Ferial Pearson
General Information
Biography
Dr. Pearson earned her teaching degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and both her Master's Degree and Ed.D from UNO. She taught English and Reading at Omaha South High School and was a talent advisor for the Avenue Scholars Foundation at Ralston High School. She has been teaching full time at UNO since 2013. She has earned three national and several local awards for her work in education and social justice, including the Kennedy Center's Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher award. She is the founder of the Secret Kindness Agents Project, which is the subject of two published books, her dissertation, and a TEDx Talk. The project is in over 400 K-16 schools worldwide and has been highlighted by Hallmark, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, and SPLC'S Teaching Tolerance Magazine.
Teaching Interests
Recruitment and Retention of Teachers from Underrepresented CommunitiesCulturally Responsive PedagogyCritical PedagogyHuman RelationsTeacher Education Methods/Effective PracticesMulticultural EducationMulticultural Literature for Children and Youth
Research Interests
Faculty Fellow at Rural Futures InstituteCulturally Responsive TeachingSocial Emotional Learning, Mindfulness, and Kindness EducationTrauma Informed EducationRecruitment and retention of teachers of color
Service Summary
Committee Member - MOEC Task Force on Dual EnrollmentCommittee Member - UNO Bias Assessment and Response TeamCommittee Member - Civil, Safe, and Inclusive Classrooms through the Center for Faculty Excellence at UNOMember - UNO CEHHS Diversity CommitteeMember - Teacher Education Advisory CommitteeSponsor - Teacher Education Diversity OrganizationSponsor - Melanated Queerations, UNO Office of Gender & Sexuality Facilitator - Teacher Education Culture WalksFacilitator - Minnesota Humanities CenterBoard of Directors - Nebraska Writers CollectiveBoard of Directors - Stand for SchoolsAdvisor - Embrace RaceCo-Founder and Leader - Open Arms Transgender Social GroupCommittee Member and Chaperone - Pride Prom