree.
