Identity Talk 4 Educators LIVE: Recent Episodes
Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
The "Identity Talk 4 Educators LIVE" Podcast highlights the unspoken and unsung heroes who are changing the education game as we know it! Everyday, we come across the work of so many incredible educators who simply don't get the recognition they deserve! In this podcast, we will provide the viewers with an opportunity to learn the personal stories of these incredible educators and the specific elements that shape who they are as educators. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, I had a beautiful conversation with Arlène Elizabeth Casimir where I learned about her upbringing in a Haitian household, her evolution as an educator, her business ventures Reveye and Lakay Lune, her new children's book, "Back Home", and much more! To learn more Arlène's work, you can visit the Reveye website at https://www.reveye.io/, the Lakay Lune website at https://www.lakaylune.com/, Twitter (@ArleneCasimir), Instagram (@the.awakened.teacher), and LinkedIn. BIO:Arlène Elizabeth Casimir is a Brooklyn-based activist, educator, herbalist, healer, and writer. Her experience teaching middle school and elementary school in New York City and New Orleans awakened her purpose of drawing on culturally-sustaining and trauma-responsive teaching practices to nurture the inner genius and inner teacher in others. She founded, designed, and implemented a healing-centered curriculum for her students post-Hurricane Katrina. As a first generation Haitian American, Arlène recognizes the power of community, equity, literacy, and spiritual resilience to help others live with personal integrity, transcend their circumstances, and author their own lives. She enjoys working with teachers, families, schools, and community organizations to do the inner work for socially just outer change. She recently graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University with a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and Education with a concentration in Spirituality Mind Body; and leading her educational consultancy, The Awakened Collaborative, LLC where she works as a staff developer and partner to various institutions that are aligned to her mission, vision, and values as an educator.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Juan Jacobs Sheblak to learn about his childhood in South Africa during the Apartheid era, developing a passion for activism and community organizing, his evolution as a leader of color in international schools, and much more! To learn more about Juan's work, you can follow him on Twitter (@Juan_Sheblak) or LinkedIn.
BIO:
Juan Jacobs Sheblak is an experienced Middle School Assistant Principal with a passion for education. With 8 years of experience in administration and 13 years in the classroom, Juan has a unique background that shapes his approach to leadership. He is committed to student-centered learning and upholding the value of personalized, differentiated, authentic, and inspired teaching and learning. As a BIPOC leader in an international school, combining the experience of my anti-apartheid activism can provide a unique perspective on issues related to diversity and inclusion.
Drawing from the struggles and triumphs of the anti-apartheid movement can inspire all to become agents of change in their own communities. It is important to acknowledge that while the contexts are different, the principles of equity and justice remain constant. By embracing this intersectionality, we can create a more inclusive and equitable environment for all members of the school community.
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In this episode, I welcomed Jahzara Agyemangto the podcast to talk about her early upbringing in North Philly, navigating life as a teenage mother, and making the bold decision to move to Ghana where she has established herself as a successful educator, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. To learn more about Jahzara's work, you can either visit the Vince Memorial Garden Education Foundation at vmgef.org, her fashion website at jahzarafashionalchemy.com, or any of the following social media handles on Instagram:@jahzaratheeducator@jahzara.fashion.alchemy@vincememorialgefBIO:Jahzara Agyemang is the Founder and Executive Director of Vince Memorial Garden and Education Foundation (VMGEF), serving the Ghanaian community through agriculture, diaspora business guidance, education, STEM, youth and women empowerment programs. Through a partnership with University of Education Winneba, Ghana, on specific STEM programs and mentorship, she provides full university tuitions for girls in rural areas.
Jahzara is also a former college professor with 20+ years in education, and has also serves as both a financial director and development director at major nonprofit organizations in US and Ghana.
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In this week's episode, I had the privilege of talking to Lauren Kelley, who shares about her early upbringing, the lasting influence of her late father, her life as an international educator, discovering her passion for DEIB work, and so much more! To learn more about Lauren's work, you can visit the ACS International Schools website or follow her on LinkedIn.BIO:Lauren Kelley is currently the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Lead for ACS International Schools, a group of three schools based in the UK. During her 12 years with ACS, Lauren has focused on social emotional learning, with an explicit focus on positive identity development, celebration of others and social justice as a primary teacher, director of a humanitarian project and now as Chair of the ACS DEIB Council of fifty students and staff from across the organization. Lauren is passionate about the inextricable link between wellbeing and DEIB, and the vital need to include students in all decision-making. Above all, Lauren believes there is always a way through love and that storytelling is the door needed to reach it. Lauren was born and raised in Metro Detroit, USA and holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Michigan State University. Lauren lives with her husband, Reggie and their two young children in the UK.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Dr. Mary Ashun to the podcast to talk about her early childhood, life as a school leader, her thoughts on building a sustainable pipeline for African teachers, the inspiration behind her creative endeavors, embracing her identity as a Ghanaian-Canadian, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Mary's work, you can visit her website at maryashun.com or follow her on Twitter (@ashundr) and LinkedIn.
BIO:A transformational leader with over 30 years experience in the Education, Scientific Research, Publishing and Non-Profit Sectors, Dr. Mary Ashun's pivot for the last 20 years has been on education design and it’s necessary partnerships with technology and community.Her key projects have involved the design of pan-African and international strategies for increased literacy; effective teaching; targeted training and mentoring of individuals to deliver collaborative projects for educational success.Providing affordable education is a passion of Dr. Mary's. As a result of this, she collaborated with a team of like-minded people to build a school in West Africa (His Majesty's Christian School), that would build upon this vision. Based in Asamankese (so that the literacy development project could be used as a platform), this school is modeling best practice in education delivery in rural sub-saharan Africa.Dr. Mary is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the OSE (Office Of Strategy Execution) of Ghana International School in Accra, Ghana. In January 2013, Dr. Mary co-organized TEDxSixteenMileCreek under the topic "RE-Imagine; videos are available on YouTube. She conceived the idea for TIME Conference - a gathering of educators in Accra, Ghana, the Visiting International Educator Program - the hosting of international educators at GIS for capacity building in the area of International Mindedness and arTRyx, the multidimensional display of student creativity in the Arts. She has written and had performed, 3 musicals: Prince of Egypt: A GIS Adaptation, Dancing Queen: A tribute to ABBA & Tales From Motown: A tribute to Motown Records. Dr. Mary writes for various audiences and her books are available on Amazon under my official name (Mary Ashun), and two pseudonyms - Asabea Ashun and Abena Apea. She created a book show for Rogers TV Mississauga called Book 'Em TV which was aired from September 2011 - February 2012. Her first serious novel, "Tuesday's Child was a Quarter finalist in the 2010 Amazon/Penguin Writing Contest and her second novel - Mistress Of The Game- was a Quarterfinalist in the 2011 Amazon/Penguin Writing Contest. York University's HUMA1970 uses Tuesday's Child in their 'World's of Childhood' Class.Dr. Mary intends to leave this world a better place for our children...
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In this episode, I welcome Maymouna Sakho to the podcast to learn about her early upbringing in the Bronx, embracing her Senegalese heritage, her journey from classroom teacher to school leader, the current state of inclusion and learning support services in international schools, and much more! To learn more about Maymouna's work, you can either visit her company website at https://sakholearningconsult.my.canva.site/or you can follow her on Twitter (@AdjaMaySakho) and LinkedIn.
BIO:
Maymouna Sakho is an educator, advocate, leader, supporter, and connector of people and ideas, who is passionate about serving others - particularly children - to reach their fullest potential. She currently serves as the Head of the Elementary Student Support Department at an international school in Africa. Prior to becoming an educator, Maymouna served as a financial and budget analyst, program director, student advisor, coach, and mentor. She holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit/financial management from New York University and a Master of Education from CUNY City College with a focus on Inclusion/Special Education.
Maymouna's passion for working to create equitable and inclusive spaces comes from her experience of growing up betwen two culutres, having to learn a new language and system and find a place and voice for herself.Maymouna is the founder of SLC - dedicated to supporting individuals and organizations to innovate through embracing and implementing equitable and inclusive practices. She also serves as a mentor of the AIELOC Aspiring Leaders of Color Program, co-leads AIELOC's Learning Support Affinity Group, and chairs the SENIA Africa Board.Outside of her professional life, Maymouna is passionate about spending time with her famly and friends, traveling to new countries, cooking and exploring new places to eat and working with individuals with a vision and desire to contribute to the ever changing African landscape through education and advocacy.
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In this week's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Shamari K. Reid to learn about his early years in education, what it means to be human, the power of self-regard, his new book "Humans Who Teach", and much more! To learn more about Dr. Reid's work, you can follow him on Twitter (@shamarikreid) and LinkedIn.BIO:Dr. Shamari Reid (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Reid completed his doctoral work in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition, he holds an M.A. in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and TESOL from New York University, and a B.A. in Spanish and Education from Oklahoma City University.As a scholar, Dr. Reid’s work explores how Black trans and queer youth and their communities sustain themselves amidst oppression, as well as how we can collaborate with these communities to better transform schools into sites of equitable opportunities for Black LGBTQ+ youth. His dissertation, which explores the agency of Black LGBTQ+ youth in NYC’s ballroom culture was awarded the 2022 Dissertation of the Year Award by the Queer Studies SIG of AERA. In addition to working with Black LGBTQ+ communities to reimagine schools, Dr. Reid’s work examines radical love as a moral imperative in social justice education and as a path toward culturally sustaining school communities, which he explores in his recent book, Humans who teach: A guide to centering love, justice, and liberation in schools.
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For this week, I had the honor of welcoming Adika Crémet to the podcast to talk about her early upbringing in New Zealand, navigating life as a Third Culture Kid, the ups and downs of her journey as an international educator, and so much more! To learn more about Adika's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@adikakaycremet), Twitter (@CremetAdika), and LinkedIn.BIO:Adika Crémet is living in Hanoi, Vietnam and serves as the early years team leader and homeroom teacher at the United Nations International School (UNIS) of Hanoi. She has been teaching for the past 20 years in New Zealand, Scandinavia, Denmark, and China and travelled around the world. Adika is a passionate advocate for TCKs (Third Culture Kid), inquiry-based learning, early childhood education, diversity and inclusion in schools. She hopes for a better understanding on being a global citizen and international education for the community of learners around her as she makes these her goals wherever she goes.
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In this episode, I had the honor of sharing virtual space with Rosa Alo, who shared about her Samoan heritage, growing up in New Zealand, finding her purpose as an international educator, and discovering a love for podcasting. To learn more about Rosa's work, you can follow her on Instagram & Twitter (@readswithrosa) or subscribe to the "Reads with Rosa" podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. BIO:Rosa Alo is Samoan Aotearoan but currently lives and works in Japan as a teacher at Seisen International School. Her podcast, "Reads With Rosa" is a space to share stories and amplify Pasifika and BIPOC voices, as well as chat about all her favorite things: education, books, and the creative arts.
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In this episode, it was an honor to chat with Aisha Thomas to learn about her early upbringing in Bristol, transitioning from a career in law to education, the birth of her organization and book, "Representation Matters", and living life with dyslexia. To learn more about Aisha's work, you can visit the Representation Matters website at repmatters.co.uk or follow her on Instagram & Twitter (@itsaishathomas). BIO:Aisha Thomas is the founder of Representation Matters Ltd and a former assistant principal responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion. Aisha provides training on race in education at the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England and in schools nationwide. In 2018, she presented a documentary for the BBC investigating the low number of Black teachers in Bristol, and in 2019, Aisha delivered a powerful TEDxBristol talk called ‘Why Representation Matters’.
Aisha is currently working on a number of local and national projects, including Beyond the 26, which collects stories and experiences from Black and minority educators in Bristol. She also contributed to a series of videos on allyship for BBC Teach.
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In this week's episode, I had the honor of interviewing Kanako Suwa, who shares her life as an international educator and her journey as a third culture kid living in Japan, Taipei, and Boston. She also breaks down the nuances and complexities that she has experienced in her identity journey as a queer, multilingual Japanese woman. To learn more about Kanako's work, you can visit her website at kanakosuwa.com or follow her on Instagram (@kananovels), Twitter (@KanakoSuwa), and LinkedIn. BIO:Kanako Suwa (she/her) is a queer Third Culture Kid working as an EAL coordinator in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Originally from Japan, she uses her experiences of growing up abroad and learning English as an additional language to connect with her students. She has a bachelor ‘s degree in bilingual education and an M.Ed in international education.Kanako is also on the board of ELLSA, one of SENIA ‘s partner organisations, and hopes to build a bridge between special education and multilingual education so that students who are dual-identified can receive the support they need. She is also the creator of a self paced course on TCKs for international school teachers on the EduSpark platform.She is passionate about advocating for queer students, students of colour, TCKs, and multilingual students. Her motto as a teacher is “be who you needed when you were younger” – a belief she carries into every interaction she has with students and teachers alike. Kanako is an avid reader of young adult and new adult books and posts reviews on her Instagram (@kananovels).
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In this week's episode, it was an absolute joy conversing with Joel Llaban to learn about his early upbringing in the Philippines, discovering his love for education, his life as an international educator, the state of DEIJ work in international schools, and so much more! To learn more about Joel's work, you can visit the International Schools Services website at iss.edu or follow him on Twitter (@JoelJrLLABAN) and LinkedIn. BIO:Joel Llaban is a learner and an international education leader who is committed to our collective work for the transformation of international education grounded on anti-racism and DEIJ. Prior to his current role, he was a Learning Specialist, Instructional Coach, and schoolwide DEIJ Lead at The International School of Kuala Lumpur. Joel has been in education for 20 years. He worked at the International School of Brussels, International School of Beijing, and Cebu International School as a classroom teacher, department coordinator, and accreditation coordinator. He has led schoolwide initiatives in curriculum, assessment, professional development, innovation. Joel has been involved in accreditation as a team evaluator during team visits representing NEASC and CIS. He leads various professional learning for international schools and organizations. Joel serves in the advisory role of the CIS Board Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Anti Racism. He is also a member of the Editorial Team of The International Educator. Joel holds a Master of Education in International Education Administration from Endicott College in Massachusetts and a Certificate of International School Leadership from The Principals Training Center. He is a proud member of AIELOC and Diversity Collaborative. He is a dog parent to Frida, a poodle, and Asgier, a schnauzer.
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In this episode, I chat it up with award-winning podcasting duo of Chey Cheney and Pawan Wander, better known as Chey & Pav to learn about their individual educator journeys, their introduction to podcasting, how podcasting has help to elevate their teaching practice, and the release of their new book, "Amplifying Your Practice". To learn more about Chey & Pav's work, you can visit their website at cheyandpav.com or you can follow them on Instagram & Twitter (@cheyandpav). BIO:Pawan (Pav) Wander is an elementary school teacher with 15 years of experience hailing from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Currently, she is teaching a Grade 6/7 split class, integrated with the Home School Program. Pav gratefully teaches in the same neighbourhood where she grew up and went to school, and has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be able to work with students in such a familiar community.Pav loves to teach Science and Math, and enjoys combining the two subjects into extracurricular activities that she leads with students. Pav has run programs in Robotics, Engineering and Coding at the schools where she has taught, and has loved watching students, especially females, thrive in areas of STEM. Thriving on listening to books and researching new pedagogies and themes in education, Pav loves learning about new ways of reaching and engaging with students, especially surrounding areas of podcasting, audio and video editing, as these are areas she is new to! Pav has an Honours degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from York University in Toronto, and completed her teaching certification from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. Fitness and athletics have always been important to Pav, and she endeavours to include as much physical activity in her day as possible!
Chey Cheney Is a middle school teacher with 20 years of experience, originally from Ottawa, Ontario. He currently teaches Grade 8 in Toronto, Ontario and engages in coaching and leadership work with students in the school beyond instructional time.Passionate about ELA, Chey infuses a teaching philosophy that centres around student agency, student voice and a strong commitment to social justice. Inspired by the works of Kylene Beers, Desmond Cole and Barry Schwartz, Chey is always looking for a way to embed technology in the natural flow of learning. He actively cements a consistent dynamic that ascends from consumer, engager and creator in the learning opportunities he curates. With a vast athletic background, Chey has coached elite level sports to the most fundamental community recreation leagues. He aims to form a physical education and competitive sports culture that centres on a holistic approach dedicated to inclusion and entry points for all students to enjoy and flourish in the physical education experience.In addition to his Teachers degree Chey has a History Honours Degree, a History Teaching specialist and an Adolescent Reading Specialist.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Shwetangna Chakrabarty to learn about her early upbringing in Bhutan and India, navigating the transient lifestyle of the international school ecosystem as an educator and mother, and so much more! To learn more about Shwetangna's work, you can visit the TIE website at tieonline.com or follow her on LinkedIn.BIO:Shwetangna Chakrabarty is an international educator, author, and proud AIELOC (Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color) member currently working in Tanzania. She has 16 years of experience teaching internationally. She has held multiple positions as an international educator; senior leadership team member, curriculum coordinator, university counsellor, capstone/research project manager, CIS/NEASC accreditation coordinator, IB examiner, IBEN programme leader, TIE/IB blogger and classroom teacher.
She is an alumnus of The University of Nottingham and The University of People where she completed PGCE(I) and Master of Education (M. Ed). She holds a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Education and Computer Application from universities in India. She is also a certified college counselor. She has toured over 60 universities across the world. She has worked in five countries spanning two continents, lived in six countries, and taught three different curricula.
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In this week's episode, I chat it up with my good friend Rama Ndiaye to learn about her educator journey, growing up in both Senegal and France, life as an African educator in the international school ecosystem, and the significant impact that AIELOC has had in her personal and professional life. To learn more about Rama's work, you can visit the AIELOC website at aieloc.org.
BIO:
Rama Ndiaye is an elementary teacher who has been working in the international school world for a few years. As an anti-racist educator, she strives to guide her students to actively challenge and critically examine the world they live in while helping them foster the interconnectedness that unites our shared humanity. Currently, Rama serves as a Cultural Wealth & Lifelong Learning Practitioner at AIELOC.
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with Gary Gray Jr. to learn about his childhood in Preston, Nova Scotia, discovering his love for reading and writing, navigating life as a Black male international educator, and so much more! To learn more about Gary's work, you can visit his website at garygrayjr.com or follow him on Instagram (@garyrgrayjr), Twitter (@GaryRGrayJr), and LinkedIn.BIO:Gary R. Gray Jr. is from Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is an international educator, who has taught in 5 different countries. He currently teaches 3rd Grade at the United Nations International School in Hanoi. He graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Education/Master's Education from St. Francis Xavier University. His debut picture book, I'M FROM, is illustrated by Caldecott Winner, Oge Mora.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Angeline Aow, who shared about her early upbringing in Malaysia and Australia, unpacking her identity as an Australian-Chinese migrant, life as a mother and international educator, the process of co-writing her book "Becoming a Totally Inclusive School", and much more! To learn more Angeline's work, you can visit her website at angelineaow.com or follow her on Twitter (@angeaow) and LinkedIn.
BIO:
Angeline Aow is an international educator, learning and development specialist, workshop leader, school evaluator and pedagogical leader. In these roles, she has worked in the Asia-Pacific, European, Middle-East and African regions. Angeline trained and taught as a primary school teacher in Sydney, Australia. She then began her international school career at Nanjing International School, China and is currently working part-time at Berlin International School, Germany, in the role of PYP Coordinator (Upper Elementary).
She also serves as a part-time International Advisor (focused on Inclusion via Diversity, Equity and Anti-racism - I-DEA) with the Council of International Schools. Her experiences as a homeroom teacher, music specialist, accreditation coordinator, curriculum coordinator and professional learning and development coordinator has given her unique insights in multiple areas.A well-respected International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) educator, Angeline has been working with the programme since 2002 and been a qualified member of the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (IBEN) since 2007. With over a decade of experience as a workshop leader she has facilitated multiple workshops on a variety of topics and categories. Her areas of expertise include written curriculum development, concept-based curriculum, promoting international mindedness, multilingual teaching and learning and more.
Angeline is also an experienced school visitor for authorization and evaluation purposes for both the IB PYP and Council of International Schools (CIS). She has led visits for the PYP, and been on team visits for CIS. She has successfully led her school through complex synchronised, accreditation processes towards school improvement. In this field she has ample experience having coordinated her school through successful evaluations. Angeline also served as a school representative on the Inclusion through Diversity, Inclusivity and Antiracism (IDEA) Board Committee for CIS that was established in 2020. In March 2021, Angeline became an Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) qualified administrator. This tool helps individuals and organisations assess intercultural competence and one's ability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behaviour to cultural differences and commonalities. She strongly believes that intercultural understanding underlies mindsets and behaviours that drive the development of equitable school structures where every learner matters.
Angeline launched @WomenEdDE on 8 Mar 2019. WomenEdDE is a regional network of #WomenEd that aims to support aspiring and existing women in education on their leadership journeys by organising events that connects and inspires women in education.
When she is not learning about international school education she enjoys cooking, indulging as a foodie, exploring Berlin’s arts and cultural events and spending time with her two boys and husband.
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In this episode, I had a great conversation with my friend Marla Hunter Hooper, who shared about her early upbringing, her love for swimming, life as an international educator, making the shift from teaching in the classroom to the world of academia, and much more! To learn more about Marla's work, you can visit her website at msmarlahunter.com or follow her on Twitter (@liveluvteachllc) and LinkedIn. BIO:Marla Hunter (Hooper) is a first-generation American with Jamaican parentage, hailing from the vibrant South. As a global education consultant specializing in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and culturally relevant teaching, her life is a blend of passion, purpose, and empowerment. From her rich heritage, I've collaborated with esteemed organizations and visionary leaders to foster inclusivity within educational spaces. Through Live.Love.Teach!, LLC, her education consulting firm, she deliver comprehensive DEI training addressing topics like unconscious bias, cultural competence, inclusive leadership, women's advancement, authentic leadership, and allyship. Together, we strive to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments. Beyond her professional journey, she's an avid swimmer, devoted wife, and proud dog mom. Her love for swimming and coaching empowers individuals to find their inner strength, resilience, and confidence, fostering a culture of inclusivity in the swimming community.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Abeer Ramadan-Shinnawi, who is the founder of Altair Educational Consulting. In our conversation, Abeer goes into detail about her early upbringing in the South Side of Chicago, her passion for educational activism, the need to teach the full history of Israel's colonial occupation of Palestine in our schools, the rise of Islamophobia within our society, and so much more! To learn more about Abeer's work, you can visit her company website at altairedconsulting.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@altairedconsult) or LinkedIn. BIO:Abeer Ramadan-Shinnawi is a passionate Palestinian-American educator with a career with a strong commitment to bridging cultures and fostering inclusivity, Abeer has made a significant impact in the field of education, both as a teacher and an education consultant. Abeer’s journey began as a veteran middle school social studies teacher, where she leveraged her personal experiences as a child of immigrants to connect with her students, schools, and communities. Through her dedication, she created a dynamic learning environment that inspired her students to thrive. Abeer’s expertise extends to curriculum development, as she previously served as a resource teacher in the Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Social Studies. In this role, she led curriculum development efforts and provided vital support to fellow educators. She also played a pivotal role in fostering equity within the educational landscape. Abeer’s dedication to equity is exemplified through her role as an equity liaison and as the co-facilitator of an affinity group for teachers of color. Additionally, she created and facilitated a student support group that provided a safe haven for Arab and Muslim immigrant female students, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and support. She is a founder of the Arab American Educators’ Network and an active member of numerous teacher advisory groups, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Native Americans, EdLoc Culturally Responsive Social Studies Accelerator, and the National Arab American Women’s Association. Formerly the program director at Reimagining Migration, Abeer is now a full time educational consultant serving districts’ needs for social justice interventions at all levels. As a teacher educator, she has spoken at national conferences including National Council for Teachers of English, National Council for Social Studies, Association for Middle Level Educators, Welcoming America, Center for Black Male Educators, and various professional development events in various states. Her involvement in these organizations reflects her commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity. Throughout her career, Abeer has collaborated with schools, cultural institutions, and publishers to develop curriculum, content, and activities that authentically represent the perspectives of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students and educators. Her work has been instrumental in creating inclusive learning experiences. In 2019, recognizing the need to provide educators with valuable resources and insights about Muslim and Arab youth, Abeer founded Altair Education Consulting. Through this endeavor, she has been offering educational materials, professional development, and engaging speaking sessions aimed at amplifying the voices and histories of Arab and Muslim American communities. Abeer has authored numerous education guides for ABRAMS Books and has shared her insights and experiences through conferences, podcasts, blogs, journals, and newsletter publications. Her goal is to continue working alongside educators to empower students to share their narratives, fostering global equity and justice.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing with Ismael Jimenez, who currently serves as the Director of Social Studies Curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia. In our conversation, Ismael talked in depth about his early upbringing, what inspired him to become a History teacher, why Africana Studies can save the world, his transition from teaching in the classroom to working as a curriculum director within his school district, and much more! To learn more about Ismael's work, you can follow him on Twitter (@Teacherishx) and LinkedIn. BIO:Ismael Jimenez is a dedicated educator, who for the last thirteen years has worked with students in Philadelphia from preschool age to high school. After working as a secondary social studies teacher at Germantown High School until it was closed in 2013, Ismael then was appointed to Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School where he teaches primarily African American History. Along with teaching at the high school level, Ismael has facilitated several professional developments with colleagues in the school district and at postsecondary institutions like University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, and Princeton University on issues ranging from structural racism to bridging the knowledge gap of students between high school and postsecondary institutions. Also, he has taught a graduate educational research course at Villanova University and an undergraduate social studies methods course at LaSalle University. Currently, Ismael serves as the Director of Social Studies Curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia. He is also co-chair of the Caucus of Working Educators, and co-founder of the Philadelphia Black History Collaborative and the Melanated Educators Collective, while being an active participant in several other organizations that seek racial justice in education and across the city of Philadelphia. The philosophical orientation that guides Ismael’s teaching and activism is rooted in the theoretical educational framework developed by Paulo Freire which emphasizes the interconnected nature of education with participating in the transformation of the world.
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In this episode, I had a chance to catch up with my good friend Dr. Melanie Battles to share her educator journey, her Christian faith, and the transformative work she's doing through her consultancy, Scholars for the Soul. To learn more about Dr. Battles, I can visit her website at scholarsforthesoul.com or follow her on Instagram (@drmel_soulscholar) and LinkedIn.BIO:
Dr. Melanie Battles is a woman of God, mother, wife, and devoted family member. As an educator in “urban” and “rural” schools and advocate for Black and Brown students for over 10 years, she is a PhD of Reading Education from the University of Arkansas - Little Rock, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Freed-Hardeman University, a Grad Certificate in African-American Literature and a Bachelors of Arts in English from the University of Memphis. Her passion to serve God through education and exposing students to various opportunities through HBCU college tours, college & career panels, and teen talk sessions has now led her to working to foster equitable teaching practices.Working through a culturally responsive lens, Dr. Battles aims to shift ineffective teaching and disciplinary practices towards a social-emotional foundation that REACHES and TEACHES every student through care, relationships, community, and academic rigor.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Keri Rodrigues Langan, who shared her childhood struggles in schools, what inspired her to become a parent organizer, the formation of the National Parents Union (NPU), and so much more! To learn more about Keri's work, you can visit the NPU website at nationalparentsunion.org or follow her on Twitter & Instagram (@radiokeri). BIO:Keri Rodrigues Langan is Matthew, Miles and David’s mom and was elected President of the National Parents Union in 2020. Called “arguably the most successful parent organizer in education advocacy today,” her outstanding commitment to social, economic and educational equity for children and families spans decades. Her work, impact and perspective have been featured in the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, the Washington Post, POLITICO and the Boston Globe, among others.Following her own difficult experience surviving the Massachusetts public school system and receiving her GED from Boston Public Schools, Rodrigues was not surprised when she struggled navigating the education system with her own children. Knowing that schools were not adequately meeting the needs of students and parents, she turned her focus to education activism, eventually helping other families across the Commonwealth identify and use their voice and place kids at the center of the education discussion.Rodrigues began her career as an award-winning journalist and continued her career in advocacy as a long-time labor activist, communicator and organizer with the world’s largest local labor union, 1199SEIU, leading major campaigns across the country.Armed with this experience and success, Rodrigues founded Massachusetts Parents United, the largest parent advocacy organization in the Commonwealth in 2016.Keri also serves as an elected member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, the Executive Committee of the Ethnic Council of the Democratic National Committee and the advisory board of Democrats for Education Reform.
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For the first episode of 2024, I caught up with Ashley Moore to learn about her early teaching career and her long journey from the classroom to the principalship. To learn more about Ashley's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@principal_mo) and Twitter (@Principal_Mo).
