Too Dope Teachers and a Mic: Recent Episodes
Too Dope Teachers and a Mic
In this powerful conversation from the archives, recorded live at the 2019 NEA Racial and Social Justice Conference in Houston, Two Dope Teachers and a Mic sit down with the legendary Boots Riley — writer, director of Sorry to Bother You, frontman of The Coup, and lifelong revolutionary artist.
Six years later, Boots’ words still feel urgent. He reminds us that art isn’t a luxury — it’s a tool for liberation. From the farmworker fields of California to classrooms and stages across the country, Boots shows how creativity, organizing, and truth-telling are all part of the same struggle for justice.
Together, we explore:
- How art helps us imagine freedom beyond capitalism and compliance.
- The power of educators as organizers, disruptors, and culture builders.
- Why movements need artists — and why artists need movements.
- The difference between success and liberation, and why the latter demands community.
- What it means to find your own role in the fight for a better world.
As we face new waves of censorship, economic inequality, and attacks on public education, this conversation hits harder than ever. Boots reminds us that every one of us has a place in the struggle — whether we teach, create, organize, or simply refuse to be silent.
Tune in, reflect, and ask yourself:
What is the art I bring to the movement for liberation?
Featuring: Boots Riley (@BootsRiley)
Hosts: Gerardo Muñoz (@gmunoz) & Kevin Adams
Originally recorded: NEA Racial & Social Justice Conference, Houston, TX, Summer 2019
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🎙️ Episode 102 (Throwback): “Artist in the Industry” with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad
Originally aired in 2021 — Revisited in 2025
In this powerful conversation, Gerardo Muñoz and Kevin Adams sit down with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, author of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. Together, they explore how teaching rooted in Black literary history, collectivism, and joy can transform classrooms into spaces of liberation, not compliance.
Dr. Muhammad breaks down her five pursuits of learning — identity, skills, intellectualism, criticality, and joy — and explains how these pursuits emerged from 19th-century Black literary societies that defined learning as a communal and purposeful act. The conversation bridges theory and practice, showing educators how to design lessons that humanize, empower, and center students of color.
From joyful pedagogy to abolitionist teaching, from curriculum design to hip-hop as literacy — this episode remains as relevant now as it was when first released.
🔄 2025 UpdateSince our original conversation, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad has continued to shape the field of equity-centered education. Now a nationally recognized keynote speaker and professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she has expanded her work through Unearthing Joy and new initiatives that help schools move beyond trauma-informed practices to healing-centered, joy-based learning.
In 2025, as many schools continue to navigate political attacks on culturally responsive education and Black Studies curricula, Dr. Muhammad’s message — that children of color deserve brilliance, joy, and excellence — resonates even louder. Her framework remains a beacon for educators seeking to humanize instruction in a time when educational equity is under threat.
🎧 Listen for:
- The roots of culturally and historically responsive literacy
- Why joy is an act of resistance
- What “abolitionist teaching” looks like in real classrooms
- How to center identity and genius in every lesson
- Dr. Muhammad’s Top 5 MCs (you won’t want to miss it)
📚 Learn more about Dr. Muhammad’s work: www.hillpedagogies.com
Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @GholdyM
Award-winning educator and author Bryan Christopher joins Gerardo Muñoz to share the incredible story behind his new book Stopping the Deportation Machine. From Durham, NC classrooms to the halls of Congress, students mobilized to defend a classmate from deportation — proving that student voice can stop even the biggest machine.
0:00 – Welcome
2:40 – Immigration and Identity
7:36 – Meet Bryan Christopher
9:26 – The Book: Stopping the Deportation Machine
12:38 – Durham’s Changing Landscape
19:51 – A Student Arrest Sparks Action
27:05 – Why Can’t He Graduate?
33:48 – Stopping the Machine
38:41 – Impact on Community & Students
47:12 – Lessons for Educators
51:54 – The Power of Student Voice
54:59 – Closing Thoughts
Resources Mentioned:
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
Bryan’s blog post: When Learning Gets Personal (NCTE)
Walking Undocumented (Learning for Justice)
Support Bryan’s work: 📘 Book: Stopping the Deportation Machine (Bloomsbury)
📰 Student Newspaper: The Pirates’ Hook
📱 Follow Bryan: @BryanChristo4 (X) | @bchristo4 (IG)
Support the pod: 💡 Patreon: patreon.com/toodopeteachers 🌐 Website: toodopeteachers.com 📲 Socials: @toodopeteachers
In this solo episode, Gerardo processes the shooting death of right wing influencer Charlie Kirk by exploring the hidden dangers of teaching debate the traditional way. Drawing on previously published writing that draws a line between traditional debate and the “own-the-libs” take-no-prisoners style of Kirk, Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson and others, as well as personal experience as a debate coach, he argues that when debate rewards domination over empathy, it doesn’t just distort classrooms—it fuels toxic politics and real-world violence.
In this episode of Too Dope Teachers and a Mic, Gerardo is joined by Sahba Rohani, Executive Director of Roots Connected, to dive into what it means to center belonging in schools. From her TED Talk on the power of names to her decades of work in intentionally diverse communities, Sahba shares how small shifts in mindset and practice can transform classrooms, staff culture, and whole school communities. Together, Gerardo and Sahba unpack anti-bias education as more than a curriculum add-on—it’s a lens, a practice, and a path toward joy and justice.
Show NotesIn this powerful conversation, Gerardo and Sahba explore:
- The story behind Sahba’s TED Talk on names, identity, and belonging.
- Why belonging isn’t “soft work”—it’s the foundation of learning and thriving.
- How small shifts in practice (like reframing a simple classroom question) can have big impact.
- Roots Connected’s dual process for change: internal transformation + practice shifts.
- Building intentional community with students, families, and staff.
- Staying grounded and persistent in the face of DEI pushback.
- The radical power of joy in justice-centered education.
- And of course… Sahba’s Top 5 hip hop & R&B legends (spoiler: GenX R&B family, this one’s for you).
Resources & Links:
- Roots Connected
- Sahba’s TED Talk
- EmbraceRace
Follow Roots Connected onInstagram andLinkedIn
Listen in for practical takeaways, mindset shifts, and a reminder that joy itself is radical.
In this powerful episode, we sit down with Jamila Sams—educator, visionary, and founder of We Do It 4 the Culture—to talk about the movement that’s transforming school culture through hip hop, empowerment, and equity. From classrooms to district offices, Jamila’s work helps educators center student voice, cultural relevance, and joy in learning.
We dive into her journey as the founder of this unique resource, what it means to lead with authenticity, what it means to think critically, dialogically, and with joy, and how hip hop continues to serve as a cross-generational universe of healing and liberation. Jamila shares the origin story of We Do It 4 the Culture, the real meaning of culturally responsive action, and what schools must do if they’re serious about social emotional wellness, critical thinking, and liberation.
If you’re about that life—about students, about joy, about liberation—this conversation is for you.
Plus an absolutely fire top five RIGHT HERE.
💥 Tap in. Turn it up. Take notes.
🎙️ www.wedoit4theculture.com
📲 Follow @SEL4theculture on socials
🔗 Subscribe, share, SUPPORT and stay dope.
One of my favorite quotes about problem-solving on a systems and institutional level is that “the answer is in the room.” This means that when there are problems that need to be solved, even big ones, the person, perspective, or idea that will solve it doesn’t need to be sought outside of those who know the work best.
As teacher recruitment, training, and retention remain persistent challenges to districts big and small, Grow-Your-Own programs have been developed and launched, especially in districts serving highly impacted and very diverse populations. GYO takes many forms, including but not limited to cadet programs and para-to-teacher efforts.
Enter Dr. Jeff Geihs, longtime educator, leader, and thought leader. Working with the Silver State Education Foundation as Executive Director, Dr. Giehs and team have brought together GYO and concurrent enrollment opportunities for the next generation of teachers, especially students of color.
Dr. Geihs joined Gerardo for an exciting and motivational conversation. To learn more, follow us on Patreon!
