Greg Michie, a Chicago teacher, will give a talk at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 on the University of Arkansas campus about finding meaning in the profession.

The College of Education and Health Professions is sponsoring the talk titled "What Matters? A Chicago Teacher's Search for Meaning." It will take place in Room 26, the Gearhart Hall Auditorium and is free and open to the public.

In this talk, Michie will explore the challenges and possibilities of teaching language arts and social studies to middle school students on Chicago's South Side. Questions animating the talk will include: What does it mean to teach with an eye toward equity and justice in a neighborhood that too often experiences neither? How can teachers find ways to center, rather than turn away from, controversial issues? How do we narrow the gap between the classroom we envision and the one that actually plays out? What happens to our values and beliefs when caught in the whirlwind of high-stakes school accountability? How do we help students (and ourselves) find meaning amid the messiness of a life in schools?

For more information, contact Chris Goering at cgoering@uark.edu.