BIO:
At Empowerment Academy, students learn while laughing, having fun and trying new things. Principal Moore’s out-of-the-box thinking creates new ways to make learning enjoyable for both students and staff. Her emphasis on arts integration and hands-on creativity in the classroom means that students dance, rhyme and make art to better understand math equations and to build literacy skills. Principal Moore has been known to don a costume and pop into classroom after classroom, bringing joy and laughter to each room. The logic is clear: students learn more effectively when having fun.
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In this week's episode, I welcomed Dr. Laureen Adams to the podcast to share about her early upbringing in California, her father's influence on her work as an educator, living and working in Ghana, her views on liberatory education, and much more! To learn more about Laureen's work, you can visit her website at laureenadams.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@laureenadamsphd).BIO:As an education consultant, Laureen Adams has worked with teams of passionate educators who are committed to advancing quality education for all learners. She has over 20 years of experience in various roles in the education sector, from teaching to administration, and she holds a PH.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University.Her core competencies include project based learning (PBL), culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy (CRT), teacher and leader coaching, curriculum and learning experience design, and performance assessment. She also serves as a member of the editorial committee at West Africa Review, a peer-reviewed online journal that promotes research and scholarship on Africa. Her mission is to support all things justice and belonging, wellness and sustainability, and love and liberation in education. She is always eager to learn from and collaborate with other educators who share this vision.
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In this episode, I welcome back my good friend Dr. Courtney E. Rose to talk about the release of her debut book, "Woven Together", the importance of teacher prioritizing their identity development, her mother's influence in shaping her educator identity, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Rose, you can visit her website at drcourtneyrose.com or follow her on Instagram (@drcourtneyrose)
BIO:
Dr. Courtney Rose is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Educational Policy Studies department at Florida International University. the Founder of Ivy Rose Consulting. Dr. Rose earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum & Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, an M.Ed. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Dr. Rose taught Math & Science for three years in the Duval County Public School system in Jacksonville, FL (two years of which were completed during her commitment as a Teach for America corps member). During her years in Jacksonville, she also spent two summers working as a Corps Member Advisor, helping to develop incoming Teach for America Corps members working with a team to prepare and facilitate various professional development experiences.
Currently, her research and work interests include the development and implementation of innovative approaches to social justice-oriented, critical and culturally relevant instructional practices and curricular designs with the goal of (re)humanizing education. Dr. Rose emphasizes critical self-reflection in all of her teacher education/development work. Her upcoming book, Woven Together: How Unpacking Your Teacher Identity Creates a Stronger Learning Community, published by Jossey-Bass/Wiley, serves as a guide and resource in engaging in this reflective process. Through the inclusion of teacher narratives (including her own personal experiences) and reflective journal prompts/activities, Woven Together provides teachers and school/district leaders with the opportunity to reflect on the core experiences and beliefs that served as the threads of their teacher identity and the tools to weave together more humanized learning communities for and with their students.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the Anti-Racist Art Educators Collective, represented by Paula Liz, Vernon Faines, Dr. Reji Mathew, Dr. Lori Santos, and Anjali Wells. In our conversation, they opened up about their individual educator journeys, how they've each evolved in their instructional practice as antiracist art educators, the power of the founding of Anti-Racist Art Teachers, and much more! To learn more about the Anti-Racist Art Teachers collective, you can visit their website at or follow the collective on Instagram (@antiracistartteachers). INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ACCOUNTS ON INSTAGRAM:Paula Liz - @paulaliz.artDr. Reji Mathew - @rejimathewwriterAnjali Wells - @mrs_wellzDr. Lori Santos - @art4peaceprofessorsantosKhadesia Latimer - @thebusybrushesTamara Slade - @teach4tamaraAbby Birhanu - @ms_b_art_escapadesTara Trinity Villanueva - @tara_trinityyyyyVernon Faines - @vern_fBIO:The Anti-Racist Art Educators collective consists of full-time working educators of the global majority who believe in the power of collective action and creating a learning community by promoting inclusive thinking, celebrating diversity, and inspiring transformative action through arts education. Collectively, they also believe that art educators have the power to see COLOR, to VALUE all students, to create a brave SPACE, to FORM a more fair and just future, to recognize the TEXTURE of human life, to step beyond the LINE, and learn to SHAPE new perspectives through art education.
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with one of my favorite educated couples, Nita and Mike Creekmore. In our conversation, they shared about their early upbringings, how they first met in college as friends and reconnected years later, how they navigate the world of education as husband and wife, their new book, "Every Connection Matters", and much more! To learn more about the Creekmores, you can connect with them with the following information: NITA:Instagram & Twitter (@loveteachbless)Website: https://linktr.ee/loveteachbless
MIKE:Instagram (@bearded.school.counselor)FAMILY: Instagram (@creekmoreconvos)BIO:Nita (E'Manita) Creekmore is an instructional coach, presenter, writer, and inclusive literacy advocate. Nita and her husband, Michael, own Creekmore Conversations, where they collaborate with schools to cultivate strategies to build, maintain, and restore relationships. She was in public education for 18 years, teaching elementary grades for 13 years before becoming an elementary school instructional coach.Nita obtained her bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in elementary education from the University of South Carolina. She also received her educational specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Virginia. She is passionate about being an advocate and thought partner for teachers to help them give students what they need.Michael Creekmore is a licensed professional counselor with more than 15 years of experience and a certified professional counselor supervisor, working as a professional school counselor, freelance writer, public speaker, and voiceover artist. Michael and his wife, Nita, own Creekmore Conversations, where they collaborate with schools to cultivate strategies to build, maintain, and restore relationships.Michael earned his bachelor's degree in experimental psychology from the University of South Carolina and his master's degree in counseling psychology from Clark Atlanta University. He has also served as clinical director and clinical supervisor to community mental health programs and has been an independent consultant for the past 15 years.
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In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with educator-turned-therapist Jess Cleeves about the ups and downs of her educator journey, her introduction to clinical therapy, and the three maladies that negatively impact teacher performance and quality of life. To learn more about Jess's work, you can visit her website at jesscleeves.com or follow her on LinkedIn.
BIO:
Before becoming a classroom teacher, Jess worked with learners in informal contexts from after-school programs for 1st-3rd graders to outdoor programming for incarcerated students. After earning her MAT in secondary science education at Stanford's Teacher Prep program (STEP), Jess taught in impacted and marginalized communities in California, Colorado, and Utah, supporting all ages and stages of students from middle school through experienced in-service educators. Jess earned a second Master's of Social Work at the University of Utah while she served as the Associate Director for Equitable Instruction and Clinical Support at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education. Her current work includes a clinical therapy practice and supporting educators through workshops and consultation.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming multi-award winning educator and author Keisha Rembert on the podcast to talk about her educator journey, her new book, "The Antiracist ELA Classroom", her transition from teaching in the classroom to entering the world of academia, and so much more! To learn more about Keisha's work, you can follow her on InstagramandTwitter (@klrembert).BIO:Keisha Rembert is a lifelong learner and educator. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Teacher Preparation at National Louis University. Prior to entering teacher education, she spent more than 15 years teaching English and U.S. History in the Chicago area. Her passion for equity, social justice, and youth literature coalesce in her membership and work on the National Council for Teachers of English’s (NCTE) Committee Against Racism and Bias, as a member of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and a member of ALAN’s Board of Directors, an advisory board member for the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, as well as in her service on the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center’s Educator Advisory Board.
In 2019, Rembert was named Illinois History Teacher of the Year as well as the 2019 National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Outstanding Middle-Level English Educator. Her commitment to advocacy and equity is best reflected in her published works, myriad nationally recognized presentations, consultant work and as a Teach Plus Policy Alum, her work with the Illinois State Board of Education’s Diverse Learner and Teacher Ready Network and as a Master Teacher for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
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In this episode, I had a chance to chat with reading specialist Shannon Moore In our conversation, Shannon shares about how she developed a love for reading as a child and rediscovered that love as an adult, her educator journey, and why the Science of Reading is the best approach for teaching students how to read. To learn more about Shannon's work, you can visit her website at mooreliteracyleaps.com or follow her on Instagram (@mooreliteracyleaps)
BIO:
Shannon Moore earned a master of arts in teaching and an education specialist certification in reading. She has held many roles as an educator, including classroom teacher, interventionist, instructional coach, consultant, reading specialist, and private tutor.
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In this episode, I had a chance to catch up with my good friend and 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year Briana Morales. In our conversation, Briana shares about her early childhood, overcoming family trauma, the teacher who inspired her to become a teacher, her work with TeachPlus, and so much more! To learn more about Briana's work, you can follow her on LinkedIn or on Instagram (@queenh0neyb)
BIO:
Briana Morales is a proud Latina and freedom fighter for students in alternative education, where she has spent her career loving and learning alongside students furthest from justice in East St. Louis, IL. She focuses on empowering her students with personalized, competency-based education where their cultural funds of knowledge are honored and students work at their own pace to master content rather than traditional learning that focuses on seat time and completion of work. Briana was honored as a 2021 NCTE Early Career Educator of Color and has shared the journey she and her students have embarked on to turn pain into power through narrative poetry of witness both locally and nationally. Her commitment as a school board member for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, School District #428 has allowed her to elevate the voices of justice-impacted youth. She is deeply passionate about creating healing-centered spaces where Black and brown students can feel seen, heard, and, one day, be free to be their authentic selves. Her love offering toward this future is her nonprofit, (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc., dedicated to honoring brighter futures for girls of color everywhere by empowering them through the community of sisterhood. She earned her BA in secondary English education from St. Ambrose University and her MEd in curriculum and instruction from American College of Education. She is currently pursuing an EdD in diversity and equity in education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Briana is the 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Dr. Jen Fry to the podcast to learn about her early childhood, how she developed her love for sports, making the transition from college coach to a career in speaking and educating the masses about social justice issues within the sports arena, and so much more! To learn more about Jen's work, you can visit her website at jenfrytalks.com or follow her on Instagram and Twitter (@jenfrytalks).
BIO:Dr. Jen Fry (she/her) is Sports Geographer, 3x founder, and sought-after speaker and educator. She owns JenFryTalks, a social justice education firm that explores the intersection of conflict and DEI. Jen facilitates conversation and skill-building with organizations and teams of all sizes. She is a veteran volleyball coach with over 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level. She received her PhD in Sports Geography from Michigan State University (GO GREEN!).
Recently, Jen co-founded Hyreable, a career development company helping BIPOC professionals in the world of sports. She is also moving her group movement platform, Coordle, to market. Coordle is an intuitive, feature-rich app and web platform that serves as a central hub for all your real-time information, communication, logistics, and needs as you move your group.
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In this episode, I welcomed my good friend Ben Tinsley to the podcast to talk about his upbringing in Long Island, NY, how he developed his passion for learning French, his own evolution as an educator, and the importance of incorporating the counterstories and lived experiences of Afro-Franco people into the French curriculum. To learn more about Ben's work, you can visit his website at afrofranco.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter(@afrofranco2).BIO:Ben Tinsley is a French teacher, curriculum developer, and educational consultant specializing in the centering of Afro-Francophone culture and voices. With undergraduate concentrations in French and African American Studies from Temple University, a Master’s degree in Literacy from Rosemont College, and experiences in both urban charter and independent schools, he continues to pursue and develop equitable content and pedagogy for all language learners.
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with dancer teacher extraordinaire Alexia Pendleton to learn about how she navigates her life as a Kindergarten teacher by day and a dancer/choreographer by night. She also opens up about prioritizing her mental health to combat her childhood trauma, which has had a significant impact that on both her personal and professional life. To learn more about Alexia, you can visit her website at linktr.ee/thedancerteacher or follow her on Instagram (@thedancerteacher).
BIO:
Alexia Pendleton is a kindergarten teacher in Atlantic City, NJ and 2020 Teacher of the Year. Her philosophy is educating and elevating the whole child. She has been an educator for over 6 years and values community, culture, and creativity. Relationship building and engagement is also the foundation of her classroom.
Alexia started dancing in elementary school and fell in love with hip-hop. After choreographing a senior piece in high school, she knew she wanted to continue teaching hip-hop to others. After graduating, Alexia started teaching at studios throughout South Jersey.
While in college, she danced for the Stockton All Starz Dance Team and served as one of the teams choreographers. She graduated with degree in Psychology and went alternative route to become a teacher. However, never gave up on my passion for dance!
She has choreographed for weddings, Quince’s and everything in between. She also instruct adults in hip hop fitness. Alexia brings dance everywhere she goes from the classroom to the studio. She is passionate about dance and the joy it brings to herself and others.
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For this episode, I had the pleasure of welcoming I'm honored to welcome Kyley Pulphus to the podcast to talk about her educator journey, growing up as a child in New Orleans, her love for writing, her mission to support teachers and students to interact with writing as a liberatory practice, and so much more! To learn more about Kyley's work, you can visit the We Scribbin' website at wescribblin.com or follow her on Instagram (@wescribblin). BIO: Kyley Pulphus is the founder and principal of We Scribbin'. Born and raised in New Orleans, Kyley grew up in the Lower 9 ward where she still lives down the street from her mama. She received her BA in Communications from University of New Orleans, and her MFA in Film Making from Florida State University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a Literacy Education focus. Kyley is an award-winning children’s film writer/director. After working in children’s television in Los Angeles, she returned to New Orleans to pursue a career in education. She was a skilled classroom teacher and teacher coach. Kyley was also a teacher consultant for the Greater New Orleans Writing Project, and was the founding program director at 826 New Orleans, the youth writing nonprofit. Under her stewardship, Kyley supported thousands of young people in strengthening their writing skills. She oversaw the publishing of 30 books of youth writing, worked with dozens of teachers, and facilitated many professional development workshops. Kyley has received several honors, most recently being awarded the International Literacy Association’s Helen M. Robinson Grant. She was also recognized as one of Gambit's 40 under 40 and a Millennial Educator of the Year Finalist. Outside of work, Kyley enjoys spending time with her loved ones, a good snowball, and dancing, especially to brass band music. LINKS: Instagram Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with Ashley Lipscomb to learn about her educator journey, overcoming multiple 'no's and "Ph.D rejection offers, the inspiration behind the Institute of Anti-Racist Education, her faith journey, and so much more! To learn more about Ashley's work, you can visit the Institute of Anti-Racist Education website at antiracisted.org or follow the Institute on Instagram (@antiracistedinstitute)BIO:Ashley Y. Lipscomb has a wealth of experience working with, motivating, and advocating for students and educators. After working as a teacher for five years and serving as a youth minister for eight years, Ashley has developed specialized interventions for her students, contributing to her success as an information literacy and language arts teacher at Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morristown, NJ. During her time in the classroom, Ashley advocated for the expansion of the language arts curriculum, leading to the incorporation of young adult literature that portrayed the Black experience. She also worked closely with school administrators to address pipeline issues contributing to the lack of a representative teaching staff.A graduate of Hampton University (BA English and Master in Teaching), Harvard Divinity School (MDiv) and Montclair State University (Certificate in Supervision), Ashley has participated in and spearheaded several committees focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in both K-12 and higher education settings. She provides DEI consulting to students in the Diversity and Inclusion Management Course at the Harvard Extension School.
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In this episode, I had a chance to catch up with Deana Forbes to learn about her newest business venture, Dailey Learning Academy, a home daycare business for children aged 2-5 in the Fredericksburg, VA area. She also opened up about early childhood in Danville, VA, discovering her love for teaching, navigating the rigors of motherhood and edupreneurship, and so much more! To learn more about Deana's work, you can visit her website at socialstudiesscholar.com or follow her on Instagram (@socialstudiesscholar).
BIO:Deana Forbes, also known as "The Social Studies Scholar", is a history teacher, curriculum designer, presenter, full time boy mom and so much more! Teaching Black history, teaching truth, fostering the joy in education and sharing Black stories are all important to her! I enjoy helping other teachers do the same inside and outside of their classrooms!Growing up in a small town called Danville, VA, Deana was involved in all kinds of clubs, sports and teacher cadet programs. A group of her friends and her led at risk middle school girls in a group called Empowered Young Women United. That solidified her desire to teach at the middle and high school level.Fast forward, Deana earned a partial athletic scholarship to Attend James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA and be on the women’s track and field team. There, she recieved my B.A in history and Master or Arts in Teaching 6-12 Social Studies. While attending JMU as a student-athlete, Deana developed her passion for sharing Black stories and teaching truth. She even discovered that she enjoyed creating classroom resources from scratch to use in her student teaching experiences. She had the most wonderful experience in the College of Education and learned so much from her professors.Upon graduating from JMU, Deana has served as a high social studies teacher and assistant track and field coach within the Prince William County Public School district, and, most recently, has started her own home daycare business, Dailey Learning Academy, which will serve children aged 2-5 in the Fredericksburg, VA area. Deana has previously collaborated with brands and companies like Quizlet, NPR, In These Times, Play Black Wall Street and Flora Maria Shop to add to her mission of fostering the joy in education and sharing Black stories.LINKS: Instagram Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
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To kick off Season 3, I'm honored to welcome Kayland Lamar to the podcast to share her educator journey, the launching of her personal development coaching business, and how she uses her personal self-care journey as a vehicle to support educators and professionals to prioritize their mental health and personal development. To learn more about Kayland's work, you can visit her website at kaylandlamar.com or follow her on Instagram (@kaylandlamar) or Twitter (@KaylandLamar). BIO: Kayland Lamar is a Personal Development Coach who specializes in helping professional women create sustainable self-care systems that push them to show up for themselves consistently both inside and outside of the classroom. As an educator with 10+ years of experience, she has seen it all. Because of her own personal battle with burnout, she has developed a particular skill set that allows her to strategically support highly successful women as they navigate work-life balance.As a Personal Development Coach, her goal has always been to equip high performing women with skills and strategies rooted in intentional self-care and meaningful boundary setting. Working with successful career women is Kayland's absolute passion and she believes that every woman deserves to prioritize their wellbeing unapologetically.LINKS: Instagram Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
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In this episode, I had a great conversation with Uche Njoku about his early life in Nigeria, his evolution as an educator, and what ultimately pushed him to resign from his principal role after a long, successful career. To learn more about Uche's work, you can visit his website at sneakerprincipal.wordpress.com or follow him on Instagram (@snkrprincipal), Twitter (@SNKRPrincipal), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Hailing from Inglewood, California and a native of the Igbo tribe of southeastern Nigeria, Uche Njoku became a high school special education teacher and dean of students in the Bronx in 2005 through the New York City Teaching Fellows program. Starting in 2016, he served as a principal, first at The School of Mathematics, Science and Technology through the Arts (I.S. 318) in the Bronx’s District 12, and then as the principal of John Jay School for Law in the Brooklyn North High Schools District. Uche is a member of the inaugural cohort of The Gray Fellowship for Principal Excellence, and a member of the 2021 cohort of The Cahn Fellows Distinguished Principals Program. He is also the first principal to serve as a member of the board of directors of PENCIL, a New York City not-for-profit organization founded with the goal of raising awareness about public education by inviting civic and business leaders into New York City public schools. Uche holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Media, with an allied field in African and African-American studies from the University of Rochester, as well as advanced degrees, including a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. Uche is an avid digital content creator, which includes The Sneaker Principal Podcast. A space for educators and allies working on closing the achievement gap in urban communities.
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In this episode, I'm honored to welcome Dr. Crystal Menzies to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, the founding of The EmanicpatED, her collaborative research work with the Maroon communities, and how teachers can incorporate Black historical counternarratives into the curriculum. To learn more about Crystal's work, you can visit the EmancipatED website at emancipatededucation.com or you can follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter (@emancipate_ed).
BIO: Crystal Menzies, PhD (she/her) is an educator of Black and Brown youth, a postdoctoral researcher studying cultural community wealth, and the founder of EmancipatED. A former culturally responsive teacher in urban schools, Crystal aspired to teach her students about ways of being and thinking that did not center whiteness. However, she quickly realized that it would take more than being a “good teacher” to dismantle the systems of oppression that led to the systemic violence she and her students experienced.
In an effort to tell a more expansive story of the Black experience across the Diaspora that didn’t perpetuate trauma narratives, Crystal traveled the globe to learn about the rich history of resistance and liberation movements that are often made invisible in our collective history books. Drawing on her Guyanese and African American roots, the legacy of Black educators, educational psychology, liberatory pedagogy, and African-Diasporan history, Crystal founded EmancipatED to uncover our hidden Black history.
Through research-based educational products that center Black communities, Crystal hopes to create environments in which Black people, as a collective, can find joy, empowerment, and community through multi-generational learning. Her flagship product is an exploration kit that shares the stories of Maroon communities, which offers Black and Brown families a model for how to navigate as liberated beings within oppressive systems. She lives in the Bay Area (or the Yay area as she affectionately refers to it) and enjoys reading, Marvel movies, and daydreaming of Black Futures.
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In this special episode, I got the chance to interview Christopher Clyde Green and Estelle Bougna Fomeju to learn about their personal journeys in education and the power of counternarratives in K-12 education. To learn more about Christopher and Estelle's work, you can check out their information below:
Christopher Clyde Green - WEBSITE (chrisclydegreen.com); TWITTER (@ccgreen)
Estelle Bougna Fomeju- WEBSITE (tissiconsulting.com); INSTAGRAM (@sallyspoetry)
BIO: Estelle Bougna Fomeju is a pan-African Consultant in Education passionate about history, geopolitics, cultural inclusion, antiracism and indigenous worldviews. She founded Tissi, a consultancy in education for social change based in Mali, that works with schools and organizations worldwide. Her areas of expertise are education project management, culturally-inclusive and antiracist capacity building for educators, decolonial curriculum development and instructional design. Before founding Tissi, Estelle worked as a Senior Project Manager for a network of African international schools, where she managed the creation of IB schools in Mali and Botswana. Estelle was born in Cameroon and grew up in Guinea, Chad, and Mali then moved to France and the US for university. She graduated from Sciences Po Paris with a Masters in International Development in 2015. In 2021 she obtained a MED in Advanced Teaching from the University of People in partnership with the International Baccalaureate. With her work, she hopes to help fulfill the promise of education, that of equipping young people with adequate tools to analyze, question, and transform their environment.
Christopher Clyde Green currently teaches IB Language A: Literature, Language and Literature, as well as TOK at Ecolé International de Genève (International School of Geneva) & Institut Le Rosey. Being an advocate for the International Baccalaureate he has been a IB examiner and reader for the past five years. A citizen of both Britain and Jamaica, he has previously taught at Oporto British School in Portugal and Mill Hill School in the United Kingdom. He is an alumnus of the University of London (Royal Holloway) and Cambridge University (Homerton College).
Besides teaching, he has written professionally for various media outlets on music, education and culture and previously worked professionally in the entertainment industry as a writer and an actor.
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Erica Glover to learn more about her personal journey in education, her love for basketball, the founding of Disrupter University, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Glover's work, you can visit the Disrupter University website at disrupteruniversity.com or you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter (@drericaglover), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Dr. Erica Glover is a servant of education, committed to equity and inclusion. Throughout her career in education, Dr. Glover has worked as an educator, administrator, and also within Human Resources. As a Disrupter, Dr. Glover’s experiences reflect a common thread of one common theme: ensuring access and opportunities for marginalized groups of people. During her time as an educator, Dr. Glover supported students learning in self-contained units, as a result of behavioral concerns and emotional disabilities. She recognized the inequities faced by students placed in her classroom, and worked to provide her students more equitable learning opportunities, where students were able to experience teaching and learning with peers.
As Dr. Glover transitioned into her role as an administrator, she remained dedicated to standing for equity and inclusion among students, teachers, and colleagues. She developed programs to support peer-to-peer mentorship, book clubs for educators within the building, alternative to suspension programs, and parent groups to support building initiatives. All the while, Dr. Glover supported colleagues with the process of reflecting on instructional practices and strategies to grow both students and educators. 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. Within her more recent role as a Recruitment Manager, Dr. Glover continues to develop innovative systems and processes to recruit and retain underrepresented populations of people in education. Dr. Glover is also a former Division I athlete, playing semi-professional basketball for several seasons. Her experiences as an athlete led her to coach and train youth for twelve years. During this time, she also began a boys AAU basketball program, to provide youth from urban communities the opportunity to compete without the financial burden to commit. Through AAU programming, Dr. Glover was also able to provide players with educational support needed to advance as a student-athlete in college.
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with Dawnavyn James to learn more about her educator journey, the creation of The Black History Club, her upcoming book "Beyond February", the importance of teaching Black History through children's books at the early childhood level, and so much more! To learn more about Dawnavyn's work, you can visit her website at linktr.ee/queendomteach follow her on Instagram (@queendomteaching), Twitter (@queendomteachin), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Dawnavyn James is an early childhood and elementary educator. She has taught kindergarten, fifth grade, and all the grades in between. She graduated from Stephens College with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She previously taught kindergarten for the Columbia Public School District and is now pursuing her doctoral degree full-tme at the University of Buffalo, where she also serves as a fellow for the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education. Dawnavyn also is the creator of The Black History Club and is passionate about embedding Black histories into curriculum. Dawnavyn’s recent publications include Motivating Writers Through Blogging and A Recipe for Young Historians of Black History.
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In this week's episode, I had the honor of interviewing Sheila Akbar to learn about her journey in education, her love for poetry, her transition from being a Harvard pre-med to an education entrepreneur, and helpful tips for parents and high school students who preparing for college. To learn more Sheila's work, you can visit the Signet Education website at signeteducation.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
BIO: Sheila Akbar joined the Signet team in the summer of 2010, bringing with her a wealth of experience teaching SAT, ACT, GRE, literature, and composition in both one-on-one and classroom settings. Sheila loves both teaching and learning, and finds nothing more rewarding than working closely with students to overcome the challenges they face. After graduating from Harvard in 2002, Sheila spent two years working in financial services before continuing her academic career, which culminated into two doctorates. She brings her significant business and academic experience to bear on her current role at Signet. Her skills include speaking to every client to craft a tailored solution for their needs, managing the administrative team, and providing educational thought leadership for the company. Sheila holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Harvard University and two doctoral degrees from Indiana University.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have Kathy Lopes come on the podcast to talk about her journey in education and social work, the release of "Change the Narrative", how school leaders and administrators must engage in antiracist work within their school communities, and so much more! To learn more about Kathy's work, you can visit her company website at inklusionconsulting.com or follow her on Instagram, Twitter (@kathylopes21), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Kathy Lopes is a licensed clinical social worker and educator with decades of experience working in education, mental health, non-profit, and government sectors. She began her career as a school social worker in both Boston, MA and Washington, DC, and is now settled back in her home state of Massachusetts where she has held numerous managerial and administrative roles in the field of social work and education. Throughout her career, equity and inclusion have remained an integral part of her leadership and strategic planning priority. Currently, she is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Newton Public Schools and holds a longstanding adjunct faculty role at Simmons University School of Social Work, teaching courses on racism, policy and leadership. She is a sought-after guest lecturer and public speaker on topics of cultural humility, equity, anti-racism and social justice.
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In this episode, I welcome my good friend Afrika Afeni Mills to the podcast to discuss her new book, "Open Windows, Open Minds", the pros and cons of writing in the white gaze, what it means to be pro-human, and so much more! To learn more about Afrika's work, you can visit her website at afrikaafenimills.com or follow her at Instagram (@open_windows_open_minds) and Twitter (@AfeniMills).
BIO: Afrika Afeni Mills is an Education Consultant and the author of Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students with Corwin Press. She works with colleagues, teachers, coaches, and administrators to transform instructional practices. Afrika has been featured on podcasts, blogs, delivered keynote addresses, and facilitated sessions at conferences both virtually and 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, culturally responsive learning environments that inspire wonder and creativity and nurture diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging from an antibias, antiracist, pro-human mindset.
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In this episode, I welcome Curtis Valentine to the podcast to share his journey in education, his earlier life as a Peace Corps volunteer, the founding of Real Men Teach, and so much more! To learn more about Real Men Teach, you can visit the organization's website at realmenteach.com or follow them on Twitter (@RealMenTeach2) and Instagram (@realmenteach).
BIO: Curtis Valentine is Co-Director of the Progressive Policy Institute's Reinventing America's Schools Project. Curtis comes to this position with over 15 years experience in local, state, federal, and international education policy. Curtis currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park and as At-Large member of the Prince George’s County (MD) Board of Education. Prior to joining the Progressive Policy Institute, Curtis served as Consultant to the National Council on Teacher Quality. In the past, Curtis served as Executive Director for State Relations with Connections Education, a virtual K-12 public school provider, where he directed state level education policy in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Virginia. Prior to joining Connections Education, Curtis was International Affairs Fellow (IAF) with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Curtis was the first IAF posted to the Education Department where he served in Secretary Arne Duncan’s Office of International Affairs.