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Back in October, Sofia González, teacher, thinker, writer, speaker and activist and Gerardo finally found time for this interview. This was prior to the 2024 election and all that followed. What ensued was a great conversation–provocative, humorous, and energetic. As we brace ourselves to face another four years of anxiety, frustration, fear, and state-encouraged violence, this conversation remains a reminder that the struggle is truly beautiful, and full of opportunities for all of us to engage differently, as the people we are. To quote the great poet Audre Lorde, “We are the ones we have been waiting for,” exemplified by Ms. G.
Sofia is 2019 teacher of the year with the National Society of High School Scholars, nonprofit leader for organization Project 214, and education activist from the Chicagoland area. She is a sought-after public speaker regarding the state of education who is known for her cutting-edge presentations and dynamic illustrations with a passion that’s infectious. A High School teacher, 15-year veteran, teacher leader, and alum in a variety of spaces like Fulbright, Latinos for Education, Latinx Education Collaborative-Storytellers for Change, and Urban Leaders Fellowship, Sofia’s passion and energy towards education equity remains a leading voice for the 21st-century classroom and beyond.
About two years ago, Kevin and Gerardo’s paths diverged. Facing burnout, Gerardo left the classroom to manage aspiring and new educator programs at the central office level, and Kevin became an assistant principal. The last two years have been challenging for us both. Questions arose as to whether the podcast would last. What would happen now that Too Dope Teachers were no longer in the classroom? Could the fellas ever ever ever coordinate calendars?
It has been a challenge, but this season, we bring to you “OG Episodes” that bring us back to our roots: no guests, nothing flashy, just a couple of educators remixing the conversation on race, power, and education.
This episode was supposed to be out prior to the announcement of school closures, but instead we are bringing it after. Check out our emergency episode, a conversation with two students from one of the closing schools for an in-depth look.
We hope you enjoy this episode, whether to get needed affirmation and levity as you continue your important classroom work, or if you are considering other options, while still wanting to remain in education.
About two years ago, Kevin and Gerardo’s paths diverged. Facing burnout, Gerardo left the classroom to manage aspiring and new educator programs at the central office level, and Kevin became an assistant principal. The last two years have been challenging for us both. Questions arose as to whether the podcast would last. What would happen now that Too Dope Teachers were no longer in the classroom? Could the fellas ever ever ever coordinate calendars?
It has been a challenge, but this season, we bring to you “OG Episodes” that bring us back to our roots: no guests, nothing flashy, just a couple of educators remixing the conversation on race, power, and education.
This episode was supposed to be out prior to the announcement of school closures, but instead we are bringing it after. Check out our emergency episode, a conversation with two students from one of the closing schools for an in-depth look.
We hope you enjoy this episode, whether to get needed affirmation and levity as you continue your important classroom work, or if you are considering other options, while still wanting to remain in education.
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Citing declining enrollment, demographic shifts, and building under-use as primary factors, Denver Public Schools superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero announced his proposal to close or consolidate a number of schools. On school that is proposed for consolidation is the Denver Center for International Studies at Baker, where we met. It is a school that we feel profound affection for and belief in.
In this emergency episode, we speak with DCIS students Sophia and Camila, who are helping to organize their peers and families to protest the re-structuring of their school.
Very frequently, students are the last to know about decisions and policies that directly impact them. Oftentimes, across American public education, “student voice” is trivialized, downplayed, dismissed, and disrespected. If you go back to our emergency episode with students in the opening months of the COVID-19 pandemic, you will see that students were not included in that discussion either. This is, unfortunately, not a problem unique to this district, it is everywhere.
Student voice matters. Yesterday, today, and always.
Vouchers are violence.
Privatization is violence.
Failure to see that school privatization is a tool of Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy is deadly. To the future prospects of the students they exploit for flash-in-the-pan snake oil pedagogies. To the very possibility of civil society.
Dr. Josh Cowen joins me for episode 132 of Too Dope Teachers and a Mic to discuss the peril of school vouchers and the destruction they have wrought upon education and society. He discusses his new book, The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.
Whatever you believe about vouchers, let me assure you, after reading this book, and talking with Dr. Cowen…it’s worse. Worse than you can imagine. The outcomes are awful, and the deception is dystopian. You’ll see why so many of us see privatization and all it’s cousins as a slippery slope that ultimately will destroy public education. And while there are abstract and unproven arguments about the unfulfilled promise of public education, there is still a promise.
It is now October. Many of you in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska have this choice to make, and those of you in fourteen other states have a lot of work to get these repealed. This episode is a hard listen, but essential for anyone who wants to see systemic justice in education.
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ProPublica Report Cited during interview
This week, Gerardo is joined by the eminent and brilliant Elena Aguilar, scholar of professional development and leadership! In this, Elena’s second visit to the show, she discusses her most recent coaching book Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching. Elena shares her purpose, identities, and processes of writing, shedding a bright light on both the art of coaching, but also the art of writing itself. She shares her perspectives on both the value of writing that comes from academia as well as from the people.
In this episode, Elena also shows us why her intuitive and human-centered approach is so powerful. An unexpected moment of vulnerability arises, and she receives it with heart and profound empathy.
And. Stay tuned. An in-person conversation may be in the future.
Hispanic Heritage Month: From now until October 15, if you sign up for Patreon at the $10/month level, you will receive our series of Hispanic Heritage stickers!
Subscribe to Elena’s Bright Morning podcast!
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Purchase the book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching and other powerful writings of Elena Aguilar.
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As the 2024-25 school year kicks off across the nation, math teachers, students, and parents of the students face a familiar foe: self-confidence in mathematics. According to a Gallup poll before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 40% of students aged 13-17 reported that they were “struggling” or “not proficient” in math. But no one knows this reality more than math teachers themselves.
Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, herself a mathematician and data analyst, has spent her career teaching adults to tell impactful and motivational stories using data. She has published professional books on the subject, but comes on the TooDope Teachers and a Mic podcast to share her latest book, which could change the tide for young people in our classrooms. Daphne Draws Data is a wonderful book on using data to tell stories. Cole joins Gerardo to kick off SEASON 10 of the podcast.
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Dr. Richard Charles has probably forgotten more about mathematics and technology than most of us will ever know.
This brilliant scholar and change-maker of Trinidadian and Venezuelan heritage joined Gerardo for a conversation that is only the tip of the iceberg. An authentically intellectual and curious learner, Dr. Charles represents most what what we dream of being in school district leadership. He is philosophical and a problem-solver, and his passion for prime numbers is only out-matched by his determination that ALL DPS students have access to the best education available to them.
Dr. Charles shares his passion for ways in which generative AI can support us at all levels of education. You will feel a little out of your depth on this episode, but stick with it. There is much to glean from this conversation.
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The state of public education is…tough right now. But it isn’t because of teachers or students. It’s because our systems have spent too much time overthinking the challenges we face, when in reality, it’s all about respect, resources, and professionalism.
Colorado Education Association present Amie Baca-Oehlert joins Gerardo and Kev to discuss the state of education. She names the harsh realities but also demonstrates the simple ways that we can right this ship for ALL kids.
Read the state of education report here!
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Zandra Jo Galván joins me for a fun and inspirational conversation on this week’s Chicanologues! Celebrated by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), Zandra Jo now leads the school district that raised her, Greenfield Union in the Central Coast region of California.
Growing up the youngest child of Mexican immigrants, Zandra Jo was inspired to become a teacher by her older sister. At just 10 years old, Zandra Jo knew she wanted to take this journey. When she was elevated to serve as superintendent of the district that educated her, 90% raza, she became everything that a leader should be: joyous, engaged, motivational, and creative.
But she is not simply a “big energy” leader. She is a problem-solver who acts on data in meaningful ways. She shares with us her biggest successes, and reminds us that educational justice that is culturally sustaining and empowering is possible from the superintendent’s office.
Oh, and her top five is absolutely next-level.
Support the podcast at patreon.com/toodopeteachers (money is helpful in navigating capitalism).
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Leticia Ordaz is a Publisher, Award-Winning Bilingual Children’s Book Author, Literacy Advocate, and Television News Anchor/Reporter.
Leticia is the founder of the bilingual publishing house Cielito Lindo Books and a ten-time award-winning children’s book author at the International Latino Book Awards, the largest Latino Book Awards in the world.
A proud Mexican-American, Leticia is an Emmy Award-winning anchor/reporter in Sacramento, California, where she’s covered some of the biggest stories in the country.
