Making Moments Matter: Weisler Alumni (Pt. II) —Designing Classrooms with Voice and Ownership (Florence Shirman)

🧠 Episodic Synopsis In this student-voice segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with former student Florence Shirman, a neuroscience and behavior major at Florida Atlantic University, to reflect on what learning feels like when education moves beyond grades and toward meaning.Florence speaks candidly about her journey through school—from early experiences shaped by internal pressure rather than external expectations, to a college classroom where choice, conversation, and community transformed how she engaged with writing and learning. She shares how her semester-long Your Voice, Your Change project allowed her to respond academically and personally to the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel, using writing as a way to speak from identity, process real-world events, and contribute her voice beyond the classroom.Together, Florence and Dr. Weisler explore how classroom design, tone, and trust shape student participation—and why education is most powerful when students are seen, heard, and invited into genuine dialogue.LINKS AND RESOURCES: Dr. Joey Weisler on teaching to the HEART