As a fellow, Curtis promoted American economic competitiveness by examining the education reform efforts of four developed countries (Finland, Poland, Canada, and South Africa). Curtis is a graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard Kennedy School’s Commencement, Curtis received the highest student honor: the Robert F. Kennedy award for excellence in public service for his work in post-Katrina New Orleans. After graduating from Morehouse College, Curtis joined the Peace Corps and traveled to South Africa where he led a professional development-training program for primary school educators. After two years, Curtis returned to the Maryland and became an 8th grade Language Arts Teacher. A former appointee to the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board in Maryland, Curtis is a Contributor to the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, the National Council on Teacher Quality Blog, and the Council on Foreign Relation’s Renewing America blog. Curtis is married to Dr. Daria Valentine, a Middle School Principal, and father to Curtis and Ivy Valentine, both public school students.
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Lisa Talusan to learn about her journey in education, growing up as a second-generation Filipino-American, and her book, "The Identity-Conscious Educator". To learn more about Liza's work, you can visit her website at lizatalusan.com or follow her on Instagram (@ltalusan), Twitter (@ltalusan), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Dr. Liza (LIE-zuh) Talusan (taLUS-ahn) is an educator, speaker, leader, writer, leadership coach and parent. With over 25 years of experience in PreK-20 education, Liza is an engaging facilitator in conversations about diversity, anti-racism, bias, privilege and power and creates environments that allow for people to discuss these difficult topics openly. Through her direct work with organizational leaders, staff, students, teachers, and communities, Liza empowers individuals to create a more inclusive organization, environment, community and team. Dr. Talusan has been invited to more than 350 organizations across the country and internationally to deliver keynote addresses and facilitate dialogue groups, training workshops, to develop strategic planning, support change management, and empower leaders. Having achieved her Professional Certified Coaching (PCC) level credentials, Liza helps clients set and achieve goals by tapping into what it means to lead a goal-centered life. Additionally, Liza is certified in the Intercultural Development Inventory, a tested assessment to guide teams in developing greater cross-cultural capacity and determining pre-and-post DEI outcomes.
Liza is the recipient of numerous awards including "Best 40 Under 40"; NASPA Region I Mid-Level Professional Award; NASPA APIKC VIP Award; Asian Women for Health's Peer Leader Award; Promise in Action Mentoring Nominee; Network for Equity, Excellence in Education Award; the REAPA (AERA) Dissertation of the Year Award; the Harriet Buescher Lawrence Prize from Connecticut College; and a number of institutional grants: Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Child Development from Connecticut College, Masters of Arts in Higher Education Administration from New York University, Ph.D. in Higher Education from University of Massachusetts Boston, Certificate in Human Resources, Stonehill College, PCC Coaching Credentials, ICF Certified Coach, Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
Liza's cumulative research interests include the experiences of historically underrepresented and excluded populations; Asian American and Pacific Islander issues; socialization to graduate programs; navigating academic parenthood; cross-racial solidarity movements; recognizing and reducing unconscious bias; and the impact of federal financial aid policies. Liza's dissertation, "The Formation of Scholars: Critical Narratives of Asian American and Pacific Islander Doctoral Students in Higher Education" is available on ProQuest. Her new book “The Identity Conscious Educator: Building habits and skills for more inclusive schools” is published by Solution Tree Press and available at all bookstores. Liza's Top 5 StrengthsQuest Themes are Achiever, Maximizer, Discipline, Activator, and Connectedness. She is someone who is driven, results-oriented, effective and organized, engages others to reach their potential, and practices the principles of community and human connection.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have Rebekah Macden come on the podcast to share her journey in education, life as an international educator, the origin of the Maracujá program, and the need to foster identity and character development in our schools. To learn more about Rebekah's work, you can visit her website at rebekahmacden.com or connect with her on Instagram (@rebekahmacden and @maracujaeducation), Twitter (@rebekahmacden), and LinkedIn.
BIO: Rebekah Macden is a dynamic international educator, consultant, speaker, and writer. Rebekah is also the co-creator of Maracujá, a character-driven SEL program that continues to have a life-changing impact on thousands of students in several schools around the globe.
Growing up as a first-generation immigrant in a small Midwestern town in the USA played a monumental part in the shaping of Rebekah’s multifaceted identity. Coming from a rich cultural heritage and a loving family of musicians, singers, ministers, educators, and social workers, Rebekah’s passion for impacting others whether in mass numbers or 1-1, has been generations in the making.
A visionary and innovative educator with 18 years of experience, Rebekah has developed and implemented student-centered programs that have had a transformative effect on students' lives and educational journeys. She is a powerful and engaging keynote speaker, thought leader, panelist, and facilitator of virtual and on-site training.
As a fierce advocate for joy, purpose, and identity, Rebekah’s mission is to transform the world of education by empowering others to find their unique voice and walk in true freedom.
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For this special episode, I'm excited to have the following three panelists lead this important discussion about using intersectionality as a tool to humanize diverse student identities and create classroom spaces that are inclusive, equitable, and foster a sense of belonging:
Craig Martin is an experienced, award-winning school leader and a managing partner for CCM Education Consulting Group. Through his company, he partners with school leaders and organizations by supporting them in creating inclusive and student-centered learning environments.
TWITTER - @CraigCMartin12
WEBSITE - https://www.craigcmartinleads.com
Françoise Thenoux is an ABAR consultant, as well as an ESL and Spanish educator with almost 20 years of teaching experience. While working as an ESL teacher, she helped Latinx families understand the benefits of bilingualism via workshops and conferences. She is a passionate advocate for equitable, inclusive, social justice-oriented World Language curriculum. Francoise shares her passion and resources with a wide community through social media as "The Woke Spanish Teacher".
INSTAGRAM - @thewokespanishteacher
TWITTER - @TWSteacher
Destiny Clarke is a former middle and high school English teacher who now serves as the Founder & CEO of DiscoverED with Destiny. Through her company, Destiny helps educators use equitable and LGBTQ+ inclusive strategies to create communities of care for LGBTQ+ youth. She is also the host of the Closeted History podcast.
INSTAGRAM - @discoveredwithdestiny
TWITTER - @discoveredwdes
WEBSITE - https://www.discoveredwithdestiny.com
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For this special episode, I caught up with the one and only Patrick Harris II to learn about his unique journey in education, his new book, "The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers", and the important of controlling our personal narratives as educators in the midst of this Great Resignation period. To learn more about Patrick's work, you can visit his website at itspatrickharris.com or follow him on Instagram & Twitter (@PresidentPat).
BIO: Patrick Harris II is a Black queer writer, storyteller, and middle school humanities teacher. He has won multiple national teaching awards for his leadership and innovation in the classroom, including recognitions from NCTE, ASCD, and ILA. Teaching and creating is only part of who Patrick is. He is a big brother, a cat dad, lover of all things horror, a WWE fanatic, and is obsessed with scenic hikes.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Christina Rodriguez to learn about her journey in education, her Nicaraguan upbringing, life as a Latina in academia, the founding of Latinas with Masters, and so much more! To learn more about Christina's work, you can visit the Latinas with Masters website at latinaswithmasters.com and/or you can follow her on Instagram (@latinaswithmasters) and Twitter (@latinaswmasters).
BIO: Christina V. Rodriguez is a first-generation Nicaraguan-American Latina with a multi-cultural and equity-minded mindset with a commitment in creating equitable opportunities for Women of Color in Business, Housing and Academia. Christina received her Bachelor's degree in Latino/a Studies from San Francisco State University and went on to receive her Master's degree (MBA) with an emphasis in Marketing at Notre Dame de Namur University. She is a currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership and provides 15+ years of marketing experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. When Christina is not working on Latinas with Masters or doing research for her dissertation, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two children, including their family dog Frijol.
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of welcoming my good friend Lizette Roman to the podcast to share her educator journey, as well as engage in a conversation about engaging our emerging bilingual learners in a culturally responsive manner within the classroom. She also shares how growing up as a first-generation Cuban-American has shaped her development as an educator. To learn more about Lizette's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@educating_with_love) and Twitter (@lizetteRoman13).
BIO: Lizette Roman is a certified bilingual educator in one of the most heavily integrated school districts on Long Island, NY. The need for specialized, actionable teaching methodologies that can be implemented into the classroom became a pressing need, in order to effectively teach & connect with her students. Her classroom environment has been created so all students feel and know they are respected and that their individual needs will be met. Walking into her bilingual classroom, Lizette finds a variety of flexible seating arrangements, evident Sheltered Instruction Operation Protocol strategies & planning, differentiated instruction, flipped classroom & student lead 21st century lessons infused with technology! In addition to teaching her students the material necessary to progress through their studies, she also works to equip them with life skills that challenge many children of non-English speaking parents. She teaches them how to set goals for themselves, bring in a financial advisor to teach students about financial awareness, teach students how to handle conflict-resolution & to listen like a diplomat! Lizette also works to help advocate for parents by regularly meeting with them, speaking with them on the phone, to connect them to community resources for things like legal advice, or helping them communicate with medical professionals on behalf of their children. She strives to help them advocate for their children in the classroom which includes making suggestions on how to better help their children meet their individual needs, how to prioritize goals & setting them up for success with proper study skills & organization skills. Her main focus as a teacher is to build up her students & teach them self-love, providing them with the social & emotional confidence so they can feel confident in their ability in the classroom. It’s from this place that Educating With Love was born. Lizette believes, with the right tools, teachers can do the same for their students. As both a speaker & consultant she is available to come to your educational facility or education conference to teach others how to implement these practices and strategies into their classroom. The goal of Educating With Love is to empower teachers to reach & teach their students with new confidence.
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In this episode, I had the special honor of interviewing Britt Hawthorne to learn more about her educator journey, life as an antiracist momma, and her new book, "Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide". To learn more about Britt's work, you can visit her website at britthawthrone.com or follow her on Facebook & Instagram (@britthawthorne).
BIO: Britt Hawthorne (she/they) is an antiracist educator, teacher, speaker, visionary, and advocate. She is the current PBS Children’s Media and Education- Educator and Community Engagement: Antiracist and Anti-bias Consultant and Advisor. She also serves on the Association Montessori International/USA Human Rights and Social Justice Committee and works with the Sankofa Learning Center, an African-centered learning ecosystem, in New Haven, Connecticut.
She is committed to raising a generation of antiracist children by centering families of the global majority and fostering equitable learning environments for students and children of all ages and backgrounds. Britt’s work moves the idea of equity in education from a goal to reality. She partners with action-orientated educators to create classroom environments that are inclusive and equitable for all learners. Britt was an antiracist educator in the classroom but was pushed out of teaching when her two Black sons experienced educational racism. Now, as an anti-racist facilitator, she creates spaces where the intersection of education and social justice may be explored. Her honest and inspiring journey to create space, documented on Instagram, has since garnered over 100k engaged readers as well as a deeply committed online community.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming April Boyce to the podcast for a deep dive into the significant impact of ableism at both the K-12 and higher education level. To learn more about April's work, you can visit the Beyond Inclusion website at gobeyondinclusion.org or follow her on Instagram (@gobeyondinclusion) and Tiktok (@ms.april_)
BIO: April Boyce is a doctoral student and researcher based in Seattle, WA. She has been in the field of education for over ten years, serving as an early childhood educator, K-5 accessibility specialist, and adjunct professor for racial equity coursework. After working with students with disabilities, she became increasingly frustrated with the inequities and injustices my students faced within the education system. She began advocating for anti-racist and anti-ableist education through social media but was distracted by the noise of those not yet ready to engage in this work. April sensed the urgency to continue professional learning at a deeper level, so she created Beyond Inclusion to reach educators that are open to the possibilities of a more equitable education system.
April's goal for Beyond Inclusion is to engage anti-racist/anti-ableist educators through learning opportunities that enable them with the skills to liberate every child. They welcome all teachers, specialists, and administrators at every stage of the journey to become more anti-racist/anti-ableist professionals. This is a space for educators to build connection, engage in the process of inquiry, and empower one another to reflect and transform our own practice and school communities. Through our collective work, she knows that meaningful change can be made in education.
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In this episode, I welcomed Dr. Qiana O'Leary to the podcast for a conversation about her personal journey in education, the founding of Minty Educational Services, the impact of Black women in educational leadership, and much more! To learn more about Dr. O'Leary's work, you can visit the Minty Educational Services website at minty-es.org or follow her on Instagram (@mintyes20).
BIO: Dr. Qiana O'Leary is an Assistant Professor for the Texas A&M University System and the co-founder of Minty Educational Services, a former administrator for charters and public schools, and a Social Justice educator. She co-created and produced a web series highlighting the success of Black Educators teaching unique and creative lessons for students called BlackademX. Dr. O’Leary is dedicated to transforming schools by mentoring school leaders as they examine issues of equity, inclusion, and racism in their effort of becoming agents of radical school reform.
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In this episode, I had the special honor of being in community with Camille Joy for an in-depth conversation about her story of overcoming adversity, discovering joy through her faith and motherhood, creating harmony in her life as a thriving entrepreneur and a mother to a child with autism, and so much more! To learn more about Camille's work, you can visit her website at mojpodcast.com and/or follow her on Facebook and Instagram (@momentsofjoypodcast)
BIO: Camille Joy is a wife and a Mom to 5 amazing boys. She wears many hats entrepreneur, podcaster, survivor, advocate, and a voice of hope to the brokenhearted mommy. Like her name, Camille is a woman of joy who uses her various platforms to encourage As a form of self-expression and healing, Camille Joy launched her podcast, Moments of Joy in 2018 to encourage, uplift, and motivate people who are rebuilding their lives after experiencing traumatic situations. Through the weekly podcast, she shares her own life experiences and inspiring stories from other moms around the world. On a new audio app called "Clubhouse" She is the founder of an international Moms Club, the largest parenting club on the app called The Real Moms Club. Her hope and mission is to unite moms from all over the world through community. They meet weekly for conversations all about Motherhood.
LINKS: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/identitytalk4educatorslive/ Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/identity-talk-4-educators-live/id1509599570 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/23k0HRkXxi1OJSahtqS7xO Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDNjZGQ2Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiA6NSi6rT1AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en Anchor - https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with teacher-librarian extraordinaire Julia E. Torres about her personal journey in education, her evolution in librarianship, the current banned books controversy impacting schools during the pandemic, and so much more! To learn more about Julia's work, you can visit her website at juliaetorres.com and you can also follow her on Instagram & Twitter (@juliaerin80).
BIO: Julia E. Torres is a veteran language arts teacher and librarian in Denver Public schools. She is a teacher/activist committed to education as a practice of freedom. Her practice is grounded in the work of empowering students to use Language Arts to fuel transformative resistance and social progress. Julia has been awarded the 2020 NCTE Colorado Affiliate Teacher of Excellence award chosen as a 2020 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and serves educators as a member of the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE) Board of Directors, Educolor Collective Steering Committee member, Book Love Foundation Board Member and Co-founder of #DisruptTexts. Through her work with The Educator Collaborative, and other organizations, Julia facilitates workshops and professional conversations about anti-bias/anti-racist education, social justice, and culturally sustaining pedagogies in Language Arts, as well as digital literacy and librarianship. Her work has been featured in several publications including NCTE’s Council Chronicle, NPR, AlJazeera’s The Stream, PBS Education, KQED’s MindShift, NY Times Learning Network, The Chicago Tribune, ASCD’s Education Update, Rethinking Schools, School Library Journal, and many more. Her forthcoming co-authored title Liven Up Your Library will be published by ISTE in 2022.
LINKS:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/identitytalk4educatorslive/
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/identity-talk-4-educators-live/id1509599570
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/23k0HRkXxi1OJSahtqS7xO
Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDNjZGQ2Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiA6NSi6rT1AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
Anchor - https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Tony DelaRosa to the podcast to share his personal journey into education, how schools should combat anti-AAPI racism and xenophobia, the need for AAPI representation in the teaching profession, achieving cross-racial solidarity in the pursuit of collective liberation, and much more! To learn more about Tony's work, you can visit his website at tonyrosaspeaks.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@tonyrosaspeaks).
BIO: Tony DelaRosa (he/siya) is an aspiring Anti-Bias & Anti-Racist Educator, Motivational Speaker, DEI Consultant, Poet, and overall Cultural Broker. In 2013, he co-founded Pulse Poetry, a school elective course and after school program which uses spoken word pedagogy and public speaking to empower youth voice in Indianapolis, Boston, Miami, and across the globe. He has a Masters in Teaching at Marian University and a Masters in Education with a focus on Arts Non-Profit Management from Harvard University. In 2015, because of his work with Pulse Poetry, he was invited by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico to speak on the power and impact of Arts Education and International Exchange. He served as a Board Director of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) a 501c3 sponsored by the Ayala Foundation and Philippine Embassy to strengthen US to Philippine relations in the field of education. His work has been featured in NPR, Harvard Ed Magazine, the Smithsonian, Columbia University's Hechinger Report, Hyphen Magazine: Asian American Unabridged and elsewhere. He's currently working on an education series called "#ISANGBAGSAKasVERB" which focuses on cross-racial & cross-ethnic coalition building to help communities practice solidarity in action and has co-founded NYC's first Asian American teacher support, development, and retention initiative called AATEND under NYC Men Teach, the NYC DOE, and Office of the Mayor. In 2021, he was awarded the INSPIRE Award given by the National Association of Asian American Professionals & United Airlines.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming long-time education leader Dr. Ian Buchanan to the podcast to share his personal journey in education, his process for developing strong leaders through his company The Nia Education Group, his perspective on the current state of educational leadership during COVID-19, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Ian's work, you can visit his company's website at niaeducationgroup.org and/or follow him on Twitter (@docianbuchanan).
BIO: Dr. Ian Buchanan, President/CEO of Nia Education Group, has committed almost three decades in service of students, organizations, families and communities. “Dr. Ian” has an impressively broad range of leadership, coaching, teaching and professional development experiences. His work has primarily been in the sectors below: - Traditional Public School District Leadership (St. Louis Region) - Public (Portfolio) Charter District Leadership (Achievement School District-Tennessee) - Informal Science Education Leadership (National Science Foundation, St. Louis Science Center) - Education Nonprofit Leadership (Teach For America-St. Louis, Inspire STL) - Higher Education Administration (Harris-Stowe State University) - Adult Basic Education (The School of University City – Adult Education Program) - Board Leadership (Jamaa Academy, IamESTL Foundation) Capacity-building is a skill, passion and gift for Dr. Ian. This commitment to capacity-building is driven by two guiding principles. The first guiding principle is “To whom much is given, much is required.” Ian recognizes his level of access, opportunity and capital. He leverages that and decades of experience, technical skills and passion for change to help individuals and organizations reach their fullest potential. The second principle that undergirds the work at Nia Education Group is the West African concept, ubuntu. Loosely translated, in means, “I am because we are.” Nia Education Group understands that we can only achieve transformative change if we embrace a commitment to a collective responsibility. We do our work with the belief that our commitment to our clients will translate into structural and systemic change.
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In this episode, I had the chance to chat with Jessica Wei Huang and learn about her personal journey in education, her socialization process as an Asian-American, the current state of anti-AAPI racism internationally, the dire need for cross-racial and cross-ethnic solidarity during the pandemic, and so much more. To learn more about Jessica's work, you can visit her website at jessicaweihuang.com or follow her on Instagram and Twitter (@huangjaz).
BIO: Jessica Wei Huang has eighteen years of combined teaching and leadership experience. She believes that facilitating cross-cultural and diverse conversations around personal identity, cultural difference, and systemic inequities is a powerful way to build community and understanding in educational settings in order to drive systemic and dynamic change in school settings. She has co-facilitated professional development for school districts and non-profits in creating and sustaining a culture of equity and anti-racism and is also a certified coach for ACSA (Association of CA School Administrators). She is currently based out of Singapore.
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In the final episode of 2021, I bring on my good friend Dr. Melanie Dillett-Dukes for a timely conversation about the importance the radical self-love and liberation as educators. We also discuss her life abroad as a United Nations baby, how she navigated her multiple identities as a Black woman, the release of her debut book, "My Freedom Journey"', and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Dukes' work, you can visit the BeyondFree website at beyondfreellc.com or you can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram (@maddukes).
BIO: Dr. Melanie Dillett-Dukes is passionate about creating brave spaces for diverse groups of people to engage in discussions, empower action, and create change. Growing up outside of the United States for 15 years of her life, as a United Nations baby, gave her great insight into the intricacies of varying perspectives and their connection to practices and ideologies of people. With 20 plus years in the educational arena, Melanie has taught school-aged children from preschool to high school, founded her non-profit Creative Community to ignite student voices, coached teachers on culturally relevant pedagogy, designed curriculum, analyzed statewide data systems, and facilitated diversity, inclusion & equity workshops for adult professionals.
To deepen her contemplative practices, she has completed intense training on Cognitive Based Compassion Training (CBCT) through Emory University. Her experience as an Equity Facilitator Fellow through CREATE, deepened her skills to facilitate conversations and create actionable items around identity, systemic oppression, and anti-racist work. In her current role, she is leading equity work with over 110 teachers and staff members and the parent/guardian community. Melanie’s ability to listen for understanding, empathize, and to connect with others translates easily into developing organic and holistic coaching strategies that fosters growth mindsets and stimulates environments for people to thrive.
Over the many years of working in traditional education and facilitating sessions in equity, social justice, and anti-racist work in corporate and educational arenas, has revealed the deep need for healing and reconciliation. Motherhood and the deep desire to restore hope to people has led her on this journey of liberating the minds of people and creating platforms to create viable solutions to breaking systems that bind our true selves.
Dr. Dillett-Dukes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education from Spelman College. She fostered her skills in curriculum development when she earned her Masters of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Melanie remained at Columbia to complete her Education Doctorate in International and Transcultural Studies with a specialization in Family and Community as Educator. She has inherited her mother’s green thumb at a later stage in life, enjoys cooking her father’s Belizean dishes, and watches her children embark on their unique journey of life in pure amazement.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Dr. Stephanie Boyce to the podcast to share her personal journey in education, the founding of The FRESH Classroom, the release of her new book, "The FRESH Classroom: Why Culturally Responsive Education Can't Wait", the evolution of scholarship around culturally responsive teaching, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Boyce's work, you can visit The FRESH Classroom website at thefreshclassroom.com or follow her on Instagram (@freshclassroom and @dr.srboyce) and Twitter (@Fresh_Classroom).
BIO: Dr. Stephanie R. Boyce is an edupreneur driven by her passion to reshape the educational landscape by making culturally responsive teaching a way of life. For the last decade, Boyce has focused her studies and work on matters of racial justice and equity for historically marginalized people with a focus on educational spaces. She currently serves as the Chief Education Officer of Stephanie Boyce & Associates, LLC., the parent company of The FRESH Classroom, Professor & Director of the Writing Program at Paul Quinn College, and Lecturer of African American Studies at the University of Houston.
Dr. Stephanie Boyce’s ironic journey along the path of academia was anything but typical, having taken her from being a rebellious student in at-risk schools to teaching and leading in at-risk schools, and eventually serving as a researcher and advocate in the same schools. By the time her journey is half complete, she will be added to a list of phenomenal innovators who advocate tirelessly for the millions of students who may otherwise be left voiceless in classrooms across America.
In addition to her work within educational institutions, Dr. Boyce works as an educational advocate partnering with allies in the fight for equitable policies and legislative priorities for ALL. In a world where the complicated processes and verbose industrious jargon cause many citizens, especially those in marginalized groups, to disengage with the legislative entities that govern them, Dr. Boyce’s goal is to demystify complicated systems and show ALL people entry points into engaging with the political processes and collaborating with elected officials to ensure equitable outcomes for students and distribution of resources and opportunities.n addition to her work within educational institutions, Dr. Boyce works as an educational advocate partnering with allies in the fight for equitable policies and legislative priorities for ALL. In a world where the complicated processes and verbose industrious jargon cause many citizens, especially those in marginalized groups, to disengage with the legislative entities that govern them, Dr. Boyce’s goal is to demystify complicated systems and show ALL people entry points into engaging with the political processes and collaborating with elected officials to ensure equitable outcomes for students and distribution of resources and opportunities.
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In this week's episode, I welcomed hip-hop educator Vernon Thompson Jr. to the podcast to share his personal journey in education, the making of "The Joe Clark Tape", the emergence of hip-hop pedagogy in education, and so much more! To learn more about Vernon's work, you can follow him on Instagram & Twitter (@vernonsthompson). You can also purchase "The Joe Clark Tape" right now on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Clark-Tape-Explicit/dp/B08V53DZ77) and Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-joe-clark-tape/1550842836).
BIO: Vernon Thompson graduated from Quinnipiac University with a BA in Marketing. He was the school’s first Division 1 walk-on to receive a scholarship. He also served as the Assistant Basketball Coach at Albertus Magnus College leading the school to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He received his Masters in Special Education with a concentration in Learning Disabilities from Southern Connecticut State University. He completed his 092 Educational Administrators certification at the University of Bridgeport. He has taught in the Bridgeport Public school district for 14 years. In the 2018-2019 school year he served as Assistant Principal at Hartford Public High School, he is currently the Assistant Principal at Warren Harding High School. As a teacher he utilized community organizing and community relationships to advocate for Bassick students and families. He has made himself known as a Hip Hop Educator, utilizing Hip Hop Visual Arts to send positive messages to the urban community. His videos have received over 120,000 views. His most recent project titled "The Joe Clark Tape" has received nearly 10,000 streams in the last two months.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming award-winning principal Fatihah Abdur-Rahman to the podcast to share her inspirational journey into education, overcoming homelessness as a teenage mother, navigating the waters of educational leadership as a Black woman, and so much more! To learn more about Principal Rahman's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@principal_rahman) and subscribe to the Born to Win in Education podcast.
BIO: Fatihah Abdur-Rahman is a passionate and dedicated educational leader who is committed to academic excellence. She views education as a way to defy societal challenges that impact urban communities. Rahman’s desire in urban education was ignited while working as an assistant teacher at a Camden Head Start over twenty years ago. There she interacted with elementary students who were performing below their grade level, which prompted her to pursue a BS in Elementary Education. Rahman is a servant leader called to serve those who experienced many of the challenges she faced and overcame. After graduating from Oakwood University in Alabama, she returned to Camden ready to serve as a teacher in Camden City Public Schools. In her first year as a teacher, she made tremendous gains with her students, and was selected by her colleagues as Parkside Elementary School’s teacher of the year.
Some of her accomplishments include: being selected in 2008 by the Camden City BOE to pursue an MPA in Educational Leadership at Rutgers University. She also was the first educator from Camden, NJ to travel to South Africa with the Rutgers South Africa Initiative. Fatihah has served as an educator, School administrator, PLC facilitator, NJ trained mentor, and Camden PLUS resident. Rahman is currently completing the coursework for her Doctorates degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at Walden University, and plans to graduate in the near future. Fatihah attributes her professional achievement to education.
As a visionary, Fatihah Abdur-Rahman sees beyond the here and now and recognize the potential in everyone she is called to serve. Rahman holds a high bar, and yet believes in providing high level of support for teachers and students. Through her implementation of social emotional learning programs, culturally relevant curriculum, and community driven approach, Ms. Abdur-Rahman envision a school where all of her students are valued, challenged, and prepared to break cycles and close gaps. Ms. Abdur-Rahman is also a transformational leader who sees herself as an agent of change. One of her goals is to re-envision the culture of parent and community engagement for the development of the whole child. It is her belief that education equality and equity can and will be achieved for all students.
Fatihah Abdur-Rahman is change the narrative for many of her scholars. Not only is she changing the narrative, Fatihah is doing it in a short amount a time. In her tenured as principal at Forest Hill, Ms. Abdur-Rahman ran a Reader Are Leader Pop Up story time in the park to combat the summer reading slide. She engage families with her book giveaways at her Water Ice Wednesdays. During the school year, she opened her doors to the community with her Leaders are Readers series, Pearl to Wisdom Tea, and "Knot" for Me boy program that shared with young men those things that are "not for me" (drugs, gangs, bullying, etc.). She and her school community faithfully give and serve food at various shelters for women and families on what she calls Thankful Thursday. In years to come, she plan to have a greater impact through her various partnership and mindset that her scholars are born winners. They will win!!!!
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This week's episode is dedicated to all the music educators who are making a positive impact in schools all over the world! I had the honor of interviewing award-winning music teacher Franklin Willis to learn about his journey in education, how Music came into his life, the importance of culturally relevant teaching in the music classroom, and so much more! To learn more about Franklin's work, you can visit his website at fwillismusic.com or follow him on Instagram (@fwillismusic and @princerhythmcompany).
BIO: For more than a decade, educator, and leader, Franklin Willis has served the students and families of the Metro Nashville Public Schools community. Through music, Willis has educated, mentored, and developed young minds to be forward thinking contributors to society. A servant leader specializing in authentic culturally relevant teaching, empowering student contributions, and developing teachers to reach their full capacity, Willis finds true joy when at the service of others. As Elementary Music Coach for MNPS, he equips teachers with instructional support and necessary resources to strengthen their professional acumen and enhance their classrooms. This includes shepherding colleagues and teachers through the reality’s students are faced with around equity, inclusion and racism.