Leticia is the author of The Adventures of Mr. Macaw, That Girl on TV Could Be Me! The Journey of a Latina News Anchor, Mr. Macaw’s Paleta Adventure, The Carousel King and the Space Mission, Mr. Macaw Lost in the Big City, and 2024 release Super Peanut and the Big Bully: The Power of Kindness.
As a literacy ambassador, she is excited to share bilingual stories with children around the world. The mother of two young Latino boys is working hard to break barriers and change statistics that currently show only 7 percent of American children’s books feature Latinx characters or subjects, and only 10 percent of authors and illustrators in the US are Latinx.
She recently teamed up with the Antelope Valley Union High School District to publish the Anthology, We Come From Greatness. The heartfelt project shared the stories of 88 migrant youth from Los Angeles County and transformed students into published authors. All of the proceeds benefit a scholarship program for the district.
When Leticia is not on the news being a voice for her community, she is busy visiting schools, hospitals, and orphanages to spread the love of reading in English and Spanish.
Reach out to bring her to your school for a dynamic assembly.
CielitoLindoBooks.com, Cielito[email protected]
Twitter: @LeticiaOrdazTV, @CielitoLindoBks LinkedIn: Leticia Ordaz
Facebook: @CielitoLindoBooks.
Instagram: @LeticiaOrdazTV, @CielitoLindoBooks
We are partnering with Carney, Sandoe & Associates to bring you cutting-edge insights and opportunities to learn from and with members of their communities. In today’s episode, Kim Garner and Brandon Jacobs join us to discuss DEIB (the B stands for Belonging), the importance of DEIB work across all educational spaces, and the chance for folx in the Philly area to attend their Hiring Forum DEIB event this coming Friday!
Kim graduated from Suffolk University with a B.A. in International Business. She began working at Carney, Sandoe & Associates in 2000 as an Operations Associate, and became Associate Director of Operations in 2005, Director of Operations in 2006, and Director of Operations and Conferences in 2010. Kim was promoted to Managing Associate in 2012.
As Chief Operating Officer, Placement Group, Kim manages operational budget, oversees operations staff, and explores new technologies to optimize efficiency within the Placement Group. She coordinates hiring, training, and onboarding for new employees, and plans and coordinates all aspects of faculty recruitment conferences, located in cities each year across the country.
Kim has also spearheaded the development of CS&A’s Women’s* Institute (which held its inaugural event in 2017) which focuses on empowerment, professional and personal development, and mentorship of women in education at all stages of their careers. Kim is extremely passionate about the importance of women supporting other women and providing safe space to learn from one another.
Brandon is Practice Leader, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Consulting Practice, Search & Consulting Services and also supports our Head of School, Key Administrator, Catholic Schools, and Diversity Leadership Search Practices. Brandon has been instrumental in growing our DEIB Search and Consulting Practices. He has worked with dozens of independent schools, colleges and universities, and education organizations, running retained searches for DEIB practitioners and leading consulting engagements around implicit bias, equitable hiring, BIPOC faculty and staff retention, and other topics.
Thanks to financial assistance from New Jersey SEEDS, a nonprofit organization that places high-achieving students from low-income families at selective day and boarding schools across the country, Brandon and his three younger brothers were able to attend The Hill School (PA). At the predominantly white boarding school, Brandon served as the first Black All-School President and, seven years following his high school graduation, would return to his alma mater to assume the dual roles of Director of Inclusion and Diversity and Student Activities Coordinator. While at The Hill School, Brandon was also Director of Student Activities, Class Dean, and Assistant Director of College Advising.
Before joining CS&A, Brandon served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at The Shipley School (PA) where he led the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and programs that sustained an inclusive school community and curriculum and fulfilled the School’s diversity and inclusion goals. Working closely with school administrators, he directed recruitment and retention initiatives to broaden the diversity of the student body and among faculty and staff.
To learn more, visit www.carneysandoe.com/toodope.
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I had no idea that January was National Mentoring Month, but this is perfect timing. At a critical moment in my life, donnie l. betts, legendary actor, director, playwright and filmmaker, but most importantly, mentor to so many.
I was fifteen when I met donnie, and he changed my life. He showed me that men of color from my neighborhood could be artists and movers, and that art could matter. We have remained in touch for over thirty years, and it is my profound honor to bring him and his story to you.
In this episode, you will hear how donnie came to the arts, the people he has met and learned from, and his undying conviction that art can make a difference. As in his new film, Stop Resisting, which, in the wake of unending police violence visited on Black communities in Denver and beyond. donnie continues to leverage art and stories to affect change, and he shares his passion with us.
Go to Carney Sandoe’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Forum this month!
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For nearly fourteen weeks, genocidal events have been brought upon Gaza. To be honest, we struggled with how to best show support. We are a podcast that centers Teachers of Color and issues of Human Rights and Justice for all. So we have chosen to bring you stories of Palestinian American teachers. These stories are long-form, so they defy the sound-bite 24-hour news cycle. We ask participants to tell their stories with authenticity and courage. So yeah, this episode is longer.
Amal is a teacher in California who is proud to be Palestinian. She knows that her perspective is different, living stateside and not in Gaza, which has been described as of January 7 as “uninhabitable” by the United Nations. The days drag along as Amal tries to teach and support students. The courage to teach while your world burns is something Kevin and I cannot fathom.
But know that this story has emotion, passion, and knowledge. You will learn things that have not made it into the news cycle. You will learn how one teacher sees and experiences this horror.
Click here to learn more about the Carney Sandoe DEIB Conference!
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Gerardo and Kevin are here to accompany you through this holiday season! Whether you celebrate or not, we gotchu, and we hope to bring some affirmation and encouragement to you in these times that defy description.
As you know, Kevin has moved into school leadership, halfway through his first year as an assistant principal. He shares the highs, the lows, and reflects on being positioned to make a greater impact for the students in his community. Gerardo shares the hard-earned lessons of sixteen months as a central office manager, and shares the encouragement he has found in his work.
But ya boys haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a classroom teacher. Teaching is our mother tongue, and no matter what other jobs we learn and become proficient, conversant, even fluent in, our hearts and minds will always be those of teachers. We hope we can encourage you to rest, reflect, and appreciate yourself.
Plus we share our holiday wish lists.
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Help us remix the conversation on race, power, and education!
It is no secret that the teaching profession has become increasingly challenging, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. For those of us who taught before and through the pandemic, it was never easy. Always challenging, always demanding, always underpaid. Kevin and I have both left classroom roles (although being an administrator is also difficult), and we are both still a little, what’s the word, surprised? When folx choose teaching in these times.
Filmmaker Adam Gacka, founder of Production House in Chicago, was hired to make a promotional video for the ambitious Chicago Teacher Residency and during the course of filming, got to know many of the teachers in the school. In particular, as he learned about Nkanga Nsa, a resident in the program, he felt that her story needed to be shared. So the result was Teacher, a film that would document her journey through her residency, as well as that of the community around her. As Adam boldly declares, saving our teachers will save our democracy.
Adam and Nkanga join us for an in-depth conversation on one teacher’s experience, the ongoing work to ensure that our American teaching corps better reflect children in most classrooms, and the ambitious dream to become “an island beyond oneself” in Nkanga’s words.
Buy the film, TEACHER on Prime Video!
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For over two months, violence has raged on the Gaza Strip. Since the world snapped to attention on October 7, just under 20,000 Palestinians and 1300 Israelis (around 400 IDF soldiers) have died in the so-called “Israel-Hamas War” a carefully curated framing of the violence. This is an awful moment, and has led a number of experts to name the actions visited upon Palestinians as genocidal.
Kevin and Gerardo join the conversation. Perhaps later than some would hope. But we wanted to learn, listen, and elevate before seizing a social media moment.
Enter Abeer Shinnawi, our friend, a Palestinian teacher in the United States. Abeer calls upon us to teach the Palestinian struggle as a social justice/civil rights movement. She shares with us the privilege she has by living in the United States, but the pain she feels, as the Palestinian experience has been largely minimized, demonized, and erased. But in the midst of it all, she still believes that teachers can make a difference, to help students see that there is a civil rights imperative at work here.
