In the Fall of 2024, The Minor Collective partnered with Newbery Medal-Emmy Award Winning Kwame Alexander and his literacy non-profit,  One Word At A Time,  to launch Action Dreaming, a series of virtual community meet-ups designed to support educators throughout the school year, intentionally creating a space to reconnect with why we teach and how we make it vibrant again.

Sessions focus on "one word" and feature conversations with practitioners who understand current school contexts. Teaching today means constant new curricula, practices, and pressures. Many educators feel more surveilled, rushed, and stressed than ever. This stress disconnects us from our students, colleagues, and ourselves.

​In Action Dreaming, we recognize that teaching is challenging –AND we also recognize it can be vibrant, communal, and creative. With 150+ educators and librarians, we invite you to join us to share practices, support one another, and reclaim our edu-why. 

​In past sessions, we’ve cultivated: 

• Language and resources to advocate for inclusive, engaging literacy practices
• Real-world strategies from teachers, coaches, and principals working in today's classrooms
• Community connections with passionate educators growing and learning together
• Permission to find joy, think outside the box, and focus on the children in your care

Below, find Action-Dreaming inspired resources created by Kass and Cornelius:

For the past four years, The Minor Collective has done powerful work with an NYC Public Schools initiative called “Project Pivot.” The goal of this initiative is for schools to collaborate with community partners to design programming that supports students' social emotional needs, develop positive work habits and communication skills, build positive relationships with peers, amplify and acknowledge student voices, and foster strong connections to the school.

This is where TMC comes in…We know there are students in our lives who are not always able to enjoy all that we have to offer at school. We see this sometimes in their grades or behaviors, but we also see this in their sense of engagement with school and in their sense of joy overall. We know that school isn’t paradise for everyone, but for some students, being at school is an experience that weighs on them. This program is designed for the kids that we have yet to reach.

In this work, TMC’s programming is designed for the kids that we have yet to reach. Our practice is student-centered and rooted in providing students with experiences that honor and embrace their unique personhood, nurturing their creativity and curiosity.

It works in addition to their classes, and their related services to cultivate a sense of belonging at school through leadership development, decision making, and improvisational fun. We work with small groups of up to kids in sessions designed to compliment the supports that they are already receiving at school.

Kids leave these sessions better able to connect with others at school, reflect on their actions and experiences, and maintain more meaningful relationships.

Kass has an active role in several University-Based Teacher Education programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels serving as an adjunct professor and field supervisor. As a former New York City Teaching Fellow, she has a special affinity for her work with graduate students who pursue alternative teaching certification through NYCTF in partnership with CUNY.  She has also worked with graduate students at Teachers College in courses designed to support literacy for older, inexperienced readers, as well as courses on leadership for curriculum and instruction in the Summer Principal’s Academy, affectionately known as “SPA.”  

Additionally, she spends time as a field supervisor for both undergraduate and graduate students, and loves teaching courses like Foundations of Education and Literacy for those first dabbling with the idea of teacherhood.  Her work in teacher education allows for those at the university and those outside of it to benefit from a strong connection between theory and praxis.