Through his work, he has developed a passion in the cultivation of musicianship for young minds as every child has musical potential and deserves a music teacher who will see the best in them. Willis believes that music education is a vital tool to teach students about other cultures, create community, and inspire a love for learning. Willis consistently uses his network to provide opportunities for students to utilize their passion for music for all to see. This includes producing music videos and stadium performances at CMA Fest, a four-day music festival in Nashville, TN. Willis has created and facilitated professional development sessions for music teachers of all grade levels sharing his unique and relevant teaching practices. He consistently collaborates with colleagues, community organizations, local businesses, colleges, and universities to advocate for the importance of music education in our schools as well as developing curriculum that will lead to higher engagement from students.
Through his work Willis has received national recognition for his commitment to student learning, his passion for the profession and his innovative teaching practices. He is a three-time recipient of the CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Award. ('16, '18, '19). Willis is a children’s book author and graduate of the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Music in 2009. In 2012, he earned the Master of Education Degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Belmont University. Most recently Willis completed the Education Specialist Degree with an emphasis in Instructional Leadership from Tennessee Technological University.
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In this episode, I had an awesome conversation with veteran international education leader Kevin Simpson about his personal journey in education, life as an international educator, the need to diversify the international teaching force, and so much more! To learn more about Kevin's work, you can visit the Association of International Educators & Leaders of Color website at aieloc.org and/or you can follow him on Instagram (@kdslglobal) or Twitter (@GlobalKdsl).
BIO: KDSL Global is an education consulting company launched by Kevin Simpson in 2016 in the USA and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Simpson and his team have served thousands of schools, organizations, educators, and leaders worldwide in over 25 countries. The majority of this work in education has centered on American curriculum schools. Since 2008, Simpson has been focused on education in the MENA region, assisted numerous schools with accreditation, training, development, and served as a thought partner to investors on school start-up projects. Simpson is co-founder of the UAE Learning Network and leads the GCC ASCD Connected Community. In addition, he has co-authored papers on American curriculum in the MENA region with a focus on Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, social studies, the arts, and the history of American Education in the UAE. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University (USA).
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing bestselling author and critical race sociologist Dr. Crystal Marie Fleming. In our conversation, she shares about her childhood and humble beginnings, her time at Wellesley College, her new book, "Rise Up!: How You Can Join in the Fight Against White Supremacy", her evolution as a scholar in academia, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Fleming's work, you can visit her website at crystalfleming.com and follow her on Twitter (@alwaystheself).
BIO: Crystal Marie Fleming is a critical race sociologist, the author of three books and an internationally recognized expert on racism and antiracism. Her work empowers people of all backgrounds to become change agents and dismantle white supremacy. She is Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at SUNY Stony Brook where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on racism and ethnic relations, sociological theory and qualitative methods. Dr. Fleming’s passion for speaking truth to power and promoting social transformation infuses her scholarship, writing and pedagogy. She earned a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in Sociology from Harvard University and graduated with honors in Sociology and French from Wellesley College. Her research appears in leading journals such as Social Problems, The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Poetics, Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race and Mindfulness.
Her first book Resurrecting Slavery: Racial Legacies and White Supremacy in France (Temple University Press, 2017) uses critical race theory and qualitative research to significantly advance scholarship on racism in France and Europe. The book marshals ethnographic data, archival research and in-depth interviews with French activists and Afro-Caribbean descendants of slaves to consider how commemorations of enslavement and abolition both challenge and reproduce the racial order. Her critically acclaimed primer, How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide (Beacon Press, 2018), combines memoir, critical race theory, social commentary and satire to debunk common misconceptions about racism. The book earned a starred Kirkus review and has been widely praised as essential anti-racist reading by everyone from Publisher’s Weekly to Bustle, ESPN/The Undefeated to the Los Angeles Lakers, Buzzfeed, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and MarketWatch. Dr. Fleming's latest book, RISE UP! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy, is a YA nonfiction work that explores the roots of racism and its modern day legacies while empowering young people with actionable ways to create a more just and equitable world. It will be published in October of 2021 by Henry Holt for Young Readers. She is currently co-editing a fourth book, Beyond White Mindfulness: Critical Perspectives on Racism, Health and Wellbeing, forthcoming with Routledge and completing a fifth project, Words to Remake the World: A People's Dictionary for Social Change, under contract with Beacon Press.
A public intellectual known for her frank talk and insouciant humor, Crystal's provocative writing, lectures and workshops engage a wide array of scholarly and social topics, from racism and white supremacy to pop culture, spirituality, feminism, sexuality and philosophy. Her work and commentary are regularly featured in a range of national and international media, including Courrier International, The Sunday Times, France24, Agency France Presse, Newsweek, Vox, Black Agenda Report, The CBS Sunday Morning Show, The Root, NPR, and the New York Times among others. She is represented by literary agent Michael Bourret and Outspoken Agency for keynotes and speaking engagements.
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In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with fellow Math educator and Pan-African scholar Akil Parker. In our conversation, we touched on his personal journey in education, how attending HBCUs shaped his development as an educator, the founding of his company All This Math, the role that mathematics can play in the Pan-Africanism movement, and so much more! To learn more about Akil's work, you can visit the All This Math website at allthismath.com or you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter (@allthismath)
BIO: Akil Parker retired from the School District of Philadelphia in 2018 to grow and develop his math tutoring and educational consulting company, All This Math, LLC. He works diligently to empower youth through mathematics education. He worked in Philadelphia Public School classrooms as a math teacher for over 15 years, teaching courses ranging from pre-algebra to calculus, including state-standardized test prep and SAT/ACT prep. He has transitioned from working on the front line in the classroom to working behind the scenes as a math tutor, preparing students to perform well in their classrooms. Even in a different capacity, his goal has remained to empower youth to understand mathematics as a viable tool for student benefit. His own children have inspired him to expand his mathematics teaching and tutoring beyond the classroom.
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming 2021 Oregon Teacher of the Year Nicole Butler-Hooton as my special guest. In our conversation, Nicole shares her personal journey in education, how she centers her identity as an Indigenous educator in the classroom, her educational advocacy work throughout her home state of Oregon, transitioning from the classroom into her new role as a Teacher mentor for this new school year, and so much more! To learn more about Nicole's work, you can visit the CCSSO website at https://ntoy.ccsso.org/2021-state-teacher-of-the-year-oklahoma-jena-nelson/ or follow her on Instagram (@nbutlertoy2021) and Twitter (@ButlerHooton).
BIO: “Be the Change you wish to see in the world,” by Mahatma Ghandi, is the quote that best describes 2021 Oregon Teacher of the Year Nicole Butler-Hooton. She is a thoughtful, connected, loyal Native American woman who believes in the value of family, friendships, community, and growth. She exemplifies living each day to its fullest. Born into a minority family where neither parent graduated high school and raised in a small coastal town, Butler-Hooton’s personal drive to excel at the highest level resulted in her success in high school academics, sports, college, and in her personal and professional life. Butler-Hooton earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon (UO) in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies, and she was a recipient of the Sapsik’ʷałá grant, provided to high-performing Native American students striving to earn their Master’s degree in education. Upon receiving her Master’s, she secured a job in the Bethel school district teaching second grade at Irving Elementary in Eugene, Oregon, where she has taught for 15 years. Irving Elementary boasts a supportive community, which has empowered and affirmed Butler-Hooton’s vibrant, inclusive, and culturally competent teaching style. Her colleagues, families, and students respect her well established classroom culture. Each day she teaches and transforms the lives of her students and families. Butler-Hooton’s primary professional goal is to build rapport and make a positive difference. Butler-Hooton is involved in the Oregon Indian Education Association, Eugene Education Association, Northwest Christian University consortium, UO elementary education, and the Bethel School District professional learning community for culturally sustaining practices.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Transformative Justice practioner and educator Neha Sobti. In our conversation, Neha shares about her personal journey in education, the need to decolonize restorative justice practice in our schools, life as a queer South Asian woman while engage in antiracist education work, and so much more! To learn more about Neha's work, you can follow her on Instagram and Twitter (@nehajoya).
BIO: Neha Sobti is a Transformative Justice practitioner, anti-racist school leader, scholar and poet. She supports educators in creating school communities grounded in relationships, healing, care, and culturally sustaining practices. She dreams and leads conversations about dismantling systems of racism in schools while supporting you on your journey to adopt anti-racist and transformative practices. Neha is currently a Doctoral Student at New York University in the Department of Administration, Leadership and Technology. She writes on topics of school discipline and transformative/restorative justice in education.
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In this episode, I had the special honor of welcoming Tema Okun to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, her evolution as an antiracist scholar under the mentorship of the late Dr. Kenneth Jones, the publishing of her widely used article, "White Supremacy Culture", the need for white educators to transition from performative ally to active co-conspirator, and much more! To learn more about Tema's work, you can visit the White Supremacy Culture website at whitesupremacyculture.info or you can follow her on Instagram (@okuntema) and Twitter (@TemaOkun).
BIO: Tema Okun has spent over 30 years working with and for organizations, schools, and community-based institutions as a trainer, facilitator, and coach focused on issues of racial justice and equity. Dr. Okun currently co-leads the Teaching for Equity Fellows Program at Duke University, which works with faculty seeking to develop stronger skills both teaching about race and racism and across lines of race, class, and gender. She was a member of the Educational Leadership faculty at National Louis University in Chicago and has taught undergraduate, master's, and doctoral level students in educational leadership and education. She is the author of the award-winning The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching About Race and Racism to People Who Don't Want to Know (2010, IAP) and the widely used article White Supremacy Culture. She publishes regularly on the pedagogy of racial and social justice. Tema is a participant in the Living School for Action and Contemplation and a member of the Bhumisphara Sangha under the leadership of Lama Rod Owens. She is an artist, a poet, and a writer. She lives in Durham, NC where she is fortunate to reside among beloved community. Her current project is deepening her ability to love her neighbor as herself. She is finding the instruction easy and the follow through challenging, given how we live in a culture that is afraid to help us do either or both.
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In this episode, I had the special honor of interviewing anti-bias anti-racist educator and consultant Liz Kleinrock to learn about her personal journey into education, growing up as a transracial adoptee, the release of her debut book, "Start Here, Start Now", what it means to be an ABAR educator, and so much more! To learn more about Liz's work, you can visit her personal website at teachandtransform.org or you can follow her on Instagram (@teachandtransform) and Twitter (@teachntransform).
BIO: Liz Kleinrock is an anti-bias anti-racist educator and consultant based in Washington, DC. A transracial adoptee, Liz was born in South Korea and grew up in DC before attending Washington University in St. Louis, MO. After graduating, Liz moved to Oakland, California, where she served as an AmeriCorps teacher with Girls Inc. and Super Stars Literacy for two years. Following her service, Liz moved to Los Angeles, where she attended UCLA's Teacher Education Program, where she earned her M.Ed. After spending a year student teaching a 5th grade class in Watts, Liz joined the founding faculty of a startup school in East Hollywood where she spent seven years teaching 1st through 4th grades. In addition to classroom teaching, Liz also works as an anti-bias anti-racist facilitator for schools, organizations, and companies across the country. Her work has gained national recognition through a documentary short produced by Fluid Film, and media outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post, NPR, and BBC. In 2018, Liz received Teaching Tolerance's 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching, and currently serves on the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board. Liz is proud to share her 2019 TED Talk from "Education Everywhere" on building foundations of equity with young learners, and is the author of “Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community”.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Siriana Abboud on the podcast. In our conversation, Siriana shares about her personal journey in education, the founding of Allusio Academy, the public perception of early childhood programs pre and post-COVID-19, her thoughts to the colonial situation in Palestine, and so much more! To learn more about Siriana's work, you can visit the Allusio Academy website at allusioacademy.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@allusio.academy) and Twitter (@siriana_).
BIO: Siriana Abboud, founder of Allusio Academy, is devoted to a life in early childhood education. Her career began at Carnegie Mellon University. She received her B.S. in Psychology, with concentrations in developmental and social/personality psychology. Her additional major in French and Francophone Studies introduced her to bilingual acquisition and multilingual learning. At Columbia University, Teachers College, Siriana gained her Masters in Early Childhood Education, in both general and special education. There, she became the youngest student selected as a QUIERE scholar, studying education through social justice. She received an additional certification in French teaching. She has taught in twelve classrooms across New York City and Pittsburgh, ranging from infant to second grade. Her extensive experiences have equipped her with the knowledge and skills to serve students of all diverse backgrounds and abilities.
Through her latest role as a head teacher in an NYC Universal Pre-K, Siriana developed an elementary mastery of Spanish, adding to her linguistic skills in English, Arabic, and French. Siriana values progressive pedagogies that are child-centered and informed by developmental research. As a teacher, she honors families as leaders of their child’s education. Her approach is inspired by those of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and other play-based philosophies. She invites children to explore their communities while bringing their world into the class. She has been featured on NPR’s On Point Radio, Vogue Living Arabic, The Telegraph Food UK, and Pittsburgh Today Live.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Buffalo's finest Dr. Tiffany M. Nyachae on the podcast to learn about her personal journey to education, her transition from the classroom to academia, how she manages racial battle fatigue as a Black woman in academia, the importance of incorporating 'race space' critical professional development in our school communities, and so much more! To learn more about Tiffany's work, you can visit The Evolving Education Project at evolvingeducationproject.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@tiffany.m.nyachae or @evolvingeducationproject) or Twitter (@tiffany_nyachae or @EvolvingEduProj)
BIO: Tiffany M. Nyachae is Assistant Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The Pennsylvania State University, College of Education. She is also podcaster, educational consultant, and founder of the Evolving Education Project; a fellow in the STAR (Scholars of Color Transitioning into Academic Research Institutions) Mentoring Program through the Literacy Research Association (LRA); and 2018-2020 Cultivating New Voices (CNV) Among Scholars of Color Fellow through the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Dr. Nyachae earned her Ph.D. in Literacy Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning at the University at Buffalo (SUNY).
As a native and longtime resident of the city of Buffalo, NY, at the heart of her research agenda is, has been, and will be improving the educational experiences of students of Color. This agenda is evident in her research on supporting the racial literacy, social justice ideological becoming, and classroom practice of urban teachers committed to social justice through “race space” critical professional development. Additionally, she provides educational consulting and professional development to college/university faculty, school districts, administrators, and teachers through the Evolving Education Project.
As a former middle school teacher of urban Black youth, Dr. Nyachae is interested in the continuous transparent and reflective work that is required from those who claim to center social justice in their leadership, instruction, and research. Thus, she also facilitates social justice literacy workshops and programming for youth of Color broadly—and for Black girls specifically at times—interrogating the degree to which these spaces are liberatory in actuality. Dr. Nyachae finds her greatest joy in learning with (and from) young people. Her publications have appeared in journals such as Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Multicultural Learning and Teaching, Gender and Education, and Qualitative Inquiry. Finally, she also volunteers her service to various community and professional organizations.
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In this special episode, we switch things up a little bit! My wife Natalie makes her podcast debut as my co-host and we're excited to chat with our good friend Zenda Walker about her natural hair journey, creating the Know Your Hairitage book series, redefining hair education, her thoughts on the CROWN Act, and so much more! To learn more about Zenda's work, you can visit the Know Your Hairitage website at knowyourhairitage.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@zzenlife or @know_your_hairitage) and Twitter (@knowurhairitage).
BIO: Zenda Walker is recognized as a dynamic and accomplished Marketing and Sales Executive with a proven track record in developing and executing strategic business plans that achieve sales goals for global beauty brands. She also has a strong background in managing marketing campaigns to increase profits and brand awareness, and she makes informed, data-driven decisions to support growth initiatives and transform key brands.
Zenda is respected as a motivational, influential leader and collaborator who guides teams in realizing aggressive sales goals. She leverages a passion for the beauty industry to deliver exceptional customer service, and educate team members in best practices, service techniques, and product knowledge. Zenda drives new business by establishing strategic partnerships, and she is a natural networker and communicator, who fosters and maintains lasting relationships with strategic partners, C-Level executives, and key stakeholders. She also thrives in fast-paced, challenging environments that champion diversity and innovation. Zenda holds a Masters of Business Management from Cambridge College to support her exemplary educational and service background. She is also the author of the No. 1 Amazon New Release, "Know Your Hairitage: Zara's Wash Day", a children's book that celebrates diversity.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing early childhood educator Jerilee Melo on the podcast! In our conversation, she share about her early upbringing in Southern California, her family's influence in directing her to a career in teaching, the founding of Classroom to Go, the overall impact of COVID-19 on early childhood programs and students, and so much more! To learn more about Jerilee's work, you can visit the Classroom to Go website at missjerireads.wpcomstaging.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@classroomtogo).
BIO: Jerilee Melo is the founder and creator of Classroom to Go, a mobile classroom that provides preschoolers with the social interaction they were missing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born and raised in Southern California, she knew at a very early age that she wanted to be a teacher, just like her mother and two of her grandparents. Jerilee loved watching The Elephant Show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Lamb Chop’s Play-Along, and Reading Rainbow as a child and still looks to those shows for inspiration. She has had the privilege of working with children for more than 16 years and was able to learn and teach in a variety of schools with various approaches to education including Montessori, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, and Reggio Emilia. Prior to teaching, I was a co-director at My Gym Children’s Fitness Center and even developed their Preschool Prep (Jump Start) program which is now offered at locations domestic and worldwide.
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For this week's episode, we're going international with my good friend and special guest Adrienne Waller! In our conversation, Adrienne goes in depth about life as a Black woman expat and international educator, the founding of Worldwide Educator, how teaching abroad has impacted her educational practice and worldview, why more educators should tap into Clubhouse, and much more! To learn more about Adrienne's work, you can visit her company's website at worldwideeducator.org or follow her on Instagram (@worldwideeducator) and Twitter (@worldwideeduc8r)
BIO: Adrienne Waller is originally from Metro-Detroit, Michigan, USA. She studied at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor for undergraduate studies with a concentration in Organizational Studies and Sociology. She received her masters for National Louis University in Elementary Education with a concentration in Special Education. Adrienne has been in education for 15 years doing parent involvement work, teaching and leadership; serving in public, private and charter schools in the US, Qatar and China. Her leadership learning includes earning a Cambridge Leadership Certificate, Michigan School Administrator’s Certificate (August 2021) and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate. Matched with her leadership qualifications is a teaching certificate in Illinois for Elementary Education, Special Education, Middle School Social Studies and Middle School Math. Adrienne is the owner of Worldwide Educator, LLC an education consulting company focused on empowering educators to own their instructional genius while activating students. She has worked with educators across the country and the world in a variety of topics including but not limited to Differentiated Instruction, Student Centered Learning and Effective English Language Arts Instruction.
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In this episode, I had the special honor of interviewing educator and scholar Dr. Debbie Reese! In our conversation, Dr. Reese goes in depth about her personal journey in education, the founding of her organization, American Indian in Children's Literature (AICL), the misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in children's books, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Reese's work, you can visit the AICL website at americanindiansinchildrensliterature.net or follow her on Twitter (@debreese) or Instagram (@dreese_nambe).
BIO: Dr. Debbie Reese is an educator and founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL). She is tribally enrolled at Nambe Owingeh, a federally recognized tribe, and grew up on Nambe’s reservation. She earned her teaching degree from the University of New Mexico and taught elementary school in Albuquerque before moving to Oklahoma to work on a Master's degree in school administration. During her time in Oklahoma, Dr. Reese taught at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko. Then she moved back to Nambé and taught at Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe and Pojoaque Elementary School in Pojoaque (just down the road from Nambé). In the early 1990s, she moved to Illinois to work on a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. At the time, the University of Illinois had a stereotypical Indian mascot. Working alongside Native students and our allies, they were able to establish the Native American House at the University, and soon after that, launched an American Indian Studies program. A few years later, the university's mascot was discontinued. During graduate school at Illinois, she reviewed for Horn Book. She has written for library publications such as Horn Book Magazine and School Library Journal, and educational publications like Language Arts, published by the National Council for Teachers of English. She has served on the Multicultural Advisory Board for Reading is Fundamental, and the board for Reach Out and Read American Indian/Alaska Native. Dr Reese has been invited to give lectures and workshops around the country and has recently begun using technology to work with libraries and colleagues in Canada, too. In 2018, she was selected to deliver the American Library Association's 2019 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.
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This week's episode was necessary and special! If you are a Black woman in education, this episode is for you! For this conversation, I welcomed my good friend and thriving edupreneur Deidra Fogarty to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, the founding of Black Girls Teach, the need for school districts to create safe community spaces for Black women educators, and much more! To learn more about Deidra's work, you can visit the Black Girls Teach website at blackgirlsteach.com or follow @blackgirlsteach on all social media platforms.
BIO: Deidra Fogarty is a native of Bridgeport, Connecticut and is currently an Educator, Literacy Consultant and Entrepreneur. Deidra has worked in education for over a decade in various capacities. Her natural leadership ability allowed her to venture into leadership positions in Washington Metropolitan area. After a decade working in education and frustration with the current state of it, Deidra decided to make a pivot in her career entering back into the classroom as a teacher. Deidra used this as an opportunity to develop her teacher craft by working with students who needed the most academic support. With her new setting and role, came a happier mindset, thus allowing her to use her time to focus on her other passions such as diverse children’s literature, supporting teachers, providing resources literacy to parents and bringing awareness to current issues in Urban Education. She, along with her sister, launched a successful subscription service called WAM! Book Bundle where she provides a selection of diverse children’s books to parents and educators each month. Through all of her ventures, Deidra realized that there was a void in Urban Education. Along her journey, there was never a support system, community or outlet for Black women in Education, besides her own educator friends. She knew that women like herself often felt isolated and frustrated with not being able to share their thoughts about Education and their role in it, unapologetically. She wanted to create a community where other Black women working in Education could discuss topics, get advice, share best practices and connect with one another. She wanted to create a way for more people to see and hear the perspective of Black women working in Education. Black Girls Teach was the solution.
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In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting it up with my good friend Bobby Morgan. In our conversation, Bobby shares his personal journey in education, the founding of Liberation Lab, his thoughts on the state of teacher performance evaluations, the need for antiracist solidarity in the fight for liberation, and much more. To learn more about Bobby's work, you can follow him on Instagram (@liberation.lab), Twitter (@myliberationlab) or you visit his website at myliberationlab.com.
BIO: Bobby Morgan is an educator, writer, speaker, and consultant who specializes in working with other educators to promote equity and culturally responsive teaching practices. With over a decade in education, primarily in under resourced populations, Bobby is passionate about cultivating the brilliance in Black and Brown communities. Through coaching, workshops, and meaningful professional development, Bobby desires to change the educational landscape, ensuring pathways of success for students. In addition to his work within educational institutions, Bobby works as an educational advocate partnering with allies in the fight for equitable policies and legislative priorities for all students. He founded Liberation Lab, an educational consulting firm to build pathways for internal and external accountability. Internal accountability for teachers to put liberatory practices to work, immediately benefitting student outcomes. External accountability will come through empowering parents and families with the resources necessary to hold schools accountable for more than aspirations of equity.
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In this episode, I welcome Yaribel Mercedes to the podcast to talk about your personal journey in education, life as a teacher influencer on social media, the need for principal preparation programs to train principal candidates into anti-racist school leaders, and much more! To learn more about Yaribel's work, you can follow @yari_mercedes on Instagram.
BIO: Yaribel Mercedes is a graduate of the 2018 Cohort o the Summer Principals Academy, New York City. Currently, she serves as an Academic Response Team Specialist, situated in Manhattan’s Borough/Citywide Office, for the Department of Education. As an ART Specialist, she works in a collaborative partnership with districts, school leaders, and various stakeholders to build capacity and accelerate student learning. More specifically, she leads through a social justice and anti-racist leadership disposition to advance racial equity, inclusion, access, and opportunity. As a radicalized being, she understands the impact of race in education, and her passion and purpose is grounded in her commitment to disrupt racist and oppressive systems, structures, and policies that marginalize and minoritize Black, Indigenous, students of color. She deeply believes in the brilliance of every child and work with community stakeholders to cultivate curiosity, knowledge, intellect, and skills for all students to achieve at the highest level possible. Her greatest superpowers are words, writing them, speaking them, and BEING them.
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In this episode, I was honored to have educator, speaker and activist Ernest Crim III on the podcast to talk about his personal journey in education, the inspiration behind the making of his book, "Black History Saved My Life", how his college years served as a pivotal point for his evolution as an activist, and much more! To learn more about Ernest's work, you can visit his website at ernestcrim.com or follow him on all social media platforms with the handle @mrcrim3.
BIO: Ernest Crim III is a self-proclaimed Black History Advocate who is a native of the southside of Chicago and a product of the late 80s. He is a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alum who advocates for Black History, equity and justice as a speaker, cultural consultant, sociopolitical commentator, cast member on the PBS documentary ‘Divided We Fall’, author of the Amazon best-seller Black History Saved My Life, former City Council Candidate and high school social science instructor. As a consultant and speaker, he uses his experience with fighting a hate crime that went viral, to teach the important role Black History plays in becoming cultural compliant and equitable in the workplace, school and broader community. He has spoken at various conferences and institutions nationally, such as the United States Department of Education’s Black History Month panel, the University of Chicago, Illinois State University and Nevada State College. Internationally, he’s been a featured speaker in Canada and the United Kingdom.
As an educator and activist, Mr. Crim has been awarded “Most Inspiring Teacher” more than five times, the “Joliet Chamber of Commerce’s Great Teacher Award”, the National Hook-up of Black Women’s “Gold Star Award for Education”, the P.E.P.S. “Community Activist of the Year Award”, and the “Dr. Isaac Singleton Award for Extraordinary Service” by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Joliet. His debut book, Black History Saved My Life: How My Viral Hate Crime led to an Awakening, which chronicles his experiences and triumphs with racism in relation to the hate crime he was the target of, is an Amazon best-seller. He has been featured on WVON radio, the NY Post, the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, PBS as a cast member on the documentary Divided We Fall, NPR, CBS, Matter of Fact (a television show produced by former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien), the podcast of Red Table Talk co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris, which is entitled Positively Gam and several other podcasts. Mr. Crim hopes to use his life experiences to inspire others to fight injustices and educate themselves for the purpose of empowerment, equity and justice. Black History saved Ernest’s life. What’s going to save yours?
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In this episode, I had the honor of having Akiea "Ki" Gross on the podcast to talk about their personal journey in education, the founding of Woke Kindergarten, what needs to be done to improve our education system for our early childhood educators and students, the need to create queer-affirming, abolitionist learning spaces in our schools, etc. To learn more about Ki's work, you can visit the Woke Kindergarten website at wokekindergarten.org and you can follow them on Instagram (@WokeKindergarten, @WhyAbolition, @WomxynAmplify and @SistersUnsigned) and Twitter (@akieag).
BIO: Akiea “Ki” Gross (they/them) is an abolitionist early educator, coach, consultant and creative entrepreneur currently innovating ways to unlearn, heal, liberate and create with their pedagogy, Woke Kindergarten. In the many years they spent teaching in classrooms, their experiences spanned infancy to 6th grade. Prior to leaving the school system, they served as a Kindergarten Teacher and an Instructional Coach of Inquiry-Based Learning in Harlem.
Recently, Ki was selected as the Early Childhood Education Assembly’s 2020 Social Justice Award Recipient and has participated as a speaker, panelist and moderator for many organizations and events including Bank Street’s Black Lives Matter at Schools Week Symposiums, SXSW EDU, Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented, Teachers for Social Justice, Montclair State, UMBC, NYPL, Abolitionist Teaching Network and more. It was their experiences with the carceral state of schooling and the trauma enacted upon Black children in these systems, that galvanized them to create #BlackTeachersMatter, Black Teachers Mentor and Equitable Schools years ago. As their ideologies and experiences with abolition evolved, they dissolved Equitable Schools and created @WhyAbolition.
Their commitment to creating safe, inclusive and liberatory spaces for BIPOC queer & trans artists also led them to create Sisters Unsigned, an intimate concert series that amplifies the voices of independent queer, trans, gender and genre expansive BIPOC artists and creators. Along with their partner Sonic and creative team, Womxyn Amplify, they’ve directed, curated and hosted many other creative pursuits including Sisters Unsigned presents: Women in Hip Hop, Archway Pride, and SEASONS: A Voyage Through Sound, their team’s 2020 artist residency at National Sawdust.
Currently, they serve as Coaching Manager for 4.0 Schools, an early stage investor and incubator for education entrepreneurs, and are working on the release of a few entrepreneurial projects of their own. They hold an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, an M.S. in Childhood Education/Special Education from the Progressive Education Institute/Touro College and two B.A.’s in Child Development and Family Studies and Psychology, respectively.
You can find them on Twitter @akieag and their work on Instagram @WokeKindergarten, @WhyAbolition, @WomxynAmplify and @SistersUnsigned.