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Published
he 2023 Summer Revolution Mixtape is here, at last! It's late, but as friend of the podcast Marylin Zuñiga told us so many years ago, we gotta decolonize time, y'all! We know you are mostly back in the teaching game, but the time for radical imagination is always RIGHT. NOW.
The mixtape series is when we bring experimental, cutting-edge and unexpected ideas to you to consider as you enter another year guiding students. We hope to challenge and inspire you with these conversations.
Generative Artificial Intelligence, best identified through apps like ChatGPT, stands to hit education like that meteor that did the dinosaurs in, and if we aren't careful, it will do the same to us in education. So argues our guest, Ben Farrell, a principal at a school that had the audacity to embrace this terrifying technology.
Is it the pedagogical equivalent of Oppenheimer's experiment, or is it like the invention of pockets? Sorta depends on who you talk to. If you talk to Ben, he will tell you some of his school's generative AI practices, and how we may all learn from them. No spoilers, tho. Y'all gotta listen.
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Laura Cortez was a soccer player in Texas. Her coach required that players run track and cross country in order to maintain their fitness for the season. A self-identified tejana, she grew up with community, culture, and of course, Selena.
Having relocated to Colorado, Laura, along with Victor Fallon, formed the Trailtinos, a Latiné running collective that spans generations, experience levels, and culture. I had a chance to run with the crew, a nice 7-miler that was extremely hard without water. The conversations were incredible, and it was beautiful to see so many members of our raza prioritizing fitness, wellness, and community.
Laura joins me to discuss the formation of the Trailtinos, and the importance of community wellness.
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For Asian American/Native Hawaiian/South Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are spotlighting the stories, the experiences, and the wholeness of AANHSAPI teachers, their histories, and the communities they serve. They are part of our teaching force, battling inequities on behalf of their students and themselves.
Whitney Aragaki (she/they) is an educator, parent, and learner from Hilo, Hawaiʻi. She supports students to learn through a lens of abundance that honors place, people and cultures. Her teaching focuses around conversations, practices and systems that sustain the intimate inter-relationship of public education, community and environment. Aragaki is the 2022 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year and National Teacher of the Year Finalist. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Mathematics.
Check out Whitney’s writing, connect at https://www.whitneyaragaki.com/
Whitney’s socials:
Twitter: @sayuri_neko
Instagram: @mamasayuri
Check out our website www.toodopeteachers.com
Support the podcast www.patreon.com/toodopeteachers
We are one week into Asian American, Native Hawaiian, South Asian and Pacific Islander heritage Month, and we thought it would be meaningful to re-releaase our roundtable interview with AANHSAPI-identifying educators from around the country. At the time of this interview, COVID-19 was raging, and the all-too-predictable hatred toward people of Asian descent as somehow culprits of the pandemic was palpable and harmful. In this episode, brave AANHSAPI teachers speak on their experiences, their pain, and their hope as they demand to be celebrated and seen.
toodopeteachers.com
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We are one week into Asian American, Native Hawaiian, South Asian and Pacific Islander heritage Month, and we thought it would be meaningful to re-releaase our roundtable interview with AANHSAPI-identifying educators from around the country. At the time of this interview, COVID-19 was raging, and the all-too-predictable hatred toward people of Asian descent as somehow culprits of the pandemic was palpable and harmful. In this episode, brave AANHSAPI teachers speak on their experiences, their pain, and their hope as they demand to be celebrated and seen.
toodopeteachers.com
Support PoC Grassroots Media!
Please forgive the poor audio quality. I wanted to re-record it for you but I had class late and just don’t have time this week. I will make this up to you!
Cinco de mayo can still mean something to our gente. It could be a time for warriors if we let it be.
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As it turns out, solo podcasting is hard! While there will be guests, friends, and crews on this show, there will be some solo stuff, like this episode. In this one, you can learn a little about what is motivating this new podcast. I’m in a search for myself, as a researcher, scholar, advocate, friend, and human.
The best way to support this podcast is to subscribe! The episodes will be here until we get up and running on a separate feed, but please check me out there!
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We’re dropping this emergency episode from the organizers of a Mayday walkout tomorrow. This group of concerned citizens–parents, teachers, youth and others is hoping to spark a larger general movement to demand common sense gun policy. Listen for details, and find them on Instagram and Facebook, Mayday Walkout!
You may remember the summer of 2020. We were caught in the grip of the initial months COVID-19 pandemic. A racial reckoning was beginning to materialize across the nation and, frankly, the world. When our guest that summer, Dr. Bettina Love, spoke with us at the NEA Racial & Social Justice Virtual Conference that year, she uttered the words “it is good to be here” and it was. We were surviving under constant threat of disease and violence.
Nearly three years have passed since this incredible conversation, and we wanted to revisit it. Dr. Love is a light of joyful tenacity in our work, and we look back and realize with greater appreciation, how much she got us all through it. Many of you have reached out to ask us for this episode, so please enjoy this throwback to a more bootleg time for us (audio much less cute than now), but this beautiful liminal space that we found ourselves with great minds and spirits.
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Find current work of Dr. Bettina Love and the Abolitionist Teaching Network here!
Dr. Erica Glover is brilliant, and able to speak on most anything, from hoops to equity to student voice to hip hop! In this joyful and amazing conversation, we get Dr. Glover’s take on QUEENS Angel Reese and Caitlin Clarke, the weather, the origins of Disrupter University, and, most importantly, her new book, Centering Student Voice: A Guide for Cultivating Emotionally Intelligent Educators and Culturally Responsive Classrooms. Plus a top five rappers that is straight out the barbershop.
Dr. Glover is a servant of education, committed to equity, inclusion, and justice. Throughout her career in education, Dr. Glover has worked as an educator, administrator, and Human Resource/Diversity, equity and inclusion professional.
As a former student-athlete and former professional basketball player, Dr. Glover realized that her passion to impact change was not limited to the basketball court. She remained committed to her community through the development of her non-profit, OKBNU, Inc. Through this non-profit, she was able to provide local youth with the opportunity to participate in AAU programs without the financial burden that deters many youth today.
In 2017, Dr. Glover earned her doctorate degree in Urban Education, from Cleveland State University. With an emphasis on Policy and Planning, Dr. Glover has transferred her learning into reimagining the ways in which we socialize future teachers (current students and pre-service teachers), and in-service teachers.
Today, Dr. Glover supports school districts and scholars through her organization, Disrupter University. Through this organization, she provides intercultural coaching for scholars and educators. She believes that advocacy is the key to liberation and peace, and develops training that allows others to see themselves in this work.
Dr. Glover is also an author. She has just released her first book, Centering Student Voice: A Guide for Cultivating Emotionally Intelligent Educators and Culturally Responsive Classrooms.
In her spare time, Dr. Glover enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family.
Centering Student Voice book
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Dr. Deborah Offner is a clinical psychologist with expertise in adolescent development, student mental health, and school life.
She serves as Consulting Psychologist at Beacon Academy in Boston, a 14-month program between eighth and ninth grade that prepares students from communities with limited resources for entry into independent day and boarding high schools. She also provides ongoing professional consultation to several independent middle and secondary schools.
Dr. Offner maintains an active clinical practice where she works with middle, high school, and college students, and their families.
Her book, Educators as First Responders, shares the truth known all too well by educators: often, when a student is struggling, particularly in their adolescence, that student will often speak to a teacher first. Not a family member, not a parent, but a teacher.
Dr. Offner shares with us her observations and recommendations for how we may better support our unsung first responders: teachers.
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In this timely conversation, Gerardo is joined by Taylor Lyons, who represents Moms for Social Justice, an educational advocacy organization in Tennessee. The organization formed as a way to bring teachers and families together to raise consciousness and encourage diversity in the curriculum, especially through children’s and youth literature. This is a true grassroots organization that has been working side by side with classrooms and teachers for the last few years.
The right wing narrative would have you believe that progressive forces in your public schools are secretly brainwashing your children in the six-to-eight hours they are away from you. In fact, the opposite is true. According to numerous polls, most parents are very pleased with their children’s schools and teachers.
This is a deep conversation. We explore the pain of these manufactured culture wars, but the joy inherent in being in community with each other.
