SEED gave me a language to speak in. It gave me vocabulary that met the needs of various people whom I met. It also gave me a wealth of resources from which to draw to learn more, to develop myself more as a person who could advocate, because I had a better knowledge base. I felt that I could rely on the SEED process to help to guide me. It helped me to look at every day through a lens of equity and find a way to make a difference.

—Special Education Teacher, Minnesota

  I consider my affiliation with the SEED Project a treasure. Its impact on my life, professionally and personally, has been, and continues to be, profound. SEED taught me how to listen, really listen, in a deep way. SEED taught me the value of story; everyone's story.
— Head of K-8 School, Texas

  The biggest realization for me has been the inclusion of heartwork in education. Giving immeasurable value to the experiences and feelings of others has never had a more powerful impact on me. I have taught my students from a completely different stance. Feeling validated myself has allowed me to teach my students to feel the same in themselves. From this standpoint, I then begin to challenge them to look at the history and present state of our world with a critical eye and seek to make connections with others based on compassion and openness.
—Elementary school teacher, Massachusetts

  I never felt very empowered in the school parent community until I became a SEED co-leader.
—Parent SEED Leader, Washington, D.C.

  Dealing with diversity issues is something that I’ve always been very cognizant of and certainly something that I felt very strongly about. Yet participating in SEED not only developed my understanding of my own views on race, but also gave me a better understanding of the perspectives of others. — High School Social Studies Teacher, Virginia

  At SEED, issues of inequity were no longer just statistics. I was sitting face to face with people who, as they shared their experiences of sexism, racism, homophobia, and classism, enabled me to expand my perspectives and understanding of multiple inequities that bombard adults and students on a daily basis.
— Middle School Literacy Teacher, California