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For this week's episode, we welcome ethnic studies teacher and curriculum specialist Lucia Reyes to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, her Chicana heritage, the importance of incorporating ethnic studies into our K-12 curriculum, the founding of her company, ESTE Publishing, and much more! To learn more about Lucia's work, you can visit the ESTE Publishing website at estepublishing.com or you can follow her on Instagram with the handles @the_rebellious_history_teacher (Personal) and @a_rebellious_education (Business). BIO: Lucia Reyes is a proud Chicana mama to one special little human & a “Mama Reyes” to hundreds of special bigger humans. She is a 7th grade Social Studies & 7th/8th grade Ethnic Studies public school teacher and the founder of ESTE Publishing. Through ESTE, which stands for Empowering Students Through Education, she offers services & curriculum that is 100% dedicated to racial equity, social justice, & decolonized historical truth. SHE IS NOT A NEUTRAL EDUCATOR. She has spent 20 years in education advocating for the most underserved & underestimated youth in Los Angeles County to have the same educational access, rights, & opportunities as other kids. She’s tired of fighting. She just wants to teach but she’s seen too much, knows too much, hugged too many sobbing kids, seen too many kids struggle in a system that was designed to hold them down instead of lift them up.
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This special episode is dedicated to the librarians and media specialists who are holding it down in their schools! I had the honor of interviewing K.C. Boyd, Sandra Albini, and Forrest Evans, who took the time to share their personal journeys to librarianship, the significant role that librarians play in supporting students and teachers, the need for racial equity and diversity within the librarian media specialist field, and much more! To learn more about their work, you can check out their respective websites or follow them on their social media handles:
K.C. BOYD: Website: kcboyd.com; Social Media: (IG & TWITTER - @boss_librarian)
SANDRA ALBINI: Social Media: IG - @hoodlibrarian
FORREST EVANS: Website: favoritelibrarian.com Social Media: (IG - @favoritelibrarian, TWITTER - @MsForrestnoGump)
BIO: K.C. Boyd is currently a school librarian with the Washington D.C. School System. She has previously worked as the Lead Librarian for the East St. Louis District #189 in East St. Louis, IL., a Area Library Coordinator for Chicago Public Schools and a District Coordinator for the Mayor Daley Book Club for Middle School Students. She is a second generation educator and holds Master’s degrees in Library Information Science, Media Communications, and Education Leadership. Boyd currently serves on the executive boards for the District of Columbia Library Association and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. She is an active committee member for the American Library Association Chapter Council representing Washington, D.C., American Association of School Librarians Digital Tools, American Library Association’s Center for the Future of Libraries Advisory Group, Every Library Institute and Advisory Board, and the Washington Teachers’ Union Equity Collaborative. In addition, Boyd is a National Ambassador representing the Washington D.C. are for the Checkology Virtual Classroom and The News Literacy Project.
Sandra (Maríne) Albini earned a BA in English from Cal Poly Pomona. As an undergrad, she worked as a Foster Child Caregiver in a group home for teenage girls in L.A. County. She earned an MA in English from Cal State University, Los Angeles. Sandra has worked as an English and AVID teacher for almost two decades. She has taught in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Santa Clara County, all at Title I schools. She occasionally teaches night classes in adult education. Sandra has recently completed an MLIS degree and Teacher Librarian credential from San José State University. Sandra has worked as a Teacher Librarian for three years. She was also the 2020 recipient of the California State Library Association’s Leadership for Diversity scholarship. Sandra is now an active member of the CSLA Leadership for Diversity committee.
Forrest Evans is an Atlanta-based, licensed librarian working at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. Evans has worked in various libraries from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the south to special collections and television. The avid DC Comic Book collector combating under education, and fighting for gender equality. Their love for reading fuels my passion to circulate Black and Queer Literature, and resources. The low country native, also known for her published poetry in Pen+Brush, Lavender Review: Lesbian Poetry and Art, TQ Review: A Journal of Trans and Queer Voices, and The Apogee Journal. When the poet is not in the library, they are with their Queer Tribe combating xenophobia or sharing joy. For more information about Evans, visit favoritelibrarian.com or their official social media.
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With the national conversation about critical race theory gaining so much momentum in recent weeks, I invited Dr. Angel Jones and Dr. Kate Slater to educate our listeners of what critical race theory is, the true origins of the theory, and the specific actions that K-12 educators can take to integrate the basic tenets of the theory into their curriculum and daily teaching practice. They also shared about the ups and downs they experienced being women in the Academy. To learn more about Dr. Jones' work, you can visit her website at angeljonesphd.com and follow her on all social media platforms with the handle @angeljonesphd. To learn more about Dr. Slater's work, you can visit her website at kateaslater.com and follow her on Instagram (@katerslater).
BIO: Dr. Angel Jones is a passionate educator with 15+ years of experience in K-12 and Higher Education. At her core, as both an educator and a researcher, she endeavors to improve the lives of marginalized students while providing opportunities for their stories to be told. Broadly, her research focuses on the experiences of Black and Brown students at historically White institutions. More specifically, she examines how their experiences impact their mental health and overall well-being. Her areas of interest include microaggressions, racial battle fatigue, gendered-racism, and the psychological impact of each on Students of Color. Additionally, her research is informed by Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Feminism, and other theoretical frameworks that acknowledge and highlight the impact of race, gender, and other marginalized identities on the experiences of Students of Color. She is a proud first-generation college student who received her Ph.D. in Education from George Washington University with a focus on inequality in Higher Education. She also has an M.Ed. and Ed.S. in School Counseling from Georgia State University, as well as a B.A. in Political Science from Syracuse University. She is also a Brooklyn native and proud Afro Latina.
Dr. Kate Slater is a White anti-racist scholar and educator. She is currently the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs at Brandeis University. Previously, she was the Associate Director & Manager of Programs at the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, a nonprofit that promotes racial equity in the American educational sector. She is also a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire for the course Teaching Race, which explores the history of race and racism in America. Her doctoral research centers the experiences of underrepresented minorities students in higher education, and in particular, at predominantly White institutions. She also investigates White racial identity formation and how racism operates individually, organizationally, and systemically. She leads facilitations, trainings, and affinity groups with K-12 institutions and universities, as well as with numerous private organizations.
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In this episode, I welcomed special education professors Dr. Jen Newton and Dr. Mira Cole Williams to the podcast for an important conversation about combating ableism in our K-12 schools. They also shared how ableism plays into the national conversation about critical race theory, the founding of the Teaching is Intellectual Platform, the actions that educators & school districts must take to integrate anti-ableist practices into their school communities, the future of special education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more! This episode is dedicated to all the special education teachers and inclusion teachers who are in the trenches! To learn more about their work, you can visit their website at teachingisintellectual.com or you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter with the handle @teachingisintellectual.
BIO: Jen Newton, PhD is an assistant professor in special education. Dr. Newton’s research interests include strengths-based approaches to families, early childhood inclusion, inclusive teacher preparation, and socially just and equitable educational practices. She presents locally, regionally, and nationally on a range of inclusive educational topics. She served as an early interventionist and an inclusive prekindergarten teacher prior to pursuing doctoral studies. Dr. Newton earned her doctorate in special education with a focus on teacher education from the University of Kansas and spent four years as an assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., then three years at Saint Louis University before finding her home at Ohio University.
Mira Cole Williams, PhD, is an associate professor in the Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities Department at James Madison University. Dr. Williams earned a doctoral degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education from the University of Virginia. She also received her Master’s of Teaching and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Williams taught for six years in inclusive early childhood preschool and elementary classrooms in Virginia. In addition, she served as an educational specialist, consulting with teachers and families of children with disabilities, focusing on differentiating instruction and providing curricular access to all children. She is a strong advocate of high-quality teacher preparation in the area of Early Childhood Inclusive and Special Education and is focused on social justice and equity for young children and their families. She presents locally and nationally on a range of topics related to improving teacher preparation, inclusive practices in early childhood education, and disrupting microaggressions in P-16 educational settings.
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This week, I had the special honor of interviewing Baruti Kafele on the podcast. In our conversation, we touched on a number of topics, including the different expressions of anti-Blackness in K-12 schools, the specific actions that educators and school districts should take to engage in culturally relevant and antiracist pedagogy that centers Black students, and the release of his newest book, The Equity and Social Justice Education 50. To learn more about Principal Kafele’s work, you can visit his official website at principalkafele.com and you can also follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter with the handle @PrincipalKafele.
BIO: A highly-regarded urban educator in New Jersey for over twenty years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher in East Orange, NJ, he was selected as the East Orange School District and Essex County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, he was a New Jersey State Teacher of the Year finalist, and a recipient of the New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence.
As a middle and high school principal, Principal Kafele led the turnaround of four different New Jersey urban schools, including "The Mighty" Newark Tech, which went from a low-performing school in need of improvement to national recognition, which included U.S. News and World Report Magazine recognizing it three times as one of America's best high schools.
One of the most sought-after school leadership experts and education speakers in America, Principal Kafele is impacting America’s schools! He has delivered over two thousand conference and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars and student assemblies over his 34 years of public speaking. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies toward closing what he coined, the "Attitude Gap.”
A prolific writer, Principal Kafele has written extensively on professional development strategies for creating a positive school climate and culture, transforming the attitudes of at-risk students, motivating Black males to excel in the classroom, and school leadership practices for inspiring schoolwide excellence. In addition to writing several professional articles for popular education journals, he has authored eleven books, including his six ASCD best sellers - Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School & in Life, Closing the Attitude Gap, The Teacher 50, Is My School a Better School BECAUSE I Lead It?, The Principal 50 and The Assistant Principal 50. He is also the author of the ASCD book, The Aspiring Principal 50. His next book – The Equity and Social Justice Education 50will be released in May, 2021.
Principal Kafele is married to his wife Kimberley, and is the father of their three children, Baruti, Jabari and Kibriya. He earned his B.S. degree in Management Science/Marketing from Kean University and his M.A. degree in Educational Administration from New Jersey City University. He is the recipient of over 150 educational, professional and community awards which include the prestigious Milken National Educator Award, the National Alliance of Black School Educators Hall of Fame Award, induction into the East Orange, New Jersey Hall of Fame, recognition as one of the World’s Top 30 Education Professionals for 2020 & 2021 by Global Gurus Top 30 and the City of Dickinson, Texas proclaiming February 8, 1998 as Baruti Kafele Day.
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In this episode, I had the honor of chatting with school leader and racial equity coach, Joe Truss. In our conversation, he shared about his personal journey in education, the need for educators and school leaders to engage in culturally responsive leadership, how to dismantle white supremacy culture in our K-12 schools, his upcoming Dismantling White Supremacy Conference, and many other topics. To learn more about Joe's work, you can visit his website at trussleadership.com or you can follow him on Twitter & Instagram with the handle @trussleadership.
BIO: Joe Truss currently serves as the Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, CA and brings sixteen years of experience working with public K-12 students, combining teaching, coaching, counseling, curriculum development, and school administration. He also has extensive experience working in Title 1 schools, serving low-income, immigrant, students of color.
Originally born and raised in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, Joe grew up in a single-parent home, after losing my father at the age of five. He attended public schools in San Francisco and found solace in his studies. He later studied the Spanish Language at UC Berkeley in the early 2000s. He continued my education through the Urban Teacher Training Collaborative and received my Master’s in Teaching from Tufts University, in Boston. He then returned to teach High School Spanish in Oakland. After becoming a lead teacher, with Envision Schools, Joe returned to pursue an Administrator’s Credential through the UC Berkeley PLI program. There, he conducted my Leadership Action Research Project on the effects of Culturally Relevant Curricula in a small urban high school.
He later returned to San Francisco, as a high school Assistant Principal, before becoming the Principal of a middle school. There, he introduced a vision focused on Love, Literacy, and Liberation. He has worked to decrease student referrals, increase performance on the SBAC English Language Arts and double 6th-grade enrollment. During my tenure, he worked to bring in a focus on culturally responsive teaching, project-based learning, and trauma-sensitive practices.
Through his consulting company, Truss Leadership, he has led various workshops, and offered professional development to over 10,000 educators. In addition, he has begun working with schools, non-profits, and districts to manifest their racial equity goals. This includes onsite (or virtual) antiracist/antibias training for staff, strategic planning with leadership teams, and 1 on 1 coaching of leaders. Finally, he has started 2 year long virtual courses, Antiracist Leadership and Antiracist Teaching.
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In this episode, I welcome Takeru "TK" Nagayoshi to the podcast to share his personal journey in education, the prevalence of anti-Asian racism in our K-12 schools, the need to debunk the "Model Minority" narrative that decenters the intersectional identities within the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and many more topics. To learn more about Takeru's work, you can follow him on Twitter with the handle @tk_nagayoshi or Facebook.
BIO: Takeru "TK" Nagayoshi is the 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. He teaches high school AP English, writing, and research in New Bedford, MA. Having joined education through Teach For America (TFA), Takeru advocates for education policy through an equity lens. When not teaching, he coaches developing teachers and writes on education issues for local, state and national publications.
A recipient of the Sontag Prize Award, Takeru has piloted the research-based AP Capstone program. With over 92% of his students passing the AP Seminar course, he not only achieved the highest percentage of qualifying AP scores in his school’s history but also helped the district lead the state in the number of AP Certificates awarded (2018). Outside the classroom, he works with educators through mentorship programs and runs workshops on ELA content, class management, and instructional pedagogy. For example, as school operations manager and educator coach, Takeru has spent his summers training developing middle and high school teachers across the country. During the school year, as one of the content instructional leaders for TFA Massachusetts, Takeru has designed and facilitated dozens of professional development sessions for first and second-year teachers.
When not teaching or coaching, Takeru lends his voice to conversations on education-related policy issues, be they through op-ed writing or his participation on panels, committees, and fellowships. He has served as fellow for organizations such as Harvard's Education Redesign Lab, Teach Plus, DESE's Teacher Advisory Cabinet, and InSPIRED ("In-service Professionals Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity")
A native of New Jersey, Takeru has lived in Japan for 5 years and in and out of Providence for the past 8 years. He earned a BA in International Relations from Brown University and an M.Ed in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University.
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In this episode, I welcomed my good friend Sharla Stevens and the Ancestors to the show to talk about her personal journey in education, how her HBCU experience shaped her development as an educator, the inspiration behind the founding of her company, Healing Racism in Schools, and so much more! To learn more about Sharla's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@healingracisminschools), Facebook (The Antiracist Educator - Fighting White Supremacy in Schools) and LinkedIn. You can also visit her company website at sharlastevensconsulting.com
BIO: Sharla Stevens is a passionate educator eager to see our schools deliver on their promise to educate ALL children. In her 20+ year career in education, she has seen the ways that white supremacy causes great harm in our schools. As a mother of 2, her mission became even more urgent! She created her business, Healing Racism in Schools, LLC to provide school leaders with the anti-racism training necessary to serve ALL students.
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In this special episode, I had the honor of welcoming Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz to the podcast to share about her personal journey in academia, her best-selling poetry book "Love from the Vortex", the love lessons she has learned from her past relationships, her evolving work around racial literacy development, and much more! If you're a lover of love, this episode is tailor made for you! To learn more about Dr. Sealey-Ruiz's work, you can visit her website at yolandasealeyruiz.com or follow her on Instagram (@yolie_sealeyruiz) and on Twitter (@RuizSealey).
BIO: Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is an award-winning Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy in teacher education, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. A sought-after speaker on issues of race, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity, Sealey-Ruiz works with K-12 and higher education school communities to increase their racial literacy knowledge and move toward more equitable school experiences for their Black and Latinx students. Sealey-Ruiz appeared in Spike Lee’s “2 Fists Up: We Gon’ Be Alright”, a documentary about the Black Lives Matter movement and the campus protests at Mizzou. Her co-authored book [with Dr. Detra Price-Dennis] Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Toward Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces will be published in April 2021. Her first full-length collection of poetry Love from the Vortex & Other Poems (Kalediscope Vibrations LLC) was published in March, 2020, and her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles will be released in Summer 2021.
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In this episode, I virtually made my way to Toronto, Canada to have a conversation with Sylvia Duckworth. In our conversation, Sylvia shares her personal journey as an educator, the future of ed tech in this virtual learning era, the benefits of sketchnoting as a useful tool for students & teachers in the classroom, and how she has evolved in her engagement in antiracist work during her retirement. To learn more about Sylvia's work, you can visit her website at sylviaduckworth.com or follow her on Instagram and Twitter (@sylviaduckworth).
BIO: Sylvia Duckworth is an award-winning teacher and sketchnoting enthusiast from Toronto, Canada. She is a Google Certified Innovator, Trainer and Apple Distinguished Educator and frequent keynote speaker at educational events. She is the author of two books: "Sketchnotes for Educators" and "How to Sketchnote: A Step-by-Step Manual for Teachers and Students". She blogs and shares her teaching resources at sylviaduckworth.com. To see samples of the drawings in "Sketchnotes for Educators", please visit https://sites.google.com/view/sketchnotesforeducators/home. For more information on ""How to Sketchnote: A Step-by-Step Manual for Teachers and Students", please visit https://sylviaduckworth.com/how-to-sketchnote-a-step-by-step-manual/
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In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming Latania Marr y Ortega to talk about her personal journey in educator, her Chicana heritage, the emergence of bilingualism, her doctoral work on the community cultural wealth of culturally linguistically diverse families, and much more! To learn more about Latania's work, you can follow her on Instagram (@_my_own_muse) and Twitter (@LMarr98)!
BIO: Latania Marr y Ortega is an Ed.D Candidate at Kansas State University (K-State) where she facilitates Teaching English as a Second Language courses in the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA). Most recently, she assisted in organizing and facilitating the inaugural conference, "Beyond Envisioning Equity: Situating Teachers of Color Voices". A New Mexico native, Latania has been an educator for 19 years. She taught in a dual language elementary school program where she also was an instructor in the University of New Mexico (UNM) Family Literacy program in Albuquerque, NM. She continued her work with families when she taught adult ESL programs during her time as a secondary English Language Arts Teacher. Her passion to advocate for and engage BIPOC families in our school communities has continued by sharing strategies to current and future teachers to use the Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) to drive instruction as well as resist the injustice and systemic racism that is prevalent in our school systems. Latania proudly earned her MA in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies (emphasis: Bilingual Education) at UNM. She earned her BA in Elem.Ed (minors:Bilingual/TESOL & Sociology) from New Mexico Highlands University.
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For this special episode, I had the privilege of speaking with laryngologist Dr. Sandra Stinnett. In our conversation, we discussed the importance of teachers exercising vocal health, the correlations between voice disorders and teacher burnout, the need for school districts to invest in sound-field amplification devices for teachers, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Stinnett's work, you can follow her on Instagram & Tiktok (@thevoiceboxdoctor), as well as on Twitter (@thevoiceboxdoc).
BIO: Dr. Sandra Stinnett, popularly known as "The Voice Box Doctor", is most recently from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD where she completed her fellowship in Neurolaryngology (study of the voice box). She received her Medical Degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and was then accepted into the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital - Department of Otolaryngology where she completed her internship and residency training. She is a classically trained pianist and has performed in venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Cami Hall. She is also a vocalist with experience in performing, recording and leading worship in her local church. Dr. Stinnett joins the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Laryngology. She is passionate about creating an awareness for vocal hygiene and prevention in the Memphis community and providing state of the art care in this field. Her areas of expertise include the full spectrum of disorders of the voice which range from management of the professional voice, treatment of neurological conditions of the larynx, benign and malignant conditions of the vocal folds, vocal fold paralysis, endoscopic airway and reconstruction as well as swallowing disorders. She also is particularly interested in endoscopic and office-based approaches, in addition to the use of laser treatment in laryngeal disorders.
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In this episode, I'm honored to welcome Trisha Moquino to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, the inspiration behind the founding of the Keres Children's Learning Center and the Indigenous Montessori Institute, and what actionable steps that educators, school districts, and teacher education programs need to take to center the cultural, historical, and lived experiences of Indigenous People with fidelity. To learn more about Trisha's work, you can visit her personal website at indigenouscheerleader.com or the Keres Children's Learning Center website at kclcmontessori.org. You can also follow Trisha on Instagram with the handles @indigenouseducators and @indigenouscheerleader.
BIO: Trisha Moquino (Cochiti, Ohkay Owhingeh, Kewa) is the co-founder of Keres Children's Learning Center (KCLC), a Keres-immersion early childhood classroom using Montessori pedagogy that includes a Montessori dual-language Elementary classroom. The vision for a school supporting Keres language and cultural learning and academic development came largely from Moquino’s master’s thesis in Bilingual Education at the University of New Mexico.
For the last 3 years, Moquino has been working with her KCLC colleagues and Montessori Partners to build the Indigenous Montessori Institute (IMI), a teacher training program that uses indigenous knowledge systems and Montessori philosophy to approach education reform. Before KCLC and IMI, Moquino taught in public, private, and BIE schools, but realized she was perpetuating an educational system that didn’t work for many Indigenous children, propelling her to develop a different approach to education for her own and other Pueblo children.
Moquino is a founding board member of Montessori for Social Justice and is a Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow with the First Nations Development Institute. She has a Montessori Elementary I certification from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies and completed her Primary training with United Montessori Association.
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In this episode, I had the honor of having Dr. Tyra Good on the podcast to share about her upbringing in Pittsburgh, PA, how her time at an HBCU (i.e. Howard University) shaped her development as an educator, and the current work she's doing as the founding executive director of the Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE) at Elms College in Chicopee, MA. To learn more about Dr. Good's work, you can follow her on all social media platforms with the handle @tyrathegooddr or visit the Center for Equity in Urban Education website at https://www.elms.edu/ceue/.
BIO: Dr. Tyra Good is the founding executive director of the Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE) at Elms College. Good has more than 10 years of experience teaching education, and, most recently, she was assistant professor of practice in education at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. Good is the founder and chief academic consultant for GOOD Knowledge Connections and the founder of the Black Educators Network (BEN) of Greater Pittsburgh. The BEN is a strategic team of K-12, Higher Education, and community educators working across school district and community lines to help ensure the academic and personal success of African-American youth from underserved communities.
For her dedication and commitment to diversifying the teaching pipeline and preparing pre-service teachers to work in urban settings, Good has received a myriad of award recognitions. Most recently, she was awarded a 2019 National Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship through Big Picture Learning and Internationals Network for Public Schools. Deeper Learning Equity Fellows are exceptional leaders, education practitioners, policy advocates, and researchers who are committed to expanding Deeper Learning educational practices aimed at improving public education opportunities for underserved communities.
Dr. Good received her bachelor’s in business management from Howard University, a master of arts in teaching from Chatham University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and evaluation from Duquesne University.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have the good brother Justis Lopez on the podcast. In our conversation, he shares his personal journey in education, the inspiration behind the founding of his company, Just Experience, the evolution of hip-hop pedagogy in K-12 education, and the reason why "happyvism" is the key for centering youth voice and creating liberatory spaces within our education system. To learn more about Justis' work, you can visit the Just Experience website at justexperienceus.com or the Project Happyvism website at projecthappyvism.com. You can also follow him on Instagram (@social_justis) and Facebook!
BIO: Justis Lopez is an educator, consultant, activist, youth advocate, and a proud native of Manchester, CT. A first-generation college student, Lopez enrolled at the University of Connecticut through the TRIO program and graduated with a Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction. Upon graduating from the University of Connecticut, Lopez returned to his alma mater, Manchester High School, as a social studies teacher for a few years before moving to New York to work as a high school Government & Politics teacher and taught hip-hop & civics classes in the South Bronx, an experience that he says transformed him.
He then continued work at a consulting startup he began during his time at UConn, Just Experience LLC, a multiplatform company that seeks to create spaces of joy to entertain and empower others. His consulting work extends to several higher education institutions and K-12 schools, along with the Council for Opportunity in Education, where he had previously served as the Director of Alumni Relations. Most recently, Lopez, along with his business partner Ryan Parker, launched Project Happyvism, which is a project centered on choosing joy and self-love as a radical form of activism. Aside from the Project Happyvism, Lopez currently serves as an adjunct professor of Education at Stephen F. Austin State University and plans to return to school to pursue a Master's Degree in Educational Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have the dynamic duo of Claudine Miles & Kimberlie Milton of Restore More on the podcast. In our conversation, they shared their personal journeys in education, the inspiration behind the founding of Restore More, and why it's important for K-12 school districts to center social-emotional learning, antiracism, and restorative practices to improve the educational experiences of their students. To learn more about Restore More, you can visit their website at werestoremore.com or you can follow them on all social media platforms with the handle @werestoremore.
BIO: Claudine Miles holds an English Degree from Hampton University, and an Educational Leadership degree from Georgia State University. As a proud TFA alum her work started at KIPP WAYS ACADEMY, a Title I. public charter in SW Atlanta. During her 10 years there, she served in several roles including: 6th grade Science Teacher, Grade Level Chair, Gifted Coordinator, Upper School Dean, and Dean of Restorative Practices. She’s won Teacher of the year and led her school to winning Charter School of The Year in 2016.
Kimberlie Milton is a graduate of Jackson State University in Jackson, MS where she received her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After graduating in 2002, Ms. Milton joined the Teach for America program and began teaching at L.J. Price Middle School in Atlanta Public Schools. During this time, she completed the Mercer University Tift College of Education Master’s program with an emphasis in Middle School Education. Over the past 20 years, Ms. Milton has served in several capacities in the education management arena across the nation. From assistant principal to regional director, Ms. Milton has been committed to developing an effective learning atmosphere for colleagues, parents, and scholars.
In 2018, Claudine and Kimberlie co-founded a consulting firm called Restore More, which helps organizations build capacity with Restorative Practices, Self-Awareness, and Social-Emotional health. The central mission is to continue sharing wellness strategies nationwide to uplift communities of color.
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In this episode, I had the incredible honor of welcoming Dr. Bree Picower to the podcast. In our conversation, she shares her personal journey in education, her inspiration behind publishing her newest book, "Reading, Writing & Racism", how she has evolved as a social justice teacher educator over the span of her 20+ year career, and so much more! To learn more about Dr. Picower's work, you can visit her website at breepicower.com or follow her on Instagram (@bossssy13), Twitter (@drbreebree), and Facebook!
BIO: Dr. Bree Picower is an Associate Professor at Montclair State University in the College of Education and Human Development. She is the Co-Director of the Urban Teacher Residency, Newark Teacher Project and the Critical Urban Education Speaker Series with Dr. Tanya Maloney at MSU. Her newest book, Reading, Writing and Racism, is an unflinching examination of recent examples of viral racist curriculum and what it means for our educational institutions to take responsibility for addressing teachers’ understandings of race.
Along with co-editors Edwin Mayorga and Ujju Aggarwal, she released a 2nd edition of What’s Race Got To Do With It? How current school reform maintains racial and economic inequality. Her co-edited book with Rita Kohli, Confronting Racism in Teacher Education: Counternarratives of Critical Practice, examined patterns of institutional racism by amplifying the voices of non-dominant teacher educators. In her first book, Practice What You Teach: Social Justice Education in the Classroom and the Streets, she explored a developmental continuum toward teacher activism.
Published widely in academic journals, her scholarship focuses on issues of race, racism and education. Her students’ social justice curriculum is featured at UsingTheirWords.org. Across all areas of work, Dr. Picower works to create spaces for educators to sharpen their political analysis and act for educational justice and was awarded the Scholar Activist of 2013 by the Critical Educators for Social Justice SIG of the American Educational Research Association. She has taught in public elementary schools in Oakland, California and New York City.
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In this episode, I’m honored to welcome my good friend Angela Broadus to the podcast to share her personal journey in education, her life as a first-generation Ghanaian immigrant, the need for school districts to emphasize Science education in K-12 schools, and so much more! To learn more about Angela’s work, you can visit her website at sciencewithmrsbroadus.com or follow her on Instagram (@ang.broadus) & Twitter (@angelabroadus6)
BIO:
Angela Broadus is a wife, mom, educator, and teacherpreneur. She received her Bachelors in Biological Sciences at UMBC. She is certified in STEM Elementary Education via the Resident Teacher Program in Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). She was awarded a Delegate Citation from the Maryland General Assemblies for being "A Real SuperHero to the Students of Prince George's County Public Schools". In addition, she serves on the PGCPS ES Science Leadership Team where she currently writes Science curriculum and provides Science professional development to K-5 educators across the school district. She also operates as the Science Department Chair and the Engagement and Tech Lead at Kettering Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, MD.
Outside of her roles within PGCPS, she is also a teacherpreneur who creates interactive, engaging, tech enhanced Science activities/lessons for educators. Through her business and services, she hopes to equip and empower educators to create resources that engage students in Science and increase student achievement. Angela was recently featured in her local ABC 7 News for creating Science video lessons to close the distance learning digital divide for PGCPS students.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have Patricia Bebe on the podcast to share her personal journey in education, the inspiration behind the founding of LearninginHues, the actionable steps that teachers can take to engage in activism and civic engagement, and so much more! To learn more about Patricia's work, you can visit her website at learninginhues.com or you can connect with her on Instagram (@learning_inhues).