Learn more: https://www.momsforsocialjustice.us/
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of White supremacy, violence, and racism. Be advised.
Central Park Karen. BBQ Becky. These incidents have become tropes. Many of us laugh, if even in an exasperated way, when reminded of these incidents. But there is a deeper and more insidious reality for Black and Brown people. Violence, literal and symbolic alike, stalks us. If we are lucky, we only get angry and frustrated. But like countless others, too numerous to name, the results may be worse.
Our guest this week is author, filmmaker, and activist Saira Rao. co-author with Regina Jackson of White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better, co-founder of Race2Dinner, and creator of the film Deconstructing Karen, joins Gerardo to discuss how she began on this path. She shares the deeply upsetting moment following the 2016 Presidential Election, when she discovered her “friends” true beliefs. She lambastes White Supremacy, and calls upon all of us to end it.
All this and a Top Five that will surprise you.
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Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/ttoodopeteachers
Kevin forgot the podcast email password years ago. He texts Gerardo stuff to tweet. He has a vague notion that Instagram and Tik Tok might not be the same thing. He doesn\’t answer 67% of texts.
And yet, he is using #ChatGPT for lesson planning. Our good friend Angela Watson of 40 Hour Teacher Work Week fame has developed content around the same topic, although way better and detailed than we did, and our friend Donnie Piercey vanished into a #ChatGPT rabbit hole, periodically surfacing to make fun of Gerardo.
But, peoples, this isn\’t the act of a lazy teacher. Kevin and Gerardo discuss ways in which #ChatGPT may streamline the lesson planning process for teachers who are overwhelmed and stretched too thinly (this of course means ALL teachers). Kevin discusses how his framework for teaching is more personalized having used the AI. He is able to see exactly what it is that he does, reflect, and tweak. Gerardo muses about the way that #ChatGPT may support neurodivergent educators. He recalls being paralyzed by the instructional choices he had to make as a teacher, and how it caused him to spend too much time looking for materials, and wandering off track.
What do you think about #ChatGPT for lesson planning? Let us know!
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Valyn Lyric Turner is a spoken word poet, theatre artist, songwriter, and activist hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the ancestral homeland of the Cherokee and Creek native nations. Valyn is a Senior Posse Scholar at Boston University where she double majors in Theatre Arts and Spanish. Some of her acting credits include starring in the radio drama “Iris”, local online safety series “Digital Citizenship,” and most recently, “LORENA: A TABLOID EPIC” at Boston Playwright’s Theatre. She is currently in rehearsals for the world premier of Kirsten Greenidge’s new play, Little Row Boat, or Conjecture at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. As a spoken word artist and activist, Valyn has collaborated with several equity initiatives across the country, including the Minnesota National Association for Multicultural Education, Gwinnett Educators for Equity and Justice, Kalamazoo College, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Eden Prairie Public Schools, Georgia First Generation Association, and Kern County Superintendent of Schools to help educators foster cultures of inclusivity and equal opportunity for all students. She has recently been moved to use her platform to champion human rights in light of issues of systemic racism on display in the United States. Her work has been featured on numerous episodes of the LA-based podcast “The Only One in the Room” with Laura Cathcart Robbins, available on all streaming platforms. Valyn’s mission is to inspire, empower, and serve others through her craft.
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Contact us: toodopeteachers@gmail.com
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Branta Lockett moved through her educational odyssey at the highest levels. W.E.B. DuBois would have absolutely drafted her for his Talented Tenth All Star Team. Highly Gifted and Talented, International Baccalaureate, Brown University, she brought her sterling credentials to Denver, hoping to be the difference for all students, especially Black students.
Her first two years as a Denver teacher were, simply put, “great.” But by year three, things began to unravel. She witnessed disproportionate disciplinary actions taken against Black boys. Still new to the work, she became a voice of advocacy for students and community. Her evaluation scores took a jarring dip. She changed roles, and found no support in any of them. Between COVID-19 and anti-Black dynamics within the union, she took the leap.
The 5280 Freedom School, inspired by the Civil Rights era’s Mississippi Freedom Schools, launched first as a summer program. After having their charter initially rejected, they are poised to open their doors in “Harlem of the West,” the Five Points neighborhood.
This story is at once a cautionary tale and a call to action. Learn more at www.5280freedomschool.com; follow them on socials @5280freedomschool.
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Dishonesty in education policy is not a new thing. From the criminalization of Black education to the arrests and trials of the East LA 13 to now, individuals from historically marginalized, oppressed, and excluded communities have received the message that our histories, our contributions, and our humanness are not welcome in our schools.
A few months ago Monica Washington (2014 Texas Teacher of the Year), Tracey Nance (2020/2021 Georgia Teacher of the Year), Chris Dier (2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year), Takeru Nagayoshi (2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year), and I were invited to participate in the Voices for Honest Education Fellowship. We were deployed as voices for and with educators to combat fear-based education gag orders and book bans. Initially, the manufactured uproar over Critical Race Theory was the pressure point that bad actors located. As this strategy foundered, they turned their attention to LGBTQ students, teachers, and communities. We know that these bad actors are a fringe minority, but, unfortunately, they represent the tail that has wagged multiple dogs at the state and local levels. While it may be easy to dismiss them as a small group that doesn’t represent all Americans, they have successfully removed teachers, curriculum, and books from K-12 schools. One need look no further than Florida to see what happens when a small group gets the attention of an ambitious politician.
We sat down to discuss our work, and to invite you into the struggle. Find more information by finding Voices for Honest Education on all social media platforms. Read our blog, attend our events, and let us know how it’s going in your space.
In October 2022, Aurora Public Schools middle school band teacher Jimmy Day II was named Colorado Teacher of the Year. He became the first Black male to receive the honor, as well as the first graduate of a Historically Black College or University to be named Colorado Teacher of the Year.
Gerardo was onhand to witness the historical event, and got to sit down with this creative, passionate, and brilliant teacher. We defy you to listen to his story and resist him.
I discovered Maribel González’s terrific @decolonizeinstruction account on Instagram, and was absolutely inspired by the ideas she shares there. A Native Xicana educator and Unschool Mama, she authored the books Social Justice and You, Be Your True Self, Build Strong Communities, Be a Changemaker and Choose Justice, she has also served as Director at the Center for Intergenerational Learning and National Faculty at PBL Works.
We sat down this past fall to discuss her ideas and insights on identity, the arts, and decolonizing for our communities.
It’s been a season of change in #TooDope Nation! With Gerardo firmly entrenched in the dark side, and Kev still holdin down the block, it was past time to catch up. In this episode, we catch up on the work we’re doing, talk about these education streets, and make some resolutions for 23.
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Want great abolitionist PD for your community, school, or district? Check out Quetzal Education Consulting.
Jacci tells us her story of coming full circle. With her love for whom we in education consider as “littles,” she tells her journey as a childcare center owner who, with a heart for doing more for her community, begins her work as a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director in a Denver Metro Area organization. Listen in as Jacci describes her story and advice for Black folks in the early learning space.
Anthony Swann is probably the kindest, gentlest person I have ever met, especially relative to his childhood. Taken from his mother for his own safety, he landed in the foster care system. When he was feeling that the world had turned its back on him, and that violence, fear, and abuse awaited him at every corner, his teacher reached out to him to assure him that he would be okay.
In 2021, he was named Virginia Teacher of the Year. But he is still healing from his trauma. Like me, he has had a difficult relationship with his father. Though our struggles are very different, his spirit and wisdom help me as I work toward healing.
Arvian Harper is a "Denver Public Schools lifer." A graduate of the hallowed halls of East High School, she received a full ride engineering scholarship, later changing to pre-med. Like so many of us, she heard the call to the classroom, and she heeded, teaching Early Childhood Education, becoming a Team Lead and eventually moving into leadership.
After a series of difficult challenges--a violent incident at the school, a strike, COVID-19 and a racial reckoning, she began to reflect on the Racial Battle Fatigue she had experienced. As she began to peel back the layers of trauma, she realized "There's a whole person in there.'
Since her healing journey began, she founded Awakening Cafe and has entered a consulting role with none other than our own Dr. Asia Lyons. Healing is possible.
