Genevieve Erker Caffrey, Ed.D.
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When I was in third grade, my teacher asked our class to draw numbers from a hat. The students who drew 1s received soda and chips; the 2s got pretzels and water; the 3s got nothing. It was a lesson about global poverty. I still remember the devastation I felt when I drew a 3—and the jealousy that followed as I sat on the floor with many of my classmates, empty-handed, watching two students eat Doritos and drink Orange Crush. Social studies caught my attention early—and never let go! I grew up in the University City area of St. Louis, MO and attended Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Joseph’s Academy, and Washington University in St. Louis. I became serious about a career in elementary education after taking a critical literacy course at Wash U with Dr. Rebecca Rogers, and became involved in an organization she founded, which is now called Educators for Social Justice (ESJ). Through my work with ESJ, I began to see more clearly how profoundly elementary education shapes children’s understandings of themselves, others, and the world—often for the rest of their lives. I also discovered something essential about myself: I love collaborating with elementary educators to think critically, creatively, & courageously about social studies curriculum! In 2005, I took a position as a 4th-grade teacher in Guadalajara, Mexico—my grandmother's hometown. Living and teaching in Guadalajara reconnected me to my Mexican roots, deepened my understanding of cultural differences, and solidified my belief that elementary education plays a powerful role in shaping the world, and that I wanted to commit my career to strengthening it. In 2007, I moved to Chicago for a Master’s degree in Instructional Leadership & Elementary Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I also earned certificates in Bilingual Education and ESL and worked for a family literacy program called F.L.A.M.E. (Family Literacy: Aprendiendo Mejorando Educando). In 2009, I returned to St. Louis and to become a 4th grade teacher in the Ritenour School District, where I was awarded Diamond Circle Teacher of the Year and recognized as a Model Teacher for Culturally and Linguistically Relevant Teaching. In 2012, I took a position as a 6th grade teacher at Maplewood Richmond Heights School District where creative equity-oriented curricular approaches were more openly embraced and cultivated. In 2014, my partner's job took me back to Chicago, where I was a 2nd grade teacher at Coonley Elementary, and, later, served as a literacy/social studies interventionist. Across my 12 years as an elementary teacher, I became increasingly frustrated by how consistently social studies was marginalized and dismissed. Across schools, districts, and cities, social studies was routinely denied instructional time, professional development, coherent curriculum, and sustained care. I also realized that this was not an isolated problem, but a nationwide, systemic one that demands serious attention. This realization ultimately led me to pursue a Doctorate in Social Studies Education in the Learning, Teaching & Curriculum Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Through my doctorate, I served as a lead Elementary Social Studies Methods Instructor. I redesigned the course so that its structure, resources, and assignments were coherent, practical, and equity-oriented. For 4 years, I worked closely with preservice teachers—facilitating reflective dialogue, processing their fears about teaching social studies, and, ultimately, strengthening their confidence in designing and enacting equity-centered elementary social studies curriculum and instruction. In 2022, I received the Graduate Student "Excellence in Teaching" Award from the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum for my passionate dedication to teaching and mentoring preservice teachers to become high-quality, equity-centered social studies educators. From 2018-2020, I served as Graduate Forum Chair of the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council on Social Studies (NCSS), where I collaborated with scholars across the field, working to ensure that emerging social studies researchers and teacher educators were meaningfully mentored and supported. Alongside my university teaching and service to the field, I published and presented a variety of social studies topics in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conferences. One piece about teaching controversial issues received particular attention, and was feature on the Visions of Education podcast. My research and professional work culminated in the development of the P.O.W.E.R. Framework—a curricular design framework created in direct response to teachers’ need for a structure that could sustain critical commitments without sacrificing clarity or coherence. The framework translates dense theory into a usable design schema that helps educators plan social studies instruction that is critically grounded, sequence-sensitive, emotionally balanced, and transferable across topics, identities, and grade levels. Rather than functioning as a checklist or prescriptive model, P.O.W.E.R. offers a generative rhythm for curriculum design—one that balances truth with care, critique with creativity, and structure with flexibility. I am thrilled to have Schema Curriculum & Consulting up and running, as it allows me to more fully pursue my passion for supporting teachers and schools. Rebecca and I love working collaboratively with educators to develop curriculum and instruction that is intellectually rigorous, ethically grounded, and developmentally responsible, so educators and students feel equipped and empowered to engage in the past and present with confidence and purpose. |