BIO: Patricia Bebe is the founder & CEO of LearninginHues and a 4th grade teacher at Lake Silver Elementary who graduated from the University of Florida with her bachelors in English Literature. She then went on to complete her masters in Elementary Education. Currently she is working on customizing and designing diversified classroom decor and materials that is representative of every student. Having filled a myriad of educator roles for over 12 years through being a camp counselor, children’s choir director, director of bible studies for children, mentor, tutor, and volunteer; Patricia has gained firsthand insight as to what children require to learn.
When not in the classroom, she is in her and her student’s communities, partnering with local non-profit organizations which advocate for equal opportunities for minorities, urban youth, anti gun-violence, and social activism; working relentlessly to aide those who are oppressed and disadvantaged to find their voice and power to make changes in their community.
In her spare time, Patricia travels the world to not only have some fun in the sun, but to conduct service in other countries; and to bring the experiences and knowledge that she has gained back into her classroom and back into the good fight that she is fighting each day to make the world any even better place.
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In this episode, I welcome high school history teacher and adjunct professor Ben Bruhn to the podcast to share his personal journey in education, his insights on the current state of social studies education, and the current gaps that exist in teacher education. To learn more about Ben's work, you can follow him on LinkedIn and on Instagram with the handle @ben.bruhn.
BIO: Ben Bruhn is a high school social studies, AVID, and credit recovery teacher at St. Helens High School in St. Helens, Oregon. He is also an adjunct instructor at Portland State University where he coteaches the social studies methods courses to future teachers. He grew up in Seattle and did community development work around the USA and overseas before earning his MAT at the University of Washington in 2012 with endorsements in social studies, language arts, and ESOL. He is a National Board Certified Teacher who has worked in a wide range of school settings. He has earned his administrative license and is in the process of completing a Master of Science in Ed. from Portland State University. His desire to help bridge cultural divides and his love for collaboration drives him to engage with all levels of the educational community to foster and advocate for student-centered engagement.
Currently, he is co-leading a grassroots effort in his district to establish a collective vision and infrastructure for equity with a specific focus on antiracist work. He is also on the national leadership team of Teachers for Good Trouble, which is a group of passionate educators focused on reforming learning environments to build safe, nurturing, and justice driven academic communities, by advocating for legislation, policies, and resources that center the well being of students, teachers, and learning communities. He lives outside of Portland, Oregon with his wife and two kids.
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In this episode, I'm honored to welcome Vennieta Grant to the podcast to share her personal journey in education, her thoughts on the current state of teacher education, her role as an AVID coordinator in her school district, and much more! To learn more about Vennieta's work, you can visit her website at linktr.ee/loveteachrepeat or you can follow her on Instagram with the handle @loveteachrepeat.
BIO: Vennieta Grant is an 8th grade English teacher at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Lynwood, California. In addition to teaching, she is an AVID coordinator, a curriculum writer, a social justice advocate, and a Lead Teacher for the CSI3 Teacher Education program at California State University Dominguez Hills. Vennieta often vaunts that through her work as an educator, she has truly found her passion and life's purpose. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, impromptu game nights, brunch, traveling abroad, and ridiculously spoiling her three fur babies; Sam, Rebel, and Leo.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have the dynamic father-daughter duo of Eva Jean-Charles and Jamaal Thomas from Black on Black Education come on the podcast to talk about their special relationship as father & daughter, the founding of Black on Black Education, their evolving relationship as business partners, and much more! To learn more about the work of Black on Black Education, you can visit their website at blackonblackeducation.com or you can follow them on Instagram with the handle @blackonblacked.
BIO: Evalaurene Jean-Charles is the founder of Black on Black Education, an education consulting firm dedicated to bridging the gap between the education Black students are getting and the one they deserve by providing educators with the tools to become change agents in the lives of their students. Although their content intends to be catered to the Black community, they are calling for allies in their quest to re-imagine and redefine what a high-quality education means for this community. She recently graduated from the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies program where she studied the sociology of educational inequity and social justice in underserved communities. She also recently started working as a special education teacher in the South Bronx through Teach for America.
Jamaal Thomas is a serial entrepreneur who has long had a passion for transforming our education system. A budding futurist who is dedicated to being a part of radical systemic and institutional change in order to create a more fair and sustainable future for all. He is the proud father to Black on Black Education’s CEO, Evalaurene Jean-Charles, and looking forward to helping her create an organization that develops and curates the tools that will help offer our communities education outcomes equal to those in communities with significantly more resources.
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In this episode, we're going INTERNATIONAL with special guest Dr. Roy Pope. In our conversation, he shares about his personal journey in education, life as an international educator in Dubai, the inspiration behind the founding of EdGuru, and so much more! To learn more about EdGuru, you can visit the company website at edguru.co or you can follow the company on Facebook & Instagram (@edguruedge). If you're an international teacher who's currently abroad or an educator who has aspirations of teaching abroad, you don't want to miss this episode!
BIO: Dr. Roy Pope has served as a teacher, coach, college professor, and school administrator in the United States and the United Arab Emirates for more than two decades. Dr. Pope is the author of "9 Ways to Increase Student Achievement and School Success." He is also the founder and CEO of EdGuru, a multilingual one-stop shop for parents, educators, and other professionals. As a leader in education, Dr. Roy has been honored as Principal of the Year, the City Councils’ Outstanding Citizen, and the City’s Star Principal. He has also received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award and hosted former FLOTUS Michelle Obama as the guest speaker during her Let’s Move Initiative. When Dr. Roy is not working on EdGuru, he enjoys traveling with his wife, reading, and watching documentaries. Dr. Pope is a fervent educator and a lifelong learner with a zeal for motivating others to succeed and achieve their goals!
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In this episode, I'm honored to have Dr. Courtney Rose on the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, the state of black women in academia, the actions that institutions of higher learning can take to decolonize their teacher education programs, and much more! To learn more about Dr. Rose's work, you can visit her website at ivyroseconsulting.com or you can follow her on Instagram & Twitter with the handle @drcourtneyrose.
BIO: Dr. Courtney Rose is the Founder of Ivy Rose Consulting. Dr. Rose earned a doctorate in Curriculum & Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master's in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Florida. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Dr. Rose taught Math & Science for three years in the Duval County Public School system in Jacksonville, FL (two years of which were completed during her commitment as a Teach for America corps member). During her years in Jacksonville, she also spent two summers working as a Corps Member Advisor, helping to develop incoming Teach for America Corps members working with a team to prepare and facilitate various professional development experiences. Currently, her research and work interests include the development and implementation of innovative approaches to social justice-oriented critical and culturally relevant instructional practices and curricular designs, including recent developments in the area of Hip-Hop Education. Her student-centered approach to teacher education and development aims to provide teachers with new tools and understandings on how to incorporate youth culture into curriculum and instruction to better engage students in academic content and facilitate discussions rooted in issues of diversity and social justice.
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In this episode, I welcome Rachel Deleveaux to the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, her doctoral research on the impact that predominantly white schools have on Black identity development and how after school programs can serve as a tool to build self-efficacy in Black children who are in those environments. If you would like to learn more about Rachel's work, you can visit her website at veauxinitiatives.club or follow her on Instagram at @iamracheldeleveaux.
BIO: Rachel Deleveaux, a Cambridge native, became passionate about developing clearer and more equitable pathways to college while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The personal experience of systemic challenges became the catalyst for grassroots organizing, advocacy, and later student government involvement. Following her tenure at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ms. Deleveaux obtained her master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate in Education with a concentration in Curriculum, Teaching Learning and Leadership at Northeastern University.
Professionally, Rachel has spent over a decade leading high-level operations, strategic planning, and developing sustainable systems that foster successful student outcomes. Rachel is committed to eliminating systemic barriers that perpetuate gaps in achievement for marginalized students. Ms. Deleveaux has made a significant impact as a leader, consultant, volunteer, and advocate for many organizations and institutions across the United States, leveraging numerous relationships with both academic, and corporate organizations to achieve aggressive growth and development. Ms. Deleveaux's specialties Include Strategic planning, business expansion, talent management, leadership development, team building, recruiting, training, project management, cultural competency development, grant writing, and public speaking.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the one and only Dr. Nadia Lopez and we discussed everything from her career in education, her personal self-care journey, and everything in between! THIS episode is one that you definitely want to bring your notebook for! So many gems dropped throughout this conversation! To learn more about Dr. Lopez, you can visit her website at thelopezeffect.com or follow her on Instagram & Twitter with the handle @thelopezeffect.
BIO: Dr. Nadia Lopez is an award-winning, globally recognized thought-leader in education, who opened a school to close a prison. At an early age, she was taught the importance of utilizing education as a tool to solve social issues impacting our society. This served as one of the reasons why, in 2010, she opened Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) focused school, located in Brownsville. The media often depicts this New York City neighborhood as poor and violent, but rarely do they focus on who and what has caused the inequities directly responsible for the school-to-prison pipeline that exists in this community. Despite its major challenges, Dr. Lopez had the vision to change the narrative by proving that the children of Brownsville are brilliant and have value in this world.
In 2015, one of her scholars, Vidal Chastenet was asked by Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans of New York, who was his greatest influence, and he said, “My Principal, Ms. Lopez…” The post went viral, generating $1.4 million in donations to provide scholarships for college, summer enrichment programs, and the opportunity to visit universities that include an annual trip to Harvard University. This led to a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, an interview by Ellen Degeneres, and features within the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Essence, Ebony, Black Enterprise, EduWeek, and Glamour Magazine to name a few. This transformative work has led to Dr. Lopez’s selection as the 2019 LinkedIn Top 10 Voices in Education; 2016 Global Teacher Prize Top 50 Finalists; best selling author of The Bridge to Brilliance and Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
She is an international speaker who has presented keynotes at conferences such as ISTE, ILA, ASCD, and NCEA, in addition to delivering TED Talk on the Education Revolution with over 1 million views. Her most notable awards include the Barnard College Medal of Distinction, Black Girls Rock Change Agent Award received alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama, Ebony Top 100 Award, Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award, and TV One’s 2019 Education Maverick Award. Transitioning from the role of a school administrator after recovering from stress-induced illnesses, Dr. Lopez continues to speak internationally, consults with companies to develop strategic partnerships, as well as supporting leaders through 1:1 and group coaching. Through her non-profit organization, The Bridge to Brilliance, she is building bridges between education institutions and private sectors to address issues of inequities that impact Black and Brown children within marginalized communities.
Her company ElevatED BLK offers online courses, conferences, and activations that support participants to prioritize wellness and develop sustainability practices for their personal development.
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To kick off 2021, we're excited to have education advocate Kelisa Wing come on the podcast to share her personal journey in education, discuss her new children's book series "Racial Justice in America", and express her thoughts on the future of education in America with the new administration coming into the White House. To learn more about Kelisa's work, you can visit her website at kelisawing.com or follow her on Instagram (@kelisa_javon) and Twitter (@kelisa_I2teach).
BIO: Kelisa Wing has been an educator for 13 years. She taught 8th-grade Language Arts and Reading to military-connected children at Faith Middle School in Fort Benning, Georgia, has been an Elementary School Assistant Principal, and is now a Professional Development Specialist. Kelisa honorably served in the U.S. Army. She is the author of 'Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life's Storms' and 'Promises and Possibilities: Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline'. She is a 2017 State Teacher of the year, a 2016 Association of Supervision, Curriculum, and Development (ASCD) Emerging Leader, and the 2017 University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. She is a member of the Leading Educator Ambassadors for Equity (LEAE) with the Education Civil Rights Alliance(ECRA),a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), and a member of ASCD. She is also on the Advisory Board for Learner Variability Project & Digital Promise, ASCD Global Advisory Council, and the College Football Playoff Foundation (CFP) Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline Working Group. She speaks both nationally and internationally about discipline reform, equity, student engagement, and many other topics. Kelisa holds a bachelor's degree in English from UMUC, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education, and an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in Curriculum, Instruction, and Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.
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In this episode, I'm honored to end the year with high school history teacher and motivational speaker Rakim Amalu Jenkins. In our conversation, he shares his personal journey into education, how he evolved into "The Insightful Teacher", the impact and future of the"Teachers for Good Trouble" movement, and much more! To learn more about Rakim's work, you can visit his website at https://linktr.ee/theinsightfulteacher or follow him on Instagram (@theinsightfulteacher).
BIO: Rakim Amalu Jenkins is a high school history teacher, motivational speaker, and life coach based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a 2013 alumnus of The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York and a 2014 alumni corps member of Teach For America-New York City. He is also a recent graduate of Relay Graduate School of Education (MAT). Popularly known as "The Insightful Teacher", he uses insights from his life, history, and classroom to speak truth to power, and he believes that we can collectively create a better education system and world for our youth.
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In this episode, we're honored to have Bronx, NY based educator Maria Tan on the podcast to talk about her personal journey in education, the emergence of The Thriving Teacher Project, and the urgent need for schools to integrate trauma-informed and mindfulness practices in their day-to-day operations. To learn more about Maria's work, you can visit the Thriving Teacher Project page on Facebook or follow the organization on Instagram (@thethrivingteacherproject).
BIO: Maria Tan is a high school science teacher turned mindful educator, facilitator, and coach. She promotes equity in education through mindfulness and contemplative practices. During her five year tenure in the Bronx, she chaired her school’s first Equity Team where she delivered staff-level professional development around culturally sustaining pedagogy, facilitated racial affinity groups, and redesigned the advisory curriculum to include restorative circles as a school-wide practice. Her professional training includes trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness with the Holistic Life Foundation, restorative circle facilitation with Morningside Center, and facilitating the Contemplating 400 Years of Inequality Experience with Dr. Angel Acosta. She is a New York City Teaching Fellow, Relay Graduate School of Education alumni, and a Stanford Hollyhock fellow. Maria is the founder of The Thriving Teacher Project which creates healing spaces for educators to thrive. She empowers wholeness by incorporating practices of self-care, self-compassion, and reflection as tools to allow teachers to show up fully for their lives and their students. Outside of work, Maria is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and she collaborates with DJs and visual artists to create guided meditation immersive experiences.
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In this episode, we're honored to have Shelby Kretz come on the show to talk about her personal journey in education, her doctoral work in social justice at UCLA, the founding of her company, Little Justice Leaders, and so much more! To learn more about Shelby’s work, you can visit the Little Justice Leaders website at www.littlejusticeleaders.com or you can connect with her on Instagram (@littlejusticeleaders) & Twitter (@JusticeLeaders).
BIO: Shelby Kretz is an educational researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the creator of the Little Justice Leaders subscription box. Little Justice Leaders is a monthly box that provides resources for elementary school parents and teachers to engage their kids in meaningful learning experiences about social justice. Her research at UCLA focuses on the connection between the education system and the juvenile (in)justice system.
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In this episode, we're honored to have Tyshia Seldon, the founder & CEO of Black University, come on the show to talk about her personal journey in education, the importance of teacher self-care during COVID-19, her passion for creating safe, affirming spaces for educators of color, and so much more! To learn more about Tyshia’s work, you can visit her website at blackuniversity.org or connect with her on Instagram (@themillenialeducator, @blackeducatorsconnect and @blackeducatorsapparel).
BIO: Tyshia Lene’a Seldon, popularly known as “The Millennial Educator”, is a proud native of Baltimore, MD. She completed her undergraduate studies at Bethune Cookman University and then obtained my Master’s in Education from Relay Graduate School of Education in August 2019. She’s an educator by trade and entrepreneur by nature. Growing up in Baltimore taught Tyshia to be a problem solver and to “hustle” naturally. Relocating to Denver from Florida has been and still is a culture shock. Being 1 of 2 black educators within her school building and feeling like she was just a seat filler prompted the start of her company “Black Educators Apparel, an apparel line dedicated to educators of color who are putting in the win and out of the classroom. She also founded Black Educators Connect, a safe space created for educators of color to connect, feel nurtured and supported. When Tyshia’s not developing her businesses, you can find her motivating others and just living life. Her motto is to simply be light and spread light.
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In this episode, I'm honored to have the 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson come on the show to share his personal journey in education, the importance of prioritizing SEL practices in our schools, his experience as the National Teacher of the Year, his thoughts on who should be our next Secretary of Education, and so much more! To learn more about Rodney's work, you can visit his website at rodrobinsonrva.com or follow him on Instagram & Twitter (@RodRobinsonRVA).
BIO: Rodney Robinson is a 20-year teaching veteran. He graduated from King William High School in rural Virginia in 1996. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia State University in 2000 and a master’s in educational administration and Supervision from VCU in 2011. He started teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center in 2015, a school inside Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, in an effort to better understand the school to prison pipeline. His classroom is a collaborative partnership between him and the students. He provides a civic centered education that promotes social-emotional growth. The knowledge he is gaining from his students is also helping develop alternative programs to keep students from becoming part of the school to prison pipeline.
His accomplishments in education vary from his professional growth to his students’ personal growth. He has been published four times by Yale University. He has received numerous awards for his accomplishments in and out of the classroom, most notably the R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence. He has worked with Pulitzer winning author James Foreman to developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher’s Institute. He was named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief States Schools’ Officers. He is used his time as teacher of the year to advocate for cultural equity to make sure students have teachers and administrators who look like them and value their culture. He was recently named HBCU male alumnus of the year by HBCUdigest.com. He was also named #8 on the Root magazine’s Top 100 influential African Americans of 2019. Last December he was named Richmonder of the Year by Richmond Magazine. His passion is helping the underprivileged and underrepresented populations in America.
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In this episode, we're excited to have poet laureate Ryan T. Parker come on the show to talk about his personal journey in education, the "Happyvism" Project, the evolution of hip-hop culture in public education, and so much more! To learn more about Ryan's work, you can visit his website at ryanparkerthepoet.com or follow him on Instagram (@peaceloveparker).
BIO: Ryan T. Parker is a Manchester, CT based poet, teacher of the year recipient & artivist. Raised by a strong, single mother in Norwich, Connecticut, he has been penning poems and preaching peace since the age of ten. After graduating from Norwich Free Academy, he went on to receive a degree in English at Eastern Connecticut State University and a Master’s degree in teaching at Sacred Heart University. Influenced by the strength, wisdom and humor of his mom, love for hip hop and people, his practices with tutoring at ECSU, and his personal frustrations with his own educational experiences and education system as a whole (his 10th grade English teacher had a sign in her classroom which read, “Silence is Golden” –Ahhh! Freaky stuff!), Ryan developed a passion for teaching and promised himself he would break that golden silence and bring golden noise into education! For the last fourteen years, he has kept his promise teaching English in Manchester, CT public schools, coaching youth poets, and performing and presenting on hip hop poetics and the significance of empowering youth. In addition to teaching middle school students, Ryan also consults with educators running workshops and professional developments centered on The Open Mic Movement in Education and teaching educators strategies for establishing and maintaining effective classroom environments.
Ryan has also presented at numerous educational conferences including LID, CONFRATUTE, NYCORE and COESBOC, NEAG, delivered a TEDx Talk titled 'Transforming Struggle into Strength', featured as a guest poet performer along with Pam Nomura in Hartford Connecticut’s Riverwood Poetry Series, starred as the feature poet at Hartford’s RealArtWay’s’ Inescapable Rhythms Poetry Series and is currently writing a Memoir and a guide to The Open Mic Movement in Education. Ryan also devotes time towards traveling to various school communities performing poems, giving motivational talks and training staff and students in igniting open mic movements. When he’s not teaching or presenting, Ryan loves rapping, laughing, poeming, coaching youth poets, running, snowboarding, kayaking, hiking with his bloodhound, Otter, and eating chocolate chip cookies (preferably organic).
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In this episode, we're excited to have Chemistry professor and STEAM advocate Dr. Yasmine Daniels come on the show to talk about her journey in education, the release of her brand new book series, "Building My Self-eSTEAM in Science", the current state of STEAM education for young women of color, and much more! To learn more about Dr. Daniels work, you can visit her website linktr.ee/ClassyChemist or follow her handle @classychemist on Instagram & Twitter.
BIO: Dr. Yasmine Daniels has a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry and has done a great deal of research in Environmental Remediation. Environmental Remediation a fancy way of saying finding ways to make the environment cleaner. She has worked on projects where she designed eco-friendly particles that were capable of removing toxic substances (like heavy metals) from water. She also spent some time improving analytical methods used for analyzing nanoparticles and inorganic polymers.
Currently, Dr. Daniels works as an Industrial Hygienist in government and spends a lot of her time reviewing and assessing industrial and airborne particulate hazards. Her work focuses primarily on ways workers can protect themselves from health hazards while at work (e.g. wearing respirators) and the bulk of her time is spent researching, reading, writing and interpreting the science behind workplace hazards and methods of protection.
When she isn’t doing her full time job, Dr. Daniels is a full time mom, a Chemistry Adjunct Professor, volleyball coach, mentor and champion of STEM+Art (or STEAM) outreach. Dr. Daniels obtained her B.S. in Chemistry from Hunter College and her M.Phil and Ph.D. from the City University of New York, Graduate Center. As a chemistry student, she was inspired and encouraged by her Chemistry professors and she has been dedicated ever since to give back to students and academia. She teaches both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry and enjoys sharing her passion for Science with her Students.
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In this episode, we're excited to have elementary Spanish teacher and anti-bias advocate Françoise Thenoux talk about her personal journey in education, her work as "The Woke Spanish Teacher", and the importance of prioritizing World Language education in our schools! To learn more about Françoise's work, you can visit her at her website thewokespanishteacher.com or connect with her on Instagram (@thewokespanishteacher) & Twitter (@TWSteacher).
BIO: Françoise Thenoux has been an educator for almost 20 years. She is a proud Latina and worked as an ESL teacher for years, not only providing the students with the necessary literacy skills to survive the U.S schools system, but also helping Latinx families understand the benefits of bilingualism. She has been teaching Español at Elementary level for 11 years and has an M. Ed in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She is a passionate advocate for equitable, decolonial, inclusive, social justice-oriented World Language curricula. She shares her advocacy, tips, best practices, and self-made resources through social media as “The Woke Spanish Teacher.”
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In this episode, we're honored to have award-winning educator and speaker Dr. Jamila Lyiscott on the show to talk about her personal journey in education, her best-selling book "Black Appetite. White Food", and the importance of integrating social justice education in K-12 schools. To follow Dr. Lyiscott's work, you can visit her website at jamilalyiscott.com or connect with her on Instagram & Twitter with the handle @jamila_lyiscott.
BIO: Jamila Lyiscott aka, Dr. J, is a community-engaged scholar, nationally renowned speaker, and the author of Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is the co-founder and co-director of the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research. Dr. J is most well known for being featured on TED.com where her video, '3 Ways to Speak English,' has been viewed over 4.5 million times, and for her commissioned TED Talk, '2053' in response to the inauguration of the 45th occupant of the white house. She has been invited to over 100 institutions throughout the nation where she works closely with youth, educators, and communities to disrupt racial inequities and enact a vision-driven justice.
Dr. J's scholarship and activism work together to explore, assert, and defend the value of Black life globally. As a testament to her commitment to educational justice for youth of color, she is the founder and co-director of the Cyphers For Justice (CFJ) program, apprenticing NYC high school youth, incarcerated youth, and educators into research and activism through hip-hop, spoken word, and media literacy.
Dr. J serves as co-editor of the highly acclaimed journal of Equity & Excellence in Education, and holds faculty fellowships at the University of Notre Dame, and Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the recipient of the 2019 AERA Outstanding Public Communication of Education Research Award and the 2019 Scholar-Activist & Community Advocacy Award. In her active efforts to disrupt the bounds of the academy, she has also been featured in Spike Lee's "2 Fists Up," on NPR, Cosmopolitan, NowThis, and many other media outlets nationally and internationally.
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In this episode, we're honored to have award-winning educator Jonathan Alsheimer on the show to talk about his personal journey as an educator, his book, "Next Level Teaching", and the importance of empowering students in order to transform school culture. To follow Jonathan's work, you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter with the handle @Mr_Alsheimer!
BIO: Jonathan Alsheimer is the unorthodox, energetic, and entertaining middle school teacher who refuses to live a life of limitations and works with UFC Fighters, celebrities, and clothing brands. As a passionate educator and international keynote speaker, Jonathan Alsheimer believes in the limitless possibilities of teachers as a driving force impacting an infectious classroom and school culture. NEXT LEVEL TEACHING is about every teacher bringing their unique flair to better their school every single day, going the NEXT LEVEL engaging your students, establishing community partnerships, building powerful relationships, and always striving to be "That Teacher" that their students remember! Jonathan, teaches at the world-renowned Fred Lynn Middle School, which was featured in two documentaries "Relentless" and "Relentless: Chasing Accreditation", has been featured as the teacher who forged a partnership with UFC Fighter and light-weight contender Paul Felder to bring a message of never giving up, fighting for their education, and empowering the students to believe in themselves, all principles that Jonathan promotes in his classroom. Jonathan Alsheimer also partnered with Fear the Fighter, MMA clothing brand to establish a stop-bullying campaign with "Relentless" Principal Hamish Brewer. Jonathan Alsheimer didn't stop there and established a formed a relationship with Chris "Drama" Pfaff, MTV reality star and CEO of Young and Reckless to bring clothing to his "students in need" and worked to build student leaders in his school. As Jonathan always says, "Game-changing is not a cliche motto; it is a way of life... some talk about it while others live by it!
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In this episode, we're excited to have Dr. Gholdy Muhammad come on the show to share about her personal journey in education, her new book "Cultivating Genius", the importance of teaching and assessing literacy through a historically responsive lens, and much more! To learn more about Dr. Muhammad's work, you can visit her website at https://linktr.ee/HillPedagogies or connect with her on Twitter (@GholdyM) and Instagram (@gholdy.m).
BIO: Dr. Gholnecsar “Gholdy” Muhammad is the associate professor at Georgia State University teaching literacy and language in the Department of Middle and Secondary Education. She also serves as the director of the GSU Urban Literacy Collaborative & Clinic and is the author of “Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy”. She began her career as a reading, language arts and social studies middle school teacher in Cahokia, Illinois. After teaching in the classroom, she served as a school district assistant curriculum director and was responsible for kindergarten through 12th-grade literacy instruction, grant writing, assessments and professional development. Muhammad received her Ph.D. in literacy, language and culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Her research interests are situated in social and historical foundations of literacy development within Black communities and the writing practices among Black women and girls. She explores 19th-century Black literary societies to understand literacy development and how the roles of literacy can be reconceptualized in classrooms today. She became interested in this line of research when she led a summer writing institute with Black girls called, Black Girls WRITE!. She continues to hold summer literacy programs with Black and Brown youth as well as Muslim girls. She explores how historical practices among communities of color can be used with adolescent learners today. Some of the journals she has published articles in include, Research in the Teaching of English, English Education, Urban Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Written Communication.
Additionally, she serves as the director of the Georgia State Urban Literacy Collaborative and Clinic. She strives to shape the national conversation for educating youth who have been underserved. She also strives to support the next generation of educators who are seeking pathways to meet some of the most pressing challenges encountered in urban schools. She works with teachers and youth across the United States and South Africa in best practices in literacy instruction. She is a former school board president and continues to work collaboratively with local schools across communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Muhammad is the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2015 NCTE Alan C. Purves Award, the 2016 NCTE Janet Emig awardee, the 2017 Georgia State University Urban Education Research Awardee and the 2018 UIC College of Education Researcher of the Year.
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In this week's episode of #IDTALK4EDLIVE, we welcome our good friend Krystal L. Smith to the show to learn about personal journey as an educator, the importance of teacher self-care, how she evolved into "The RenewED Teacher" and so much more! To learn more about Krystal's work, you can visit her website at renewedteacher.com or connected with her on Instagram & Twitter!
BIO: Krystal L. Smith is a proud native of Pittsburgh, PA and certified elementary teacher, currently teaching 4th grade Math and Social Studies at the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She also started the RenewED Teacher blog to help teachers keep and renew their passion for teaching by remembering their why and practicing healthy self-care habits to prevent burnout. Here's what Krystal states when asked why teaching is her biggest passion: "Being a Black Educator Matters. This is one part that motivates me to do this work that I do. For black students, I am a positive role model that looks like them who is living her childhood dreams which goes against much of what mainstream media portrays a Black Woman to be. My presence, my intentional practice of teaching, displaying Black Excellence and Black Joy help fight racism. Teaching allows me to work with children and make a difference in the world. Children fill me up with joy and I believe I bring my scholars joy too. Teaching is my way of leaving a legacy."
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In this episode, we are excited to have Debrice Hill come on the show to talk about her personal journey in education, the inspiration behind the founding of "Teacher to Teacher Magazine", and how the targeted media marketing of Black and Brown educators can attract more young Black and Brown people to join the teacher pipeline. To learn more about Debrice's work, you can visit her website at debricehill.com or you can follow her on Instagram with the handles @sparklesandsprinklesinfirst and @teacher_to_teacher_magazine.