I first discovered the work of Gwendolyn Oxenham when one of my middle school soccer players told me of a film screening he had attended the night before. The film was called Pelada, and "it's about soccer," was the only synopsis he offered (6th graders, waddaya gonna do?).
I decided to check it out, purchased it on iTunes, and it changed my life. Two division-1 soccer players, having finished their playing careers, found themselves directionless. In their words, "the pro leagues weren't calling, and we weren't in the national team pool,' explained my guest, Gwendolyn Oxenham.
So she and her partner Luke decided to travel the world in search of the heart of soccer: the pickup game. Underneath all the money, all the contentiousness, the drive, the manicured fields, the billion dollar industry, is people with a ball at their feet. As she decolonized her relationship with soccer, she returned to her elemental self: the humans and the stories.
Since the publication of her first book, Finding the Game and the film it was based on, Pelada, Gwen has continued the two things that ignite her passion: writing and soccer. She Published her second book, Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer, and it gained such acclaim that it was produced into the podcast series Hustle Rule, in which the stories were narrated by Hannah Waddingham, star of Ted Lasso
Anyone who reads Gwen's work will find their assumptions and beliefs about sports in general and soccer in particular disrupted. Plus an amazing top five!
Hustle Rule Podcast, narrated by Hannah Waddingham
Gwen's Books
After a summer of anticipation rumors, and conjecture, the BOYZ are BACK. Gerardo and Kevin, merely two EDUCATORS in the city of Denver!
No, Gerardo hasn't been replaced, and no his move to the proverbial "dark side" has not reduced his dopeness. And no, Kevin has not died without Gerardo in the building.
What we hope you find in season 7 of Too Dope Teachers and a Mic is spirited banter and multi-perspective conversation about education on a school and systemic level. Two perspectives on the same fight. Each keeping the other grounded and honest.
So let's do dis, people! Who's with us?
In the summer of 2020, as COVID-19 tore through communities, and law enforcement faced a racial reckoning, Minnesota named it's 2020-21 state teacher of the year. In the state that saw the killings of George Floyd and Philando Castile by law enforcement, Qorsho's recognition as the first Somali-American to be named teacher of the year remains significant. But what never stopped was the racist, misogynist and Islamophobic harassment that she faced regularly.
Nevertheless, Qorsho continued to work hard for her students and community, advocating with them and for them. Until she could not go on.
Qorsho was my first friend in our state teachers of the year cohort of 2021. And continues to be a source of strength, humor, and motivation to me. Her story is at once a powerful testimonial and a cautionary tale.
Summer has drawn to a close, if not officially, then in practice. Welcome to the conclusion of Summer Revolution Mixtape 2022! Fittingly, we will end with our new friend, our TrueDope Sister Afrika Afenni Mills.
Afrika Afeni Mills is an Education Consultant and the author of Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students. She works with teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators to develop and sustain student-centered learning experiences that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable. Afrika has been featured on podcasts, blogs, delivered keynote addresses and facilitated sessions at conferences across the United States. Afrika believes that all educators can be motivated, engaged, dynamic practitioners and leaders when provided with the support needed to create student-centered, anti-bias, anti-racist, culturally responsive learning environments that inspire wonder and creativity and nurture diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion.
Keep up with Afrika's work here. And buy the book!!
AfrikaAfeniMills.com
Twitter: @AfeniMills
Instagram: Open Windows, Open Minds
Facebook: Open Windows, Open Minds and Afrika Afeni Mills - Equity Guardian
LinkedIn: Afrika Afeni Mills
Personal Blog: Continental Drift
Can buy the book from my directly by emailing me at openwindows2022@gmail.com, or on the Corwin.com website. Also through online resellers.
After a turbulent year locally and nationally, Dr. Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams are back with your Back to School shopping list. They break down issues facing educators of color and the communities they serve as super-producer Gerardo Muñoz sits in the virtual producer's chair! Asia discusses life after PhD matriculation, Kevin shares the trials and tribulations of the now-completed Master Agreement contract negotiations in Denver Public Schools, and we evaluate the way forward for teachers of color. Should they follow Dr. Asia, our pedagogical Harriet Tubman to liberation? Will Kev teach forever? Does Gerardo have the attention span to make this interview pop?
Find out in this back to school episode!
So, first things first. Kevin is out on important business. He did call a sub, but of course left no lesson plans. No problem, though, because his sub is none other than the amazing Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year!
In this inspiring, authentic, and powerful conversation, @kurtsenior_, representing America's teachers in 2022, we learn what has motivated him for his twenty-five years in the classroom, why Black History matters, and most importantly, a top five that is old school in all the right ways.
What happens the year after a person is named CCSSO National Teacher of the Year? Find out when we catch up with 2021 National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey! In her FIRST interview since her term ended, La Juli talks to us about her year representing America's teachers, Joy and Justice, even today, and what she has learned about being in community with us. She also shares with us what is next for her (a TooDope Exclusive).
Juliana Urtubey, NBCT is known as “Ms. Earth” for her efforts to beautify schools and unify communities through murals and gardens. As the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, Juliana advocates for a “joyous and just” education for all students, one that is inclusive and celebratory of all students’ identities, families and communities. A bilingual, first-generation immigrant, Juliana has worked throughout her teaching career to serve as a mirror for her school community, helping students to be proud of their identities and families, and to acknowledge their strengths and contributions to the community. Urtubey is the first Latinx National Teacher of the Year since at least 2005 and the third Special Education Teacher to hold this distinction. Juliana has served as a bilingual and special education teacher since 2009 in Arizona and Nevada.
Juliana is a National Board Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs, Birth to Age 21) and holds a bachelor’s degree in bilingual elementary education and a master’s degree in special bilingual education from the University of Arizona. She is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors member.
Juliana (HOO-lee-on-a ER-two-bay) lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She enjoys reading in Spanish and traveling, and has had the opportunity to study and teach in Ecuador, Mexico, Spain and Puerto Rico. She also enjoys tending to her collection of house plants and spending time outdoors, and she aims to visit all the National Parks.
Man, we had no idea there were Chicano teachers in Nebraska, and we sure didn't know they were as fire as Lee Perez, who represents that state for 2022. On a passionate and animated episode, Lee shares his path, his story, his commitment to justice for multi-language learners and the critical issue of teacher pay and working conditions. His top 5 is fire, and you cannot help but love this dedicated and passionate teacher.
"Oh sure, they're gonna pick the big gay Appalachian" was Willie Carver's first thought when he learned he had been nominated as 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. It was a crowning achievement after fifteen years. Guided by the credo "fear has armor, love has none," Willie supported students, especially LGBTQIA+ students, in being themselves and building a deeper understanding of their identities. Despite being warned by a school leader that being out and advocating for his community "you will be crucified, and no one will protect you, including me," Willie continued to fight for his students.
The homophobia and hate reached a boiling point, and Willie Carver, the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, resigned his teaching position.
Hear his thoughts here. Support marginalized and minoritized teachers, students, and communities.
Read Willie's Story Here
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When a former director of equity in a school district joins our podcast you know it's gonna be good. Stacey Brandon shares what led her to become a social worker in a Denver Metro school district, her journey to becoming director of their equity department, and consequently the decision she had to make realizing that it was time to move on. Enjoy another great episode!
A cancer diagnosis can profoundly disrupt and destroy a person's sense of self and purpose. While I have not experienced this, many have, and categorically the trauma and fear others have shared seems unreal and life-altering, even (especially) after recovery.
Lauren Cantell does not view herself as a representative of cancer struggle or survival. She believes that systemic oppression, especially racism and misogyny, play out in the American healthcare system. She feels rage at the fact that BIPOC womxn are the least likely to be treated with humanity or respect in this system. She also knows that her journey from diagnosis to recovery is her own, and that it is not the only way that recovery may occur.
Lauren came to realize that much of her recovery was driven by her fear of burdening others, or protecting those around her from her own illness and uncertainty. And while she is quick to explain that her friends and loved ones did not expect her to do this, she also realizes that there is a way that our society talks about life-threatening illness that often is not inclusive of individual experiences and perspectives.
Lauren talks about her cancer diagnosis as a Kindergarten teacher, and how it drove her to write a crown-funded feature film which explores her experiences. She shares her ambivalence about her own experience, and hopes to encourage others to share their stories, even if they are difficult, even if they do not have a happy ending.
