Joe Lewis

Joe began teaching high school English Language Arts in 1990 in the town of Slinger, Wisconsin. Since then, he has taught secondary and university-level English and English education in Milwaukee, Morocco, New York City, and Saint Paul. He earned his doctorate in English education at Columbia University Teacher's College, with a scholarly focus on cross-cultural language and literacy practices. At Hamline, Joe teaches Schools and Society, Teaching English in the Middle and High School, and Teaching Literacy in the Middle and High School. He lives in Saint Paul with his wife and two daughters.

Joe believes that English teachers play a vital role in motivating students to read and write as they develop and sharpen their college-ready communication skills. The most effective English teachers model and promote intellectual curiosity and critical literacy, both in and out of the classroom. They are adept at using a wide range of texts and instructional strategies, allowing them to connect with and challenge a wide range of students. In his classes at Hamline, Joe seeks to model those beliefs by building supportive communities of learning that promote productive collaboration. He and his students work together to explore the essential questions of best practice teaching. He challenges his students to think beyond their own experiences—particularly around issues of race, class, culture and gender—and to act as advocates and mentors for all students.

Joe’s scholarship has focused on student access to equitable education and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. His work has been published in journals such as The Urban Review, Multicultural Education, and The National Youth-at-Risk Journal and in books such as Six Lenses for Anti-Oppressive Education, From Education to Incarceration: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and Practical Strategies to Reduce Childhood Trauma and Mitigate Exposure to the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Joe has worked as an educational consultant in Morocco and Tanzania, promoting learner-centered teaching and girls’ access to education. He frequently travels to the Iringa region of Tanzania, where he works with teachers and students at the Namnyaki Secondary School for Maasai Girls.