Flat Earth to Free Societies: Responding to Disinformation in a Changing World

Joe Boyle is a 19-year veteran social studies teacher in Toledo Public Schools. He teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics, A.P. U.S. History, and electives on World War II and local history. He is the author of “Toledo’s War,” a five-volume history of World War II told through the stories of Toledoans, coming this summer from the University of Toledo Press.  Joe was recognized in 2019 as the Gilder-Lehrman Ohio History Teacher of the Year.

Growing up in NH, I wanted to be a juvenile officer, so I moved to Boston and attended Northeastern University; I received my B.S. in Criminal Justice. After graduating I worked as a law clerk in the Homicide Division at the Boston Police Dept. in “Southie.”  I applied to law school and graduate school. I decided to obtain an MS in Education. The second I stepped into a classroom, I knew this was the profession for me, so I left the life of law, but entered into a career path of education and eventually earned my CAGS degree in Administration too. I’ve just completed my 24th year of teaching ELA at South Shore Vocational Technical High School.  I’ve worn many hats at the school and taken on many roles - scorer, advisor, coach, night school instructor, dept. head, secretary and president our our teachers’ union, but none was as rewarding as when I ran the outdoor adventure and overseas clubs. We skied Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Utah and ended one year in Austria. During the spring and summer months I focused on overseas trips. I brought students, parents, staff, friends and family all over Europe. We toured 17 countries in seven years. No one came back to school the same.

This past summer I was one of 15 AFT teachers to teach ELA in Poland for two weeks to Polish and Ukrainian students. The best part of this experience was that I was able to take my 13-year-old daughter along with me. This shared experiences transformed us. It made us not grow in height but in our hearts as we learned patience, trust, empathy, understanding differences/similarities and adventure. I embraced this trip to Poland with my daughter and 14 other educators with the same goal. We did not return the same as we shared this experience together. I have continued to throw my hat into the AFT circle and enjoyed working alongside educators from all over the country. I love reinventing my role as educator.