To support Lauren's film financially, please consider donating here
https://seedandspark.com/fund/i-cant-protect-you#story
It was deeply humbling and inspiring to collaborate with 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson and 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Shawn Sheehan, co-hosts of the Teachers Caucus Podcast, which examines the role of teachers in policy spaces.
For this collaborative episode, we discuss lighter moments in the classroom and touch on multiple other topics and issues. Laughter, insight, and wisdom prevail in this fun conversation. We're posting a little late, but we hope you enjoy it.
Elena Aguilar has been out here in these education streets a long time, pushing important ideas around social justice, equity, social emotional learning, and teacher wellness. As founder of Bright Morning, Elena remains at the forefront of important conversations with and about educators.
She joins Kevin and Gerardo for a terrific conversation, in which she shares her education journey, the passion that drives her, and a very summer top five!
Jena Nelson, the 2020-2021 Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year, is a force to be reckoned with, an energetic and authentic educator with a big heart and an even bigger sense of fight for educators and the communities we serve. We connect for this episode to disrupt the idea that a teacher's place is ONLY in the classroom. She is currently the statewide candidate for Education Superintendent, an elected position, in the state of Oklahoma. Constantly on the campaign trail and connecting with communities and constituents, she takes a moment to talk with me about her work.
Habitually Disruptive is about those who think differently about how we do things. Those who question the fundamental assumptions we make as we navigate and try to survive the status quo. That's really it. You can be disruptive really anywhere, because most systems are designed to work exactly as they work, and most systems are maintained by human beings who either sustain or disrupt the status quo.
I met Laken James on Twitter, where all great friendships are born. She had posted an op-ed in which she described the impact of being benched after a loss as a college basketball player. She shared that it was devastating, but formed a foundation for healing and, ultimately success. enjoy this conversation with my favorite professional basketball player!
Another fire episode! This time we are speaking to Dr. Jeanette Patterson, a former principal who now finds herself supporting the youth of the Denver Metro Area in a whole new way. Tune in as Dr. Patterson shares her education journey, what she thinks school districts can do to support educators, what's bringing her joy these days, and her plans for the future.
Just a couple of years ago I connected with Lauren Piraro, history teacher and digital community builder extraordinaire, and could not have anticipated how wonderful it would be to speak with her. In her first appearance on Habitually Disruptive, we de-prioritize classroom teaching to focus on wellness. She has developed wisdom and power early in her career, and it is my distinct privilege to share her voice with you.
With Kev out on assignment, Gerardo catches up with Alondra Díaz, 2022 California Teacher of the Year, brilliant educator and resilient soul.
Alondra brings passion and energy to the classroom, and taps into her life experiences to promote empathy, justice, and resiliency. Having struggled as a child herself, she knows what it is to survive, but above all, to thrive.
In this conversation, you see everything that a great teacher is: joyful, optimistic, hardworking, emotional, resilient, honest, and vulnerable. She represents her community well!
Music composed by Kevin Adams
Special thanks to patrons www.patreon.com/toodopeteachers
Sponsored by Quetzal Education Consulting, quetzalec.com
I met Kristi Borge, 2021 Montana Teacher of the Year, in person during our fall Washington Week event. Her teacher story was intriguing; she teaches in a one-room school. Immediately my mind jumped back to 19th-century schoolmarm, chalkboards, big wooden desks that doubled as lockers, and a bell to let the children know that school is in session.
Hearing Kristi's story was powerfully educational for me, as a (relative) city kid. She is responsible for EVERYTHING from clearing the snow, discipline, and if she is out sick, there is no school. She describes maternity leave, the ski resort she purchased with her husband, and the only kind of traffic jam you will ever see in her area. Plus we find solidarity in challenges that face both urban and rural kids. Listen, learn, and disrupted your assumptions!
I've had a chance to reflect on my 23 years of teaching, and I've been reminded to consider the role that Chicana/o/x Education has played in my life. When I came into teaching, and declared myself to be a Chicano teacher, some looked at me quizzically, wondering aloud, "Is that still a thing? Do people still identify as Chicanos?" Later I read a quote by some journalist declaring that "Chicano" is only used by old guys who have handshakes and reminisce about the past.
Welp, thanks to stickin' around so long, I have seen a renacimiento of the Chicana/o/x name. Not that we ever went anywhere, but there is a new generation of Chicanas and Chicanos entering the teaching profession, but unlike me, the show up as their authentic selves.
I hope you enjoy this Chicana roundtable with Isabel Barajas de Benavidez, Emely Contreras, and Diana Bustamante Aguilar, three early-service teachers who are proudly and uncompromisingly CHICANAS...and who are connecting with each other for the first time.
When Colorado, like so many other states, created its draconian school performance framework and accountability measures (mainly standardized test results), an "accountability clock" was institutionalized and put in place. This meant that if a school did not perform satisfactorily according to standardized testing data, that school or district would face an extinction-level event, in terms of public education: state takeover and potential privatization.
Adams 14, the district serving a population decimated by institutional oppression, environmental racism, and utter neglect, saw its accountability clock run out in 2018. Since then, a comedy of errors has ensued, with charter mismanagement that has landed the district and its hardworking allies in the courts with those who have done them harm.
I sit down with four educators/community members to unpack the urgency of this situation. This is a must-listen. Adams 14 is all of us.
Since last season, we have brought you stories that are heart-wrenching, painful, and traumatic. Examples of racial battle fatigue, professional violence and PTSD, which, even though most have experienced a measure of healing, or begun that healing journey, are difficult.
In some cases, Black classroom teachers depart the classroom to make a wider impact. This was the case for Dr. William Anderson, History teacher extraordinaire, who was just minding his own business, working on his doctorate, ready to return to the classroom for the 2021-2022 school year when he was tapped to take over the Teacher Education Program at the University of Denver, the first Black man to step into that role.
Dr. Anderson knew this was an opportunity to impact the profession in a more powerful way, and went on a journey to make it happen.
This is a provocative episode, and we encourage you to put on your intersectional lens as you digest this inspiring and powerful story.
Sponsored by quetzalec.com
Music composed and performed by Kevin Adams
Production by Gerardo Muñoz
It is a time of transition, from winter to spring, and in education, millions of teachers are considering a change in career path. This episode, though recorded a while back, is timely for anyone who is wondering what freedom looks like professionally.
Nora Rahimian is a creative consultant who helps entrepreneurs achieve success on their terms, without giving up creative control, financial freedom, or personal integrity. She is also the founding director of #CultureFix, a global network of artists, activists, and entrepreneurs who use their platforms for social impact. Her work is based in the belief that our communities have everything they need to succeed, that art & culture can spark the paradigm shifts to make the world a better place, and that the radical change we imagine is both possible and necessary. Nora has spoken at conferences and universities around the world. She has been named one of iStandard's Women Who Run The Music Industry, is a UN Alliance of Civilizations Fellow, and was recognized as a Trailblazer by VoyageLA. Connect with her online at linktr.ee/norarahimian or on your favorite social media platforms at @NoraRahimian.
Kevin and Asia listen to Crystal Gillis' story. From leaving the classroom to facilitating and developing youth voice and leadership at YAASPA, her story is informative and impactful.
Kevin and Gerardo infiltrate the halls of power in the highest levels of educational government by visiting with the first Latino United States Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona! From his humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to a "class clown" to a twenty-year veteran educator, Dr. Cardona has traveled a long road and, in his words, "my stripes are the same."
As the Biden Administration rolls out American Rescue legislation, Kev and Gera as him questions about the expenditures, investment, and future of American education in this contentious time. We discuss important issues facing communities of color in education, and share some laughs.
And of course, a top five that will, no doubt, sow the seeds of controversy.
We are profoundly grateful to EduColor and Profe Equis, José Vilson for this amazing opportunity.
We recorded this episode waaaaaaaay back in the fall, just after Autumn Rivera, Glenwood Springs Middle School Science Teacher, was named 2022's Colorado Teacher of the Year. This was before she was named a National Teacher of the Year finalist, and we get this amazing glimpse of an earnest, humble, exciting and fun individual like the teacher her students and community have come to love and celebrate.
