Join us for a special session featuring Casey Plank, a high school social studies and special education teacher in Keaʻau on Hawai‘i Island. Before moving to Hawai‘i in 2018, Casey spent nearly two decades leading environmental education and youth job training in Washington state. Today, she co-teaches in an inclusive classroom and is deeply committed to community-connected learning—bringing the outside world into school and taking students out into their communities.

In this session, Casey will read aloud her recent Civil Beat article, "What a Field Trip to Mauna Kea Taught My Students," and open a conversation about inclusive classrooms, authentic learning, and the power of partnership across school and community.

The 2025/2026 Elevating Teacher Voice discussion series is hosted by longtime educator Jan Iwase. Each session follows a simple and meaningful format: a guest educator (or educators) reads aloud their own writing, then opens the floor for reflection and conversation. No pre-work. No homework. Just deep listening, dialogue, and connection. Now in its third year, Elevating Teacher Voice has inspired hundreds of educators to reimagine teaching and learning, explore answers to the question What could school be?, and build authentic relationships with fellow educators and education leaders who write.