BIO: Debrice Hill is a first grade teacher and instructional coach based in Deltona, FL. She is also the founder and CEO of Teacher to Teacher Magazine, an online monthly publication that highlights the great works of educators all over the world! Additionally, Debrice is an avid crafter, enjoys creating teacher resources, and is passionate about sharing her knowledge in the classroom as a speaker and presenter. Outside of teaching, Debrice enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two children.
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In this episode, we're honored to have the "Revolutionary Principal", Amen Rahh come on the podcast to share about his journey as an educator, his upcoming book, and the revolutionary work he's doing as the Founding Principal of University Pathways Public Service Academy. You can check out Principal Rahh's "Revolutionary Educator" Apparel website revedx.com or follow @principalrahh on all social media platforms.
BIO: Amen Mandela Rahh is known as the Revolutionary Principal for how he has built and founded University Pathways Public Service Academy “The U”, an urban public school in South Central Los Angeles. Principal Rahh distinguished himself in the classroom and as a school leader. As an middle school teacher in Watts, CA, he was selected as the turnaround teacher which ultimately helped him obtain his position as dean of students. As a principal, he founded one of the most highly-regarded schools in the area by students and parents. Currently, Principal Rahh is one of the most engaging speakers for transforming the way schools serve their at-promise student populations in America. He is a published author of a chapter he wrote in the book titled Restorative Practices Meets Social Justice. He is also the recipient of many educational, professional and community awards. He was born and raised from Compton, California in which he takes pride in saying. Amen received Associates Degree from Compton Community College, his Bachelors of Arts Degree in Black Studies, from Cal State University, Dominguez Hills. He holds two Master degrees in Education and in Special Education from Cal State University, Dominguez Hills. Amen is a certified trainer of trainers in Restorative Justice by the Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP). Amen began his Professional career as a Special Education Assistant. Principal Amen Rahh was selected by to be the Founding Principal of University Pathways Public Service Academy “The U”. The U is currently in its second year and the school is already a model school for building a Restorative Community as well as establishing school-wide system to improve student achievement.
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In this episode, we have the honor of speaking with award-winning educator, speaker, and author, Erica Buddington. In our conversation, Erica shares her inspiration behind the founding of Langston League, her company's new partnership with Flipgrid, her current journey of starting her own school, and much more! To learn more about Erica's work, you can visit the Langston League website at langstonleague.org or her personal website at mostfireteacher.com. You can also connect with Erica and Langston League on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
BIO:
Erica Buddington is an accomplished edupreneur, speaker and author, on a mission to curate culturally relevant curricula that defies and decolonizes the status quo. With a background in education and curriculum design spanning over 10 years, she launched the Langston League to address educational and opportunistic inequalities across the globe.
Langston League specializes in teaching educators how to design and implement culturally sustaining instructional material through professional development, curriculum design, facilitation and coaching. Since inception, she has served clients across multiple states and two countries, with clientele including Google Code Next, Achievement First Schools, Medgar Evers College R.O.L.L. Program, Up Academy and Because of Them We Can. In 2021, she will be launching a middle school academy.
Throughout her career, she has developed mastery in educational consulting, EdTech, instruction, restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and creative writing. Erica has authored two fiction books and through her trailblazing work in education, sparked international media attention, with features on The Steve Harvey Show, MTV's TRL, Forbes Magazine, Buzzfeed, and Black Enterprise. She was the recipient of the 2015 Harlem Children's Zone Innovation Award, 2017 WeWork Creator Award, 2018 Hampton University Most Notable Hamptonian in Hip-Hop, and 2019 Nike X WeAreCultivator Sneaker Designer.
Erica attended Hampton University to pursue English/Performing Arts and received recognition during that time for spoken word performances, earning her performances with the likes of HBO's Def Poetry, Arrested Development, Mos Def, Dead Prez, and Lupe Fiasco.
As a natural storyteller and performer, Erica uses responsive strategies, and vast knowledge of pop culture, to create engaging and transformational human learning experiences, like no other.
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In this episode , we're honored to have Dr. Tia Lites come on the show to share her personal journey as an educator and the importance of Black school leadership in urban schools! To learn more about Tia, you can connect with her on LinkedIN and Instagram (@flashinglites).
BIO:
Dr. Tia Lites is currently the Vice Principal and Director of Teaching & Learning at the Helen Y. Davis Leadership Academy in Boston, MA. Her devotion is advancing successful, evidence-based practices in teaching and learning, fostering the academic advancement of the students, and creating a professional development program designed to promote pedagogical experimentation, creative delivery methods, and quality instruction.
She also prioritizes building the school's cultural climate and expanding the pipelines between middle school students to historically Black colleges & universities. Tia is also responsible for the implementation of her school's restorative justice action plans, teacher evaluation modules, cultural development & advocacy workshops and social-emotional student seminars. She sat on the 2018-2019 team that created the revised Action Plan for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for her charter.
Holding her Doctorate in Education, Tia's primary practice is utilizing the "culturally responsive school leadership framework," which she uses to support the growth of Black administration in schools that serve a majority population of students of color. Her dissertation and first book is entitled, “The Influences of Black School Leadership on Supporting Positive Outcomes for Black Students in Urban Schools.” She continues to research the pathways for Black students based on Black representation in schools and plans on creating a series of educational materials in regards to proactive measures to support Black learners (Kindergarten through grade 12).
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In this episode, we had the honor of interviewing Yolanda Plear, founder of New Teacher Bestie!! In our conversation, Yolanda shared her personal journey from disgruntled classroom to her new mission as an advocate for new teachers! To learn more about Yolanda, you can visit her website at newteacherbestie.com or connect with her on the following platforms:
FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN - Yolanda Plear INSTAGRAM - @newteacherbestie TWITTER - @TeachYoYo
BIO: Yolanda Plear, M.Ed, also known as the "New Teacher Bestie", is a full time New Teacher Coach and entrepreneur. Yolanda has 9 years of classroom experience, including 1st grade and Kindergarten, in the Traditional Bilingual and Dual Language 50/50 settings. She has presenter experience as a speaker at the Georgia Association of Multilingual Educators Conference. Yolanda served as Campus Induction Coordinator for her campus for three years and successfully on boarded over 30 new teachers during that time. Yolanda is fluent in Spanish, with a Bachelors Degree in Bilingual Education from Sam Houston State University and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Houston Baptist University. In 2020, Yolanda was awarded Teacher of the Year for her campus and was honored by the Houston Area Association of Black School Educators (HAABSE). Throughout her time as Campus Induction Coordinator, Yolanda’s passion for helping new teachers grew tremendously. She saw not only a need, but a want for closing the achievement gap of effective new teachers, and began to devote her time to being a coach and mentor. She facilitates a new teacher Cohort of Collaboration on her website newteacherbestie.com which is open for enrollment at this time.
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In next week's episode of #IDTALK4EDLIVE, we have the honor of speaking with Charles Clayton Daniels Jr., co-founder and CEO of Fathers' Uplift, Inc. In our conversation, he shares about the importance of black fatherhood, the founding of Fathers' Uplift, his experience as an Obama Foundation Follow, and much more! To learn more about Fathers' Uplift, you can visit the website at fathersuplift.org or connect with them on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
BIO:
Charles C. Daniels, Jr., co-founder/Chief Executive Officer of Fathers’ Uplift, Inc., grew up without a father in his life. Despite his mother’s love, Charles felt the impact of abandonment--guilt, shame, and embarrassment. He felt different than other kids. He had problems in school, turned to alcohol and drugs to hide those feelings, and came close to actualizing thoughts of suicide. Ultimately, he realized that his fractured relationship with his father was at the root of his despair. After finding his Dad, Charles recognized that his father had his own challenges and that he was not responsible for those or his father’s absence. That journey led him to his life’s work.
Charles holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman University, a Masters of Social Work (Simmons University), a Master of Divinity (Boston University), and is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Work at Simmons University. While on the journey of founding and operating Fathers’ Uplift, Charles has taught at the college level (e.g. Harvard University and Simmons University), has been a national speaker and writer, and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including CNN, ABC, Good Morning America, and WBUR.
In 2019, Charles was chosen by the Obama Foundation as one of 20 Fellows selected worldwide as a civic innovator creating transformational change and addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems. He is also a Gerson Lehrman Group Fellow and a past Fellow of the Albert Sweitzer Fellowship. Charles is married to Samantha Fils-Daniels, who co-founded Fathers’ Uplift with him. Samantha is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the person Charles calls his Rock. Together, they have one son, Clayton Charles Daniels.
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In this episode, we're excited to have Eghosa Obaizamomwan Hamilton and T. Gertrude Jenkins, co-founders of Making Us Matter, on the show! In our conversation, the two educators will share about their doctoral work at the University of San Francisco, the creation of Making Us Matter, how anti-Blackness manifest itself in school systems across the United States, and much more! To learn more about Making Us Matter, you can visit the school's website at www.makingusmatter.com or you can connect with the school on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BIO:
T. Gertrude Jenkins is a 13-year educator, specializing in grades 9-12 Language Arts. Over the course of her career, she’s taught in Orlando, FL; Atlanta, GA; and Redwood City, CA. Jenkins is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of San Francisco as part of the International & Multicultural Education program in the School of Education. Her research focuses on anti-Blackness in K-12 school systems both in the U.S and abroad. As an educator activist, Jenkins has grown tired of having to constantly fight against covert and overt acts of racism in schools. Her motivation for creating Making Us Matter is steeped in her desire to provide an option and a safe space for families and Black educators alike, who’d prefer an educational institution that de-centers whiteness and places Black gaze at the forefront.
Eghosa Obaizamomwan Hamilton is a first generation Nigerian. She is originally from Sacramento but currently resides in Oakland, CA. She has a Master’s Degree in Education and is currently a Doctoral student in the International and Multicultural Education program at the University of San Francisco. She is moving towards her 13th year of teaching with a focus on social justice and anti-bias curriculum. Her research is centered on the experiences of Black girl learners and the cultural and ideological disconnects of educators in predominantly white secondary institutions. As a social justice educator, she seeks to give voice and visibility to those who have been left in the margins. Creating Making Us Matter was a necessary step in taking action towards combating anti-Blackness in schools and decolonizing curriculum through counter narratives.
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In this episode, we welcome college & career planning consultant Amber Peters to the show. In our conversation, Amber will discuss the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the college admissions process for high school seniors and ways that students can prepare for careers in the aftermath of the pandemic. To learn more about Amber's work, you can visit her website at www.mizzp.nyc or you can connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Mizz P. INSTAGRAM - @ontrackwithmizzp TWITTER - @mizzpnyc
BIO: Amber Peters, popularly known as "Mizz P", is a certified Jill of All Trades. She is an Educator, App Developer, Author, and education consultant straight out of the Boogie Down Bronx. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from CUNY-Lehman College and her Master's degree in Urban Education from Mercy College. The main goal of her work is to motivate and inspire young people to achieve beyond their wildest dreams, while giving them the tools they need to advocate for themselves and their future. Her brand promises to create a new wave in education and hopes to bring widespread change to the area of college and career planning.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we're honored to have Tim Young, the founder of the independent film company McGriff Films. In our conversation, Tim shares about his early life in Brockton, how he developed his love for filmmaking, the creation of his hit show, "Rockin' Wit McGriff", and much more! To learn more about Tim's work, you can connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK & YOUTUBE - McGriff Films INSTAGRAM - @mcgriff_films
BIO: A proud native of Brockton, MA, Tim graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Newbury College, where he finished his basketball career as the 2nd all-time leading scorer with a total of 1,506 points. He also earned "Rookie of the Year" honors as a freshman. While at Newbury, he started to fall in love with filmmaking, producing his first film "Nitra" as a class project. Since that moment, he founded his film company "McGriff Films", which produces, films, and television shows such as his hit show, "Rockin' Wit McGriff". Tim also serves a great mentor for the youth. When he's not filming, he works as a middle school teacher in Boston Public Schools and serves as a youth basketball coach.
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In this episode, we have the honor of inviting award-winning educator Brian Keith Harris to the show. In our conversation, Brian will share about the importance of mentoring boys of color, how teachers can use movement and mindfulness to address trauma in their students, the five ways to help boys of color be successful in the classroom, and much more! To learn more about Brian's work, you can visit his website linktr.ee/briankeithharris or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
INSTAGRAM - @brian_keith_harris, @sonsoffreedomdance, @cultivatingyoungkings TWITTER - @iambriankeithh1
BIO:
Brian Keith Harris II is the Director of Outplacement and Graduate Support at the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, DC. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Sons of Freedom Dance Institute, an organization that nurtures character, increases social awareness and builds a spiritual foundation for boys of color through classical and contemporary styles of dance. He is also the Director of Cultivating Young Kings, an organization that provides educational training for teachers, school districts and community leaders who work directly with boys of color. He was named one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s 2019 BeModern Men Distinction and has received numerous awards for his work in changing the educational landscape for boys of color. He is a licensed minister, lecturer and workshop facilitator and currently working on a Doctorate in Public Engagement from Wesley Theological Seminary. His doctoral work explores the intersection of spirituality and educational equity in urban communities. He also earned a masters degree in divinity (M.Div) with an emphasis in Christian Education from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology and has an undergraduate degree in Print Journalism from Hampton University.
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In this episode, we welcome award-winning author and educational consultant Dr. Elondra Napper to the show. In our conversation, Dr. Napper will talk in depth about her personal journey as an educator, the release of her two new books ("My Name is Rona!" and "The Quarantine Chronicles), and the launch of the Champions STREAM Academy. To learn more about Dr. Napper's work, you can visit her website at www.encouragingchampionsllc.org or connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Encouraging Champions, LLC.
INSTAGRAM - @championeducator
TWITTER - @ElondraD
BIO:
Dr. Elondra D. Napper is an award-winning best-selling author, STREAMA (Science Technology Reading Engineering Arts, Music, Math and Agriculture) Educator and consultant for Encouraging Champions Consulting Firm. Dr. Napper has served in schools across the country for the last for 23 years as a teacher assistant, teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, principal, teaching assistant professor, researcher, and consultant. Dr.Napper is a children’s book author who uses science standards and inquiry to teach scholars about science concepts while building their self esteem while reading a book about science! Her most recent books include My Name is Rona! The Quarantine Chronicles, Every Child Needs a Champion and Chloe the Confident Caterpillar.
Dr. Napper supports educators and educational leaders by teaching them how to incorporate science in guided reading instruction in elementary schools and in middle school classrooms using her curriculum and pedagogical model for teaching and learning called Science is LiT: Science Looks Like Me. Using evidence-based strategies and elements of instructional design, she supports educator’s development by using vocabulary, guided reading components and science inquiry into a lab environment to close the knowledge and culturally responsive gap while incorporating social and emotional strategies.
She has recently launched Champions STREAMA Academy, an online school for students to learn STREAMA (Science Technology Reading Engineering Arts, Music, Math and Agriculture). She is in the process of creating an online space to support teachers and administrators to receive professional development to support Professional Learning Communities specifically focused on instructional leadership, culturally responsive pedagogy and social- emotional learning. Dr. Napper believes that Every Child Needs a Champion and it is her mission to encouraging educators to exercise the champion in them so they can build the champion scholars in their classrooms and schools.
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In this episode, we welcome high school math teacher Shariya' Gray to the show! In our episode, Shariya' shares how she transformed into the "Black-Matician", the lack of Black women representation in the mathematics field, the importance of HBCUs in the Black community, and much more! To follow Shariya's work, you can visit her website theblackmatician.weebly.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Shariya' Gray
INSTAGRAM - @theblackmatician
TWITTER - @blackmatician
YOUTUBE - The Black-Matician
BIO:
Shariya' Gray, popularly known as "The Black-Matician" is a high school math teacher at Edison High-school in Fresno, California. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Applied Mathematics from The Norfolk State University. As Shariya states "I teach a subject that everyone loves to have sprinkled with a little bit of melanin. I bring math literacy from someone who looks like you , talks like you and may be you in the future. My lessons are for students, parents, teachers and you!"
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we are excited to welcome 13-year old entrepreneur Jada Huffman, founder and CEO of "Official I Am Apparel". On this episode, she will share her personal journey as a young entrepreneur, the importance of students of color being able to learn about their history in public schools, and the role her family has played in her entrepreneurial journey. To learn more about Jada's work, you can visit the "I Am Apparel" website at officialiamapparel.com or you can connect with her on the following platforms:
INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK - @official_iam_apparel TWITTER - @iam_apparel
BIO: Jada Huffman is the founder & CEO of Official I Am Apparel. She is a Long Island, NY native and will be entering her freshman year of high school. As a student, Jada did not see herself in the history that was being taught. Her brother would always tell her about the great influential people of color that impacted history. She began to understand how big of an impact learning your history makes. Unfortunately, Jada could not find these amazing people in school or her history books. She wanted to find a way to share these influential stories in a way that would appeal to people just like her and shed light on the huge role people of color have made in history. At that moment “Official I Am Apparel”, History You Wear was born. The brand sells T-shirts that interact with an app to teach people about specific heroes and revolutionaries.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we welcome our good friend Dr. Marquita Blades to the show. In our conversation, she shares about her personal journey as an educator, the evolution of the Gyrlfriend Collective, and her current work as a Teacher EmPOWAARment specialist. To learn more about Dr. Blades' work, you can visit the website at drmarquitablades.com or you can connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Dr. Marquita Blades or POWAARful Teaching
INSTAGRAM - @powaarfulteaching
TWITTER - @DrMBlades
BIO:
Dr. Marquita S. Blades is an award-winning STEM Educator and Teacher EmPOWARRment Specialist with 16 years of experience as a high school science teacher and manager of national STEM programs. Dr. Blades saves schools and school districts time and money by teaching them to increase student engagement & collaboration through rigorous and meaningful learning experiences, using the resources they currently have on-hand. Her specialty workshops include: Practical Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards and the POWARRful Teaching Strategies™ for Increasing Student Engagement series.
Dr. Blades is also the founder of The Mediocre Teacher Project© which helps teachers avoid and battle through burnout by incorporating their unique gifts and talents into their daily practice. In 2017, Dr. Blades launched The Dr. Marquita Blades Show-Candid Conversations that Create Change, an internet-based broadcast dedicated to discussing current trends and issues in education. Dr. Blades is a contributing author for The Whole Truth & Lessons From My Grandmother’s Lap – both anthologies, the lead author for The Mediocre Teacher Project and Chronicles of the Chronically Ill –also anthologies, and the author POWARRful Teaching Strategies™ for Increasing Engagement & Collaboration While Maintaining Rigor in Science Courses – a collective of highly-effective instructional strategies for middle and high school science teachers.
Dr. Blades is a co-founder of The Gyrlfriend Collective, along with Maureen Carnakie-Baker. The Gyrlfriend Collective is an independent publishing house that connects, supports, and uplifts women by giving them a platform to share their voices through written publications. The Gyrlfriend Collective's signature work, The Gyrlfriend Code® Anthology Series includes four Amazon best-selling volumes & editions.
Dr. Blades is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa. She has received numerous awards including the Elizabeth Allen Alford Overcomer’s Award (2017), Teachers of Atlanta Honoree (2017), Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Rising Star in Education (2017), National Celebrity Educators™-Georgia Celebrity Educator of the Year (2018), and Women of Strength Honoree (2018). Most recently, she was nominated for the 2019 Community Engagement R.I.C.E. Award and was selected to be included in the 2019 Edition of Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.
Dr. Blades holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Broad Field Science from Georgia State University, a Master of Science in Technical and Professional Communication from Southern Polytechnic State University, and a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. When she is not working, Dr. Blades enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling with her husband, International Realtor, Virgil Blades.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we welcome aspiring educators Damian Anderson & Daren Frett, hosts of the Future Educators Talk podcast. In our conversation, the gentlemen will share about their aspirations to become teachers and the many projects they are working on to shift the educational paradigm. To learn more about their work, you can follow them on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Future Educators Talk
INSTAGRAM - @futureeducatorstalk
TWITTER - @FutureEduTalk
BIO:
Damian Anderson is a co-host of the "Future Educators Talk" Podcast and the "Across the State" Podcast, and is the host of his own YouTube show, "Anderson's Education Thoughts." He is attending Dyersburg State Community College to get his Associate's degree in education and then will transfer to finish his education at The University of Memphis Lambuth to obtain his bachelor's degree in education. His ultimate career vision is to one day be able to change the world of helping young minds to grow and to offer a better and safe environment for our children to live in.
Andrew Frett is a co-host of the "Future Educators Talk" Podcast and the "Across The State Podcast", and is the host of the Future Educators Talk Podcast mini-series, "Frett's Education Thoughts." He is planning to attend Vance-Granville Community College in the fall of 2020 to get his Associate's degree and then transfer to a four-year college to get his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Teaching and helping people are his biggest passions and once he retires from the education field, he plans on being an anchor or reporter at a local news station.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we're honored to have Isis Spann on the show. She is the founder of Mrs. Spann's FUNdamentals of Learning and she'll be sharing with us the importance of implementing a growth mindset so that students are more engaged in the classroom virtually and physically. To learn more Isis' work, you can visit her website at isisspann.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK: Isis Amelia Spann or Mrs. Spann's FUNDamentals of Learning
INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: fun_oflearning
BIO:
Isis Spann is the founder of FUNdamentals of Learning, LLC. and the Program Director of Beyond Our Walls, Inc. She has taught in the classroom for over 8 years and now she builds programs and aims to train educators across the country on how to engage with students and families so that true learning can take place. With an unstoppable mindset, she obtained her bachelor’s in Elementary Education and currently holds her Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision. She believes that learning should be fun and exciting for everyone involved in the educational experience. She is a true champion for underserved and marginalized students and she believes that engagement is key for student success!
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, entrepreneur educator Patricia Clahar will join us to discuss the benefits of entrepreneurship for young kids & teens and the need for more entrepreneurship programs in schools. If you're a parent or a young person who's thinking about starting your own business, you don't want to miss this discussion! To learn more about Patricia's work, you can visit her business website at teachentrepreneurshipforkids.com or connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Patricia Clahar or Hands-On Entrepreneurship for Kids INSTAGRAM - @handsonentrepreneurship4kids
BIO: Patricia Clahar is an education enrichment specialist who focuses on providing entrepreneurship education for kids and teens. She is the founder of Hands-On Entrepreneurship for Kids, which provides in-person and online solutions to families, schools and youth organizations that want to support young entrepreneurs. Patricia graduated from Harvard University (BA) and Columbia University (MBA) and has been an educator for over 12 years.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we're happy to invite Jonathan C. W. Jones, founder of Ideation4, to the show to share about his philanthropic work in the Greater Minnesota area and announce his new publication, UpLIFT, which will feature the brilliance of black male educators across the nation! To learn more about Jonathan's work, you can visit the Ideation4 website at ideation4.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Ideation4 INSTAGRAM - @ideation_4 TWITTER - @ideation4_sjc
BIO:
Jonathan C. W. Jones is a seasoned award winning educator, founder and CEO of Ideation4 who works with educators, schools, districts, nonprofit professionals and under resourced communities through proposal workshops, coaching, consulting and innovation. His passion lies across the intersections of education, business and philanthropy. Jonathan believes in the power of ideas and helping others realize they have the power to make their ideas into reality. Jonathan has landed several local and national grants & awards from Bush Foundation to NASA, and has collaborated with several organizations to impact students, educators and community builders in the Twin Cities area. Jonathan recently participated in Headwaters Foundation for Justice (HFJ) The giving Project Cohort 5 raising over $250,000 for 12 organizations for and by people of color. Currently, works as an instructional coach for Saint Paul Public School working out of the Office of Specialized Services. He hold a BA and Masters Degree in Special Education and a K-12 Administrator License. His company Ideation4 is creating publications 4Educators (coming fall 2020), UpLIFT and Connect. Proceeds from both publications will be used to establish, Fund4Good our new philanthropic initiative. These innovations will allow our company to live out our core values of learning, collaboration, equity & empowerment by providing micro grants to Black, Indigenous People of Color who are builders in their community. Jonathan is looking to deepen his understanding of how fundraising and grantmaking can address inequities in the Twin Cities.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we welcome Stacie McClam, founder of School Dismissed, LLC. In our conversation, Stacie will share about her personal journey as an educator, the impact of secondary traumatic stress on teachers, and strategies that teachers can use to reduce anxiety during the pandemic. To learn more about Stacie's work, you can visit her website at staciemcclam.com or follow her handle @staciemcclam on all social media platforms.
BIO: Stacie McClam is an educator, author, and radio show host of “Teacher Talks” on Tribe Family Channel. Stacie has 10 years of teaching experience in different states and countries. In July 2018, she published a book entitled, “School Dismissed: Walking Away from Teaching” where she describes why she left the teaching profession. The book raises awareness about the trauma that students and teachers experience at school. Stacie earned her Master's of Education degree from Howard University and her law degree from the University of Denver. She hopes to use her law degree to advocate for teachers and students through film. She is currently in production for her first feature documentary.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we welcome Guivens Andre, who is currently an ELA teacher in Boston Public Schools and the founder of Unofficial E. In our conversation, Guivens will share about his early life in Haiti, his experiences as a young black male educator, and how he's used the COVID-19 pandemic to prioritize his personal & professional growth. To learn more about Guiven's work, you can follow him on the following platforms:
FACEBOOK - Guivens Andre or Unofficial E. TWITTER - @GuivensAndre INSTAGRAM - @aka_givs
BIO: Guivens Andre was born in Haiti and came to the states with his family at the age of 5. He is an English Language Arts Educator & ESL tutor in Boston Public Schools and the founder of Unofficial E., an organization that helps immigrants enhance your English speaking skills with culturally relevant content. He received his Bachelor's Degree in English from UMass Boston and will graduate with a Master's Degree in Education this May.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this new episode, we welcome Pittsburgh native K. Chase Patterson, who is the CEO of the Urban Academy, the oldest charter school in the Greater Pittsburgh area. During our conversation, Chase shares about his upbringing in Pittsburgh, his thoughts on the state of black learning nationwide, and details about the upcoming State of Black Learning conference happening in August 2020. To learn more about Chase's work, you can visit the State of Black Learning website (stateofblacklearning.com) or follow him on the following platforms:
FACEBOOK - K. Chase Patterson INSTAGRAM - kang_chase TWITTER - @KChasePatterson
BIO:
As a native of Pittsburgh, K. Chase Patterson began to appreciate the power of knowledge from his earliest days. Patterson began his professional career at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh where he established that Black Male Youth Summit, now known as the Black Male Leadership Development Institute (BMLDI) and taught post-secondary prep classes at Wilkinsburg High School. Before working as the Chief Diversity Advisor to the largest Panera Bread Franchisee, Covelli Enterprises, Chase served as the federal liaison to the Departments of Homeland Security, Immigration, State and Education on behalf of 13-term Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Doyle. He has served the Urban Academy in a number of capacities and was instrumental in rebranding and relocating the school. Now as CEO of Pittsburgh’s oldest Charter School, the Urban Academy, Chase has the privilege of working in his purpose each and every day, to demonstrate that ALL children can learn when immersed in a rigorous, respectful and relational learning environment. Chase is the owner of Society Mens Grooming Lounge, an award winning Barbershop & Salon. He is General Chairman of the Pittsburgh NAACP Human Rights Dinner and his local and national leadership has been recognized in Pittsburgh Magazine, Whirl Magazine, the New Pittsburgh Courier, Ebony Magazine and Black Enterprise.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In the episode, we have a conversation with special guest, Anthony Carter, about his life as a writer, career coach, teacher, and an unapologetic advocate for young black gay men. To learn more about Anthony's work, you can visit his website at anthony-carter.com or follow him on Twitter with the handle @anthonylcarter.