Join us for this early part of this journey. We talk shop, middle schoolers, and a controversial top 5!
Sarah Brown Wessling is friend, mentor, coordinator and calming presence for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), where she serves as the National Teacher of the Year program's Senior Advisor. This means that she gets to travel the country, meet amazing teachers (and me), support those of us entrusted with the Teacher of the Year role, and amplify and elevate the teaching profession. A National Teacher of the Year herself (2010), she brings wisdom, insight, and above all, a love of teachers to a national stage. In a time when teaching is hard...it is HARD, people...Sarah disrupts the struggle with peace and honesty.
Plus a very calming and spiritual top five.
This episode is a long time coming!
Darrion “DC” Cockrell, the 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year, has a powerful, heartbreaking, and inspirational story, and he shares it with us. This is less a teacher’s lounge conversation and more of a “chop it up on the front porch” episode. DC discusses his experience with violence, sports, learning disability, and his journey to the classroom.
The temperature rises with a contentious Top 5, one from which we may never recover.
Theme music composed and performed by Kevin Adams.
Sponsor: quetzalec.com
Scholar, Author, Entrepreneur, and Educator Desmond Williams has been there, done that. A talented and effective classroom teacher, he quickly moved up the ranks to building leadership. But even as a principal, Desmond was not achieving the impact he wanted to. He found himself in frequent conflict with fellow leaders, and gained a sense of clarity.
That sense of clarity has manifested in his DEI firm Nylinka, a book, The Burning House, in which he echoes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s question about racism as a system that perhaps African Americans should try to escape, and frequent speaking engagements and training. Desmond shares his story, questions the notion of Racial Battle Fatigue, and gets out the receipts. Do not miss this one!
We sit down this cold evening to talk with Autumn Rivera, the Glenwood Springs Middle School science and social studies teacher who begins her term as 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year this month! She makes history as the first Colorado Teacher of the Year to become a National Teacher of the Year Finalist in 28 years, and only the 9th in nearly 60 years. Autumn shares her path as a mixed-heritage educator of color, into middle school teaching, authentic service work for youth, solidarity and advocacy in the union, and of course, an amazing top five. An exciting and energetic interview as we learn from a brilliant scholar-activist.
Music composed and performed by Kevin Adams
sponsors:
https://www.quetzalec.com/
https://www.lyonseducationalconsulting.com/
On December 21, Denverite broke the story that legendary community leader and Montbello/Far Northeast Warriors Coach Tony Lindsay, Sr. would not be invited back to coach football for the newly reunified Montbello High School football program. Despite a winning record that included a recent state championship, building leadership chose not to bring him back.
Coach Lindsay is more than a football coach, and much more than an X’s and O’s guy. He is a mentor, a friend, an elder, and a leader in his community since he began coaching nearly three decades ago. A onetime NFL player who played professionally in Canada, Coach Lindsay’s reputation is sterling in his community.
Asia and Kevin sit with him and hear his story. He shares his emotional journey as he recounts times that he was all some of his players had, and the outcry since the announcement has been deafening. In a time when the Far Northeast community needs every hand on deck to unite the community, this will prove a difficult blow from which to recover.
Listen and remember the value of community-grown leaders.
Read the story:
https://denverite.com/2021/12/21/coach-tony-lindsay-sr-will-not-lead-the-new-montbello-high-school-football-team/
Visit our sponsors:
Quetzal Education Consulting, quetzalec.com
Lyons Educational Consulting lyonseducationalconsulting.com
Natalie Vardabasso is one of my favorite education minds and overall cool humans that I’ve been lucky enough to meet. We first connected through Twitter (@natabasso) and we are truly kindred minds. This conversation happened a WHILE ago (shoutout to my doctoral program), but you all need to know her work, no matter how long it’s taken.
Nat’s Twitter: @natabasso
EduCrush Podcast: https://educrushpod.libsyn.com/
Sponsors:
Quetzal Education Consulting: quetzalec.com
Lyons Educational Consulting: www.lyonseducationalconsulting.com
Royalty-free music, “Wasted Education” from AdobeStock
Giant Thank you to all our Patrons; to learn more visit patreon.com/toodopeteachers
This episode was actually recorded about a week ago, but in the words of the mighty Yasiin Bey IT’LL COME OUT WHEN IT COME OUT AND IT’LL BE FIRE.
Peoples. We made it. We pushed, pulled, or dragged ourselves to the 21-22 school year’s midway point and at the very least we can (should) separate from all things work-related. We hope that this time gives you a chance to slow down and breathe in the joy and relief that comes from community and a new connection with self.
We open with a requiem to the Righteous and Brilliant bell hooks, who we lost just recently. We reflect on which of the hooks teachings that most impacted us, and pour one out for our fallen sister.
Then we reflect on what was, is, and could be the coming days, weeks, months as we keep hope alive.
We love y’all so much, and can’t wait to chop it up on the other side of ’21.
Also check out our friends from Quetzal Education Consulting at quetzalec.com!
A long time ago, I got a chance to connect with my friend Luis Antezana, former classroom teacher and founder of Juntos 2 College and DACA recipient. Born in Bolivia, Luis has long wanted to provide undocumented students with the resources for post-secondary life, not limited to college, but also in terms of financial literacy, planning, and entrepreneurship.
For more information visit https://www.juntos2college.com/
To connect with our sponsor, head over to https://www.quetzalec.com/
And to support TooDope Productions, check us out on https://www.patreon.com/toodopeteachers
The state of Colorado recently declared a youth mental health crisis that threatens the capacity of the healthcare system to take care of youth who are hurting. While this may be shocking to the general public, it is not shocking to public school teachers, who are often the first to learn that a young person is struggling with their mental health. This development is particularly not shocking to Jodi Miller, a doctoral candidate and former high school teacher who has developed WellCheq, a revolutionary way to monitor students’ mental health in a way that is safe, non-intrusive, and confidential way that simultaneously lends itself to professional support. Jodi, the soon-to-be Dr. Miller, observed the effects of stress on her students when she taught high school science, and decided to make this her doctoral and life’s work.
Plus possibly the greatest top five in the history of HD Top Fives.
Find more information on WellCheq here: https://wellcheq.com/
This week, we are fortunate to bring you a conversation with Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero! It is unusual to break down the walls between leadership and teachers across the system, but our new supah-intendent is game! Listen to his story, as a kid from the Bronx who became a district leader. Hear what he has to say about staff shortages and teacher evaluations. Hear his Top Five Rappers. But most importantly, hear his two invitations and challenges to us!
Hope everyone has a good week!
We’re back this week with some things on our minds. It’s November, but for so many educators, it feels more like February. We are aging and exhausting quickly. In the first segment, we discuss mental health. The struggles, the challenges before us, and what can be done to protect and heal the spirits of teachers, students, and communities. We shout out the professionals doing the important work, but caution that heroism only goes so far. There is a mental health reckoning that we must face.
In the second segment, we discuss another reckoning: the racial one. Using the “two sides of the Holocaust” front of the culture wars, we share ways in which teaching truth and honesty may heal our nation. It is a terrifying time, but we can be a part of this important humanizing work.
This episode is brought to you by our amazing patrons, as well as Quetzal Education Consulting! Check them out at quetzalec.com for a free consultation.
We are so humbled and blessed to bring you this conversation with the inimitable Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, author of Cultivating Genius, a seminal work in antiracist and abolitionist pedagogy. Dr. Muhammad shares with us a new vision of what teaching may look like. Dr. Muhammad discusses the potential to develop living teaching frameworks, and ways to cultivate genius for ALL students.
A keeper. And a fire top five. Check. It. Out.
Michael Diaz-Rivera was a brilliant and respected teacher with a reputation for empowering and inspiring his Black and Latinx students. He rose quickly to prominence for his unapologetic radical love for his community and our children. A frequent advocate and organizer for his professional association, school, and district, Michael was featured in local stories across the city for his tireless advocacy and sacrifice for his communities.
Things went south, as they often do for Black educators. His outspoken nature landed him under thee microscope and he found his former allies turning from him. He departed teaching this summer. The classic Lauryn Hill lyric “ya might win some, but ya just lost one” springs to mind.
Michael will be okay. Maybe even better. But will we?