BIO:
Anthony Carter is a career coach, with experience organizing and supporting more than 100 people as they pursue their professional and personal goals. His background in theatre, teaching and writing inform his personalized and creative approach. Anthony is fueled by his passion for reinvention, transformation and client driven solutions. He considers himself a ‘forever student,’ eager to both build on his creative and presentation skills and stay in tune with the constantly changing job market. His hunger for knowledge and determination to turn information into action has contributed to his successful support of more than 40 homeless individuals as they develop 21st century job searching skills. Meanwhile, he created then launched a pilot program at a local college where he organized classes, networking opportunities and mentoring sessions. Anthony believes ongoing training and self care in the workplace is key to success – a tenet he lives out through his interests in professional development, yoga, meditation, and writing. Anthony is currently working as a placement specialist and is always interested in a challenge.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this special episode of IDTALK4ED LIVE, we chat it up with London-based educator, Karl Pupé, who is the author of "The Action Hero Teacher: Classroom Management Made Simple". During our conversation, Karl shares about his personal journey into the education field, his personal keys and tips for classroom management success, the state of black educators in the UK, and much more! To learn more about Karl’s work, you can visit his website at actionheroteacher.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
TWITTER - @actionheroteach INSTAGRAM - @actionheroteacher
BIO:
Karl C. Pupé is a qualified classroom teacher based in London with a decade's experience across the Primary, Secondary and Further Education sectors in the United Kingdom (UK). Specializing in Behavior Management, he worked as a Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) Coordinator teaching students with severe Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. He is the author of "The Action Hero Teacher: Classroom Management Made Simple," which is a practical guide for teachers who are looking to enhance their classroom management skills in the classroom. Karl runs workshops that help teachers feel like heroes in their classrooms. As a former NEETs Coordinator and SEMH teacher, Karl shares his wealth of knowledge gained by working with some of London’s most challenging students. Karl has designed and facilitated rehabilitation classes for Year 8 to 11 students who have been excluded from Mainstream Education and were at risk of becoming NEETs themselves. Karl has earned a Level 4 ILM Diploma in Leadership and Management in Further Education.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we had the honor of speaking with Lavinya Stennett, the founder of the London-based organization "The Black Curriculum". In our conversation, she shares about her inspiration for starting the organization, the state of black educators in the UK, and what educators can do to further the mission of incorporating Black History into the UK curriculum. To learn more about Lavinya and the work of the Black Curriculum, you can visit the website theblackcurriculum.com or connect with them through the following social media handles:
FACEBOOK - The Black Curriculum INSTAGRAM - @theblackcurriculum TWITTER - @CurriculumBlack
BIO:
Lavinya Stennett is a multi-award-winning strategist, visionary, and writer who has produced several articles focusing on the need for social change, educational reform, equality, and access in the UK. Her work has most prominently been featured in major publications such as the BBC and Huffington Post. She recently completed her studies at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London as a First Class Graduate in African and Development Studies. During her time at SOAS University of London, she earned many awards; most notably the inaugural Walter Rodney award, which recognizes student excellence for their work on the history of Africa and the African diaspora. She earned the award for her outstanding dissertation, which explored Maroon Ecologies in Jamaica and Brazil. Most recently, she was recognized as the #2 UK Future Leader by Powerful Media and is the Founder & CEO of “The Black Curriculum", a solutions-based project that teaches Black British History to secondary school children around the UK, using a range of art forms. Lavinya has a wealth of experience in devising, building and implementing specialist services for clients, project management and communications within the private and public sectors of the UK. She is also fluent in Swahili.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we speak with Shequila Roberts, who is the founder of Determine Now Inc. in Orlando, FL. In our conversation, she shares about her personal journey as a single mother, her philanthropy work within the Orlando community, and her advocacy for students and parents within the Orange County Public Schools district. To learn more about Shequila and support the phenomenal work she's doing, you can visit the Determine Now website or connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Shequila Roberts INSTAGRAM - @determinenow_
BIO:
Shequila Roberts is a mother, philanthropist, business owner and a prominent member of her community. She is a single mother who came to a city where no one knew her name. Shequila decided to be a part of the solution and not the problem. With a foundation of Christianity and faith her philanthropy and innovation was no longer a dream but her life’s passion. She puts God first in her home and at the core of the change that she would like to see. Shequila Roberts has impacted the lives of more than 500 children. She started a City League called the Orlando Seahawks that consisted of 85 children from very disadvantaged homes. There were 4 football teams and 2 cheerleader squads. The boys and girls not only enjoyed the league they loved it and asked her to please return. In addition to working full time as a Mental Health Targeted Case Manager she volunteers consistently to several organizations – The Mission, One Heart for Women and Children, Mentoring and Motivating Youth and Compact. Shequila never stops giving of herself and volunteers at the Homeless Coalition and is still an Emerging Leader for United Way. She devotes herself to her son and other parents at his elementary school, serving as President of the PTA. She ensures that she is annually approved through Orange County Public Schools as Additions Approved to volunteer for any activities. Shequila is also a partner and a vendor for Orange County Public Schools (OCPS). Once a month, she faithfully attends their Pine Hill Community Council meetings to discuss the betterment of their neighborhood as well as crime prevention. She has facilitated three workshops topics thus far, in Miami once a month to encourage preteen, adolescent and adult women who have escaped unfortunate and dangerous situations. She naturally won their attention and positively affected the lives of these ladies. Shequila has been laying the groundwork for her dreams since 2002 and is now the CEO/ Owner of her own business ‘Determine Now’. She is looking forward to the future and partnering with organization that are making a difference in the communities that need it most. She is definitely the epitome of great strength, leadership and vision.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we connect with educator David Obianyor, who is pioneering the ed tech revolution in his native Nigeria. In our conversation, he shares about the current state of education in Nigeria, his professional development work with teachers in Nigeria, and his ultimate mission to spread the gospel of educational technology throughout the African continent. If you would like to connect with David, you can follow him on the following platforms.
FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN - David Obianyor INSTAGRAM - @obianyordavid, @teachersidaraanddavid
BIO:
David Obianyor is a technology integrational specialist, and a one of a kind Nigerian educator who, has set out on a mission to give the teaching profession in this part of the country a face-lift by being a game-changer and breaking from the status quo. This has made me engage in various activities locally and internationally. In recognition for his contribution in the education sector, he has earned numerous individual awards and some include Teacher of the Year, Model Primary Teacher of the Year, recognition for ‘The Most Innovative Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning’ by Microsoft Nigeria, Corona Schools I.T Proficient Teacher of the Year and the CEO’S Award of the Year Corona Schools 2017 in recognition for outstanding achievement in and outside the classroom. He was named among the Top 5 educators in Nigeria in the Meadow Hall Foundation’s Inspirational Educators Award in Nigeria (INSEA) 2016 and Arclights Foundation's Teacher of the Year in Nigeria 2018. He was recently recognized as a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (2019-2020) because of the pivotal role that he and his colleagues played in getting his school to become a Microsoft Showcase School (2019-2020). He was also awarded an ambassadorship by the ClassDojo software in the United States of America as the pioneer ambassador for Africa because of his enthusiasm for creating a fun and happier classroom. This was necessitated by a feat which he achieved with apps like Flipgrid, Skype and ClassDojo after connecting with a teacher from the United States of America in the bid to connect his classes, share cultures and teach kindness to his students such as raising funds for impoverished schools in Nigeria. David has been invited to speak about his practices in the classroom at notable conferences, locally and internationally and a few include the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Innovative Practice Series and the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN) Global Classroom.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support
In this episode, we welcome Charles Williams, who is the founder of CW Consulting, an organization focused on helping schools, educators, and school districts unlock their potential and deliver positive results for their students. In our conversation, Charles talks about his transition from a classroom teacher to a school administrator, his take on the state of education in Chicago Public Schools, the importance of students developing a growth mindset, and much more! If you would like to connect with Charles, you can visit his organization's website at cwconsultingservice.com or follow him on the following platforms:
INSTAGRAM & TWITTER - @_cwconsulting FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN - Charles Williams
BIO:
Charles Williams currently serves as the Principal of Plato Learning Academy in Chicago, IL. He has been an educator for nearly 15 years serving as a teacher, a mentor/lead teacher, an assistant principal, and a principal for urban students in grades K-12. Charles still serves as an educational administrator and is a member of several professional organizations including Great Expectations Mentoring (GEM), Men of Color in Education, the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), and the Illinois Principals Association (IPA). After presenting at numerous events including nationwide conferences, educational workshops, and fundraising events, he founded his own organization, CW Consulting, which focuses on helping institutions to unlock their potential and promising to deliver results. Charles holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Purdue University Calumet, a Master’s Degree in Education from Calumet College of St. Joseph, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership & Administration from Purdue University, and a Certificate in Organization Leadership & Management from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
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In this new episode, we bring in Dr. Christopher Brazzle, founder of L.I.M.E.LIGHT Transformations and the author of the newly released book, "Outlier Leadership: The 5 No Excuse Habits of Outlier Leaders", to talk about his transition from class clown to school principal. He also describes the step-by-step process of becoming an outlier leader and how those steps are transferrable to any industry you work in. To learn more about Dr. Brazzle's work, you can visit his website at www.drchrisbrazzle.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Christopher Brazzle INSTAGRAM - limelight_trans TWITTER - LIMELightTrans1
BIO:
Dr. Christopher Brazzle is the Founder and CEO of L.I.M.E.LIGHT Transformations, a company specializing in the training and development of transformational leaders personally and professionally within organizations. He is an educator of almost two decades where he has served as a coach, a mentor, a K-12 teacher, a graduate teacher, a behavioral campus coordinator, an athletic director, a regional director and a school leader. He is a professional speaker and motivator. Dr. Brazzle’s mission is to educate and lead others to transformational change. His goal is to help you achieve positive results through accomplishing your personal and professional goals as a leader in this 21st century. Dr. Brazzle has studied, researched, written and spoken for over a decade on leadership development and accomplishing your goals through hard work and perseverance. He is a Best Selling author and responsible for the #1 Amazon Hot New Release of Outlier Leadership – “The 5 No Excuses Habits of Outlier Leaders” and also authored his first book From Class Clown to Principal. Since 2002, Dr. Brazzle has delivered over 50 programs, helped and worked with thousands of students and student athletes to achieve their maximum potential, and mentored many educators toward becoming transformational change agents and leaders. Dr. Brazzle has earned a reputation where parents, students and teachers trust in his leadership, experience and unmatched relationship building. Dr. Brazzle’s strong skill as an experienced learner and facilitator teaches seminar participants to acquire the necessary training skills to move towards transformational leader in todays’ workplace.
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In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Chicago-based Anleeta Eaton-Buchanan. In our conversation, she shared about the personal journey she has taken to achieve self-care in her educator life, the founding of the "Ms. R.I.G.H.T" (Really Intelligent Girls Hang Together) program, and her love for making African-inspired headwraps. To learn more about Anleeta's work, you can connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Anleeta Marie INSTAGRAM - @wrappedineducation, @RIGHT_Mentoring TWITTER - @msblovesdakids
BIO:
Anleeta Eaton-Buchanan is an educator, teacher self-care advocate, youth advocate, motivational speaker and mentor to youth of all ages. She has been a featured panelist at The Teacher Self-Care Conference, a published blogger with The Educator's Room, a recurring guest of The Ben Jarovsky Radio Show, and a guest of the Class Disruption podcast. With 16 years of experience in special education, Anleeta is very passionate about the future of our young people and believes that, "All children can learn, you just have to figure out how." She is also the proud sponsor of “Ms. RIGHT," which stands for Really Intelligent Girls Hang Together, a program that seeks to teach girls self-worth, self-esteem, and confidence. Anleeta holds a B.A. (Journalism) from Columbia College Chicago, M.A.Ed. in Elementary Education from Roosevelt University Chicago, and her LBS1 certification the University of St. Francis. When she is not in the classroom, Anleeta creates her own African headwrap designs via Naturally Niani Head Wraps. Named after her daughter, Niani, Anleeta hopes to share her love for her culture and the beauty of the artform with women across the globe. Anleeta is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and enjoys traveling, crafting, and volunteer work
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In this episode, we caught up with Desmond Williams, who is the founder of Nylinka School Solutions, an organization that specializes in providing professional development and consulting services that will help educators and school districts increase their level of engagement and investment of boys of color. During our conversation, we touched on a myriad of topics: his personal journey into education, the founding of Nylinka, the making of his upcoming book, "The Burning House: Educating Black Boys in Modern America", and much more! To learn more about Desmond and to support his work, you can visit the Nylinka website at www.nylinka.org or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER - @nylinka LINKEDIN - Desmond Williams
BIO:
Desmond Williams is a career teacher, principal, author and thought leader. He is driven to help all children live their dreams. Desmond had two dream growing up: He wanted to design Transformers and be a sitcom writer. After having many teachers tell him those dreams were silly, he decided he wanted to teach because he knew children deserved better. He has spent his entire professional career working with youth serving as a special educator, classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal. His educational philosophy is simply that education should be used for the process of building and maintaining a nation. He received his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Howard University in Washington, DC. He later received his Master’s degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University. He started his teaching career in DCPS as a special educator. He subsequently moved through the ranks and became a special education coordinator because of his business acumen and understanding of children with special needs. Soon afterwards Mr. Williams, worked in the Office of Special Education for DC Public Schools. After leaving DCPS’s Office of Special Education, he ventured into the world of school-based administration. His expertise includes, student engagement, restorative justice practices, relationship building with students, and family engagement. Desmond has spoken at multiple conferences across the country offering his expertise and insight in engaging inner-city students. He has worked with several independent schools and school districts. His focus is on educating boys of color. “They are the most marginalized and are in need of the most help. “Teachers that serve them, tend to be the teachers that are in need of the most support.” His other passions include teacher development, leadership development, special education and engaging boys of color in learning. In 2015, he launched the #SOBTC Twitter chat that united teachers, educators, parents and practitioners from across the country together to discuss issues related to educating boys of color. #SOBTC, Send Our Boys To College started because he wanted those invested in the growth of Black boys to have a platform to discuss challenges and celebrate successes. His first book “The Burning House: Educating Black Boys in Modern America” will be released in early 2020.
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In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing my good friend and brother-in-education, Larue Fitch! During our conversation, he opens up about his personal journey from being a teenage father to a national educational leader. He also gives us some insight about his upcoming book, "Breaking the Education Code", sheds some light on the state of Chicago Public Schools, and much more! To learn more about Larue’s work, you can visit his website at www.laruemfitch.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - @laruefitch INSTAGRAM - @ed.consultant
BIO:
Larue Fitch is an educational consultant, school administrator, and author from Chicago, IL. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Saint Xavier University, and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Chicago State University, where is currently working towards his Doctorate degree. He is the author of the new book, “Breaking the Education Code: Instructional Guide for Enhancing Teacher Capacity While Increasing Scholar Achievement”, which will be released in early 2020. Larue’s educational journey began as an elementary school teacher. For seven years, he worked with scholars in grades 4 through 8, teaching Science, Literacy and Math. During his time in the classroom, he was fortunate to develop relationships with scholars which provided a safe environment for them to grow and develop academically. As a teacher, Larue always looked forward to communicating openly with parents. It was always the highlight of his experience to share with the parents the academic and social growth their child made throughout the school year. Leadership opportunities began to open within his school and he became the Science Lead Teacher. One of the most rewarding aspects of this role was the ability to work with his peers. Productive teamwork is critical to a thriving school culture. This collaboration led to some positive changes in our school’s teaching practices along with an established alliance between teachers and administration. Seven years later, he entered the role of Assistant Principal and Resident Principal in Chicago Public Schools. As Resident Principal in a CPS elementary school, he was the administrator in charge of Restorative Justice and the Data-Driven Instructional Cycle. Through the implementation of Restorative Justice practices, the percentage of out-of-school suspensions decreased by 31 percent for African-American children. He worked closely with our teachers and families to build a culture where scholars are taking ownership of their academic and social performances. Through meaningful collaborations, parents participated in workshops and school-level activities; developing an open line of communication between the teachers, administration and their scholars. Finally, Larue is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
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If you are a parent of a child with special needs, this is a very important episode for YOU to listen! We brought our good friend, Yahaira Lopez, on the show to share her personal journey as the single mother of twin sons, both of whom are on the Autism spectrum, and how that experience propelled her into a career of special education advocacy for students and parents of color. To learn more about Yahaira's work, her organization, Autism Sprinter (www.autismsprinter.org), and her new podcast, "Momvocate Mob", you can connect with her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - Autism Sprinter, Momvocate Mob INSTAGRAM - @autismsprinter, @iamamomvocate TWITTER - @AutismSprinter
BIO:
Yahaira Lopez is the founder of Autism Sprinter, Inc: a parent led grassroots organization building parents as experts in special education. Yahaira knows the struggles of Autism firsthand—she has twin boys on the Autism Spectrum as well as ADHD. As any parent knows, young boys can be a handful. Young premature twins added even more complications. And having twin boys with different levels of unique challenges adds even more difficulties. As a parent, Yahaira put her career on hold where she turned one of her bedrooms into a home classroom. She began to watch YouTube videos of autism therapies to self-learn different form therapies to support her children needs to develop her own parent expertise. Yahaira has a Master's degree in Human Service Organizational Management from Springfield College. She also has a Bachelor's in Social Work from Salem State University. Yahaira has over 15 years of experience working with children, youth and families in many different capacities. She has worked at Boston Public Schools, DCF, and Boston Center for Youth and Families. Yahaira is currently working for Riverside Community Care Mobile Crisis Unit as a Crisis Specialist. She is also a Boston Public School alumni who immigrated from Puerto Rico at the age of 4. Yahaira's work is dedicated to improving the lives of families and their loved ones presented with unique abilities navigating systems that seems impossible to understand. She believes parents are more than just caretakers. Yahaira says "Parent are experts too".
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In this episode of #IDTALK4EDLIVE, I spent some time chatting with my dear friend, Dr. Shaun Woodly, founder of "Teach, Hustle, Inspire". In our conversation, Dr. Woodly shares about his humble beginnings as an educator, his thoughts on the hip-hop education movement, the creative process for his book, "MC Means Move the Class", and everything hip-hop! To learn more about Dr. Woodly and the "Teach, Hustle, Inspire" movement, you can visit the website at www.teachhustleinspire.com or connect with him on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK - "Teach, Hustle, Inspire" with Dr. Shaun Woodly INSTAGRAM - @teachhustleinspire TWITTER - @shaunwoodly
BIO:
Dr. Shaun Woodly is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and staff development expert who specializes in classroom management and student engagement in urban and culturally diverse schools. He is the founder of “Teach, Hustle, Inspire”, an educator movement focused on helping driven and passionate educators transform their classrooms into high-achieving, high-performing learning environments. An unapologetic New Yorker, Dr. Woodly earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Teaching degrees from Hampton University, as well his Ph.D. in Education from Capella University. In his fourteen-year career in education, he has taught in the Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia and Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia. He is the best-selling author of, “MC Means Move the Class: How to Spark Engagement and Motivation in Urban and Culturally Diverse Classrooms”, a book that draws on research-based pedagogy and culturally responsive instructional methods to provide educators with the best teaching strategies and methods that will help them be great in the classroom.
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In this special episode of IDTALK4ED LIVE, I sat down with my Temple big sister, Shauna Brown, who is the founder of the Melanin of STEM blog series and the educator lifestyle brand, Teach for the Culture, LLC. During our conversation, she discuss the importance of increasing STEM programming access to communities of color, the need for more African-Americans to travel to the African continent to connect with their diasporan brothers and sisters, and so much more! If you would like to connect with Shauna, you can find her on the following social media platforms:
FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM - @teachfortheculture, @melanininstem TWITTER - @tch4theculture LINKEDIN - Shauna H.B.
BIO:
Shauna Brown is the Assistant Principal of the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering (formerly the Greater Hartford Academy of Mathematics and Science); a STEM-themed magnet school serving students in Grades 6-12. She is the first female to serve in this role in the school’s history. She is the founder of the Melanin in Stem blog series, a platform that highlights the stories of women and people of color in STEM, with the goal of exposing young people (and everyone else) to what is possible! Most recently, she founded Teach for the Culture, LLC., a brand dedicated to empowering and positively affirming its clientele by fostering a sense of pride in culture and self, in the field of education and beyond! Born in Hartford, CT to Jamaican parentage, Shauna earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Temple University, and her Master’s Degree in Urban Education and Policy from Columbia University in the City of New York. She also earned a post-graduate degree in Educational Leadership and has completed several certificates in advanced educational studies. She has served in the field of education for over 15 years, and has worked in schools in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Harlem, and Hartford, CT. In addition to her years of classroom teaching experience in the middle school, Shauna has served as a district-wide Instructional Coach, and as a State Education Consultant working on Federal and State-wide programs such as Title III and the Office for Civil Rights initiatives. She also had the wonderful opportunity of traveling abroad for a period of time as a Fulbright Scholar, to study the schools, culture, and educational system in Ghana, West Africa, and develop curriculum for teachers. In addition to this fellowship, she was selected as a Yale University Educational Field Study participant to participate in educational field studies in Puerto Rico.
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In this episode of IDTALK4ED LIVE, we brought in Ronnie Thomas, who is the founder of the Georgia Science & Robotics Academy, Inc. and Fun Weird Science, LLC. in Atlanta, GA. In our conversation, Ronnie discussed his family life, his personal journey as an educator, his perspective on the current state of STEM education for young men of color, future projects for Fun Weird Science, LLC. entering the year 2020, and so much more! If you would like to follow Fun Weird Science, LLC. and support the initiatives of the Thomas family members, check out the information below:
- funweirdscience.com (@funweirdscience on all social media platforms) 365bodylove.com (Natural Body Care Products) - Culturegreetings.com (Customized Greeting Cards) - DjKANtstop.com (DJ & Karaoke Services) - Shuaerials.com (Aerial Videography & Photography)
BIO:
Ronnie Thomas graduated from Alabama State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. A proud native of Birmingham, AL, he is an enthusiastic and passionate technology-driven educator with a solid commitment to the social, academic and developmental growth of students. Thomas has the ability to challenge and inspire hands-on learning experiences that capture a student’s imagination. A two-time Teacher of the Year recipient, Thomas has conducted research with NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program. Thomas is the founder of Georgia Science & Robotics Academy, Inc. and Fun Weird Science LLC, which provides impactful K-12 STEAM enrichment for teachers and students through professional development, teacher cohort coaching, summer STEM enrichment programs for students and interactive science shows. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Beta Zeta Chapter. Most recently, he was selected as an honoree of the Alabama State University “50 Under 50” Class of 2019 for his outstanding professional achievements and commitment to advancing the university’s legacy of excellence.
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In this special episode of #IDTALK4EDLIVE, we want to focus on the transformative power of the student voice and how it can help shape the future of public education in America and beyond. For this conversation, we invited Cecil Price III, who is currently a senior and the Student Body President at the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies in Pittsburgh, PA. He also serves at the President of the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ African American Center for Advanced Studies (AACAS) Executive Committee. During the conversation, Cecil shares about the personal impact that Barack Obama Academy has had on him academically, his perspective on the experiences of students of color in Pittsburgh Public Schools, the important of student activism, and so much more! You can connect with Cecil on the following social media platforms:
Facebook - Cecil Price III Instagram - @cecilprice3rd
BIO:
Cecil Price, III is a senior and the Student Body President of the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies where he prides himself on being a conscientious, civically, and socially engaged student, brother, son, and friend. With his continuous involvement in the lives of students and the community at large, he has been given the title of Student Ambassador. Accompanied by this title, he has had many leadership roles to help advocate for student voice. Cecil is the President of the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ African American Centers for Advanced Studies (AACAS) Executive Committee, whose mission is to be a beacon of support, encouragement, and advocacy for the AACAS Council (African American gifted and talented high school students) in maintaining academic, social, and emotional excellence while building balanced identities of self, confidence, and competence. For his exceptional scholarship, extraordinary leadership and remarkable character, he received the Outstanding Young Citizens Award in 2019. He is also the Youth Director and Drummer of the Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, a member of the National Honor Society and Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens, Student Leader of both the Journey to Medicine and YMCA Youth and Government programs, and an Educator at the Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School. Due to his ongoing engagement with the Urban Academy’s faculty and student body, he was given the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. Cecil’s astounding academic record includes maintaining a 4.62 GPA, the completion of International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, and receiving the Academic Excellence Award in 2018. While continuing his work in various academic and social fields, his most impactful work has been done as a guest speaker at the State of Black Learning Conference, the Summer Leadership Academy, the 6th Annual SCW Foundation Benefit Gala, Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, the Tickets for Kids 25th Anniversary, and the 2019 CAS Expo of Excellence. By speaking at these events, Cecil has been a part of the solution, rather than a part of the problem. He has also been featured in several media platforms like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Magazine, Trib Total Media, 90.5 WESA Radio, WPXI, and JET 24 Action News, where his own platform has made room for other students to emulate and to be encouraged that their current state is not their final fate.
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In this episode of IDTALK4ED LIVE, we had the honor of speaking with our good friend, Dr. Dariel "D.T." Henry, who is arguably the most dapper and hardest working brotha in higher education! In our conversation, he touched on his early upbringing in Miami, his academic life as a student athlete during his undergraduate days at Dean College, his recruiting role with the Regis Diverse Educators Program, and so much more! If you are currently a student athlete or enrolled in a doctoral program, you don't want to miss this episode! Dr. Henry blessed us with many gems through our conversation! If you want to connect with Dr. Henry, you can visit his website at darieldthenry.com. You can also follow him on social media with the following handles:
FACEBOOK - D.T. Dariel Henry INSTAGRAM - @darieldthenry TWITTER - @DarielDTHenry LINKEDIN - Dariel "DT" Henry
BIO:
Dr. Dariel “D.T” Henry serves as the Director of TRiO Student Support Services at Bristol Community College in Fall River, MA. He also works as a recruiter for the Regis Diverse Educators Program at Regis College, a full-tuition scholarship program for high school students who wish to pursue the field of education and who are specifically interested in working with underrepresented populations. Dr. Henry has previously held leadership and academic advisory roles at Dean College and the University of Massachusetts Boston. A proud native of Miami, FL, Dr. Henry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Central Florida, a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bridgewater State University, and a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education & Administration from Johnson and Wales University. As a former student-athlete, Dr. Henry also volunteers his time to offer academic coaching and consulting to current student athletes at the high school and university levels. Outside of his university work, he is the host of the “Swag Bender” podcast, where he facilitates conversations about education, culture, football, and motivation.
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In this episode of IDTALK4ED LIVE, it's all about STEAM and Black males! For this conversation, we welcomed Robert Hendricks III, the Founder and Executive Director of the He Is Me Institute, to share the organization's mission to create a pipeline for Black males to pursue STEAM careers. If you would like to learn more about He Is Me and donate to the organization, you can visit the website at www.heisme.org and donate by texting "GIVE" to 877-255-9471. You can also follow the organization on social media:
Instagram - @heismeinstitute Twitter - @HeisMeInstitute LinkedIn - He Is Me Institute
BIO:
Robert Hendricks III is the Founder and Executive Director of the He Is Me Institute, a non-profit organization whose ultimate mission is to empower Black men to obtain and retain careers in STEAM education. He earned a B.S. in Middle Childhood Math and Social Studies Education and a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Teacher Leadership from Miami University (OH). Throughout his career in education, Robert has held various roles in schools including instructional leadership, school culture leadership, special education teaching, and curriculum design. His previous stops include Mind Matters Boston, Generation Teach, and the Great Miami Valley YMCA.
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For this episode, I welcomed my good friend Denise Manning, who is the Outreach Director for the Boston Chapter of the non-profit organization, Educators For Excellence (E4E). In our conversation, we talked about the national campaigns that E4E has recently launched around the needs of teacher diversity and creating positive school culture in our communities. To learn more about E4E and/or to donate the organization, please visit the website at www.e4e.org.
BIO:
Denise Manning is a Boston native and proud graduate of Boston Public Schools. Witnessing violence in her community growing up, Denise learned the importance of self-advocacy and sought enrichment opportunities. She worked with mentors from Minds Matter Boston on Saturdays to improve her writing skills and was admitted into prestigious summer programs that gave her access to greater educational opportunities. Through these programs, Denise saw the educational inequalities that exist, as well as the power of knowledge. Denise graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and returned to her community to work in Boston Public Schools as a paraprofessional. While working in BPS, Denise advocated for students and families to have access to information and opportunities to support student growth. Denise then earned her license to teach high school English and early education, as well as her master’s degree. With her hands-on experiences in teaching, she focused on the importance of authentic community and family engagement for student academic and social-emotional support.
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In this inaugural episode of #IDTALK4EDLIVE, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Edmonds, who is a 10th Grade Global Studies Teacher at Bronx Law High School. She is also the host of the "Class Disruption" podcast, which you can catch every Friday on Instagram and YouTube. Tune in as we talk about establishing a healthy work-life balance as parents, developing a growth mindset as teachers, "staying foolish" in the process, and much more!
BIO:
Stephanie Edmonds is a New York City educator currently working at the Bronx High School for Law and Community Service, teaching 10th grade global history and serving as the reading intervention specialist and the Director of the Office of Student Life. Her approach to the classroom is a reflection of her "stay foolish" philosophy - the idea that learning happens when you are being your authentic self and having fun with it. In this way, Stephanie designs authentic learning experiences by pairing the content of the state's curriculum with projects that ask students to use real world skills to apply their knowledge. Some examples include class debates, writing and acting out plays, creating class newspapers, and making short documentaries. As Director of the Office of Student Life, Stephanie is able to fully realize her mission of authentic student learning by supporting all of her school's student clubs through leadership development and running school-wide events throughout the year. Perhaps she is most proud of introducing to her school, its first ever student government. And yet, the breadth and depth of the work to be done, keeps her humbled and focused on one thing - finding the small cracks between the prescribed state curriculum, the unfunded policy initiatives, the state testing, and the directives of administration to create the space to serve the wide variety of needs of her students. Remember, "Stay Foolish y'all!" You can connect with Stephanie on the following social media platforms: Instagram - @class.disruption Twitter - @classdisrupti0n
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support