Worth Work Podcast: Recent Episodes
Desmond Spann and Jesse Gardner
From the Worth Work Podcast Intro Song: “Equity work is framed as a necessary burden. We believe that it’s work worth doing. This podcast is all about how to reframe equity work from just fighting injustice to building worth that brings justice, meeting the needs of everyone. WORTH WORK! Who? Desmond Spann, aka DLUX THE LIGHT, getting right on the mic, teaching life when I write.... WORTH WORK! Who: The Imaginer, genius awakener, educator in the art of contemplating... WORTH WORK What: the podcast for the teachers in the class, to focus on the heart of the craft ... WORTH WORK Why? A refrain from the blame, and the shame and the pain, and disdain cause we gain from this... WORTH WORK! “
This episode offers a profound look at the transition back to the classroom, exploring the nuanced feelings and thoughts that come with resuming educational responsibilities after such a significant event.
Key Highlights:
- Desmond's Dilemma: A Teacher's Crossroads: Peek into Desmond's inner world as he grapples with tough decisions about his teaching career. How does an educator reconcile personal well-being with professional duty?
- Jesse's Transformative Experience: Uncover the emotional journey Jesse undertook during the strike. What profound realizations emerged from this blend of pain, joy, and gratitude?
- Thriving in Adversity: Dive into the discussion on thriving post-strike. Can maintaining an open heart in times of challenge lead to personal and professional transformation?
- Envisioning Education's Future: Explore Jesse's 'Genius Awakening Curriculum.' How can tapping into collective and individual genius revolutionize the educational process?
- Healing and Hope in Education: Join the conversation on navigating systemic challenges with honesty and kindness. What does a future built on open-heartedness look like in education?
- An Uncertain Yet Hopeful Path Forward: Contemplate the future of the podcast and the education system. Will the mantra "genius over doubt" guide educators and students into a new era of learning?
Tune in for an episode that not only reflects on the aftermath of a teachers' strike but also delves into the broader implications for personal growth, systemic change, and the art of thriving in the complex world of education.
Welcome to 'Worth Work: The Strike Work 3', it's Jesse, the Imaginer here, going solo in this episode to share some vital insights from the Portland Association of Teachers Strike. Today, we're deep in the heart of the strike, facing some tough realities regarding the recent decision Portland Public School Management about our health insurance.
I'll share clips from today's rally to help us align with the themes of community health and individual well-being. This episode isn't just about listening; it's an invitation to join in a journey of understanding and contemplation.
We explore the deep connections and support systems we've built on the picket lines, the power of community, and how we're facing our fears head-on. There's an urgent call for our leaders to face their fears too, to engage in honest, vulnerable communication. It's time to question and dismantle the fear-based structures in our schools and replace them with systems that recognize our humanity and genius.
I'll share some personal reflections and a rap I wrote, capturing the emotions and vibrations of this historic time. It's about seeing every obstacle as a pathway to new possibilities and transforming our struggles into a thriving way of life.
-Jesse the Emajyner
Welcome back to 'Worth Work: The Strike Work 2'. I'm Desmond Spann, joined by Jesse Gardner, and today, November 15th, marks day 10 of the Portland Association of Teachers Strike.
In this episode, we explore the emotional highs and lows of the strike, from the strong sense of community among educators to the looming uncertainties and fears. We delve into the recent negotiations, the complexities of union decisions, and the ongoing challenges with PPS management.
This strike isn't just a protest; it's a deep dive into the systemic issues facing our education system. We're not only fighting for better conditions but also for the recognition and respect of our profession. It's a historic moment for Portland Public Schools, and as we navigate these uncharted waters, we're reminded of the power of community, the importance of honest dialogue, and the need to stand up for what we believe in.
As always, genius over doubt.
Enjoy the Episode
-Desmond
Welcome back to 'Worth Work: The Strike Work 1'. I'm Desmond Spann, and it's been a while since we last connected through this podcast. After a hiatus of one year, we're reigniting this platform due to the unprecedented and historic nature of the Portland Association of Teachers Strike. As we enter Day 9 of this groundbreaking event, I find myself deeply immersed in the challenges and triumphs of our collective action.
In this episode Jesse interviews Desmond about his upgrading practices to stop using grades to have power over students but create a classroom culture increase learning through enriching classroom experiences. Desmond talks about the joyful mess of this process and in this short bonus episode there are many gems. So many gems we had to contemplate in silence and not lay down our usual freestyle at the end. Ha. Enjoy! 03:02 Desmond "We want there to be an objective measurement of learning, however when you start diving deep into what learning is... the learning experience is inherently a personal one. And there is no real way for me to know actually know what a student has learned. I know what they choose to show, I know what they choose to do.... and I can make a judgement that they've learned something based on that. But the actual experience of them learning and internalizing that connection is ultimately theirs. 04:36 Desmond "I noticed I was holding back creative ideas and insights that could really make a difference for students because I wasn't going to grade it. If I'm not going to grade it then what is the incentive for them to do it? I'm giving them less than my best creative thinking because I'm trying to manage my work load of all I'm trying to do. Then when I did my little tricks of like alright I'm going to make you think I'm grading this even when I'm just grading a small piece of this... it didn't feel right. 05:36- Desmond "It got to the point where I'm like alright, I'm not doing my best work and I'm not liking the dynamics it creates amongst students with myself. And I also don't like the effect it creates on students." 06:22- Desmond "I would create a system where I would try to promote action and thought from my students. As long as I had the power to evaluate their work and have real outcomes for them, they were trying to figure out the cheat code to get the A and not actually learn." 06:45- Jesse "What I hear you saying is that grading was preventing a depth of learning. For genius to awaken, to get into the meat of learning, was prevented by grading." 07:00- Desmond- "I want to be very clear when I say grading, I mean when you get a whole bunch of assignments ini,ts when the only feedback your giving is a number. They can't do anything about that. There is a lot of work of being done to put the check marks into the system...and the feedback on the paper is greatly ignored because students are conditioned to only look for the grade." 07:54- Jesse "How would you describe upgrading for our listeners?" 8:00-9:26 Desmond answers the question... 08:25- Desmond the feedback you give is specific to what you see in the work... talk to me about your process... learn through the mistake... mistakes are necessary for learning... 09:25- Jesse "In your class how is this process facilitated?" 09:34 Desmond- "For me, I'm okay with the messiness.... There is what I'm actually doing and there is what I want to change as I get further along in the process of it... A lot of self reflection, the grade comes from students, we do self evaluation. Students assign themselves a grade based on the work they've done, what I'm calling the process portfolio... I would rather document that they are engaged in the class and thinking... 12:23- Desmond "The accountability comes in through frequent reflection... I give them guided reflections to probe them deep into their self awareness." 13:47- Des- I have a process where students post questions to a service called Packback. Which focuses on inquiry. Shoutout to Packback. They post one question and respond to two. Thats minimum. I say minimum is average and average a C. 'your still using that grading language?' A little bit because they are still in it. 14:33- Desmond "We've trained them with escapism; the game they (students) are playing is what is the least I need to do to get the maximum result. I give them the minimum and tell them that the minimum is average....
Welcome! This episode invites listeners into the heart of Worth Work: story telling and practices that help us tell our stories from our depths. Desmond shares triggering experience of racism at the school he works at. The practices Desmond is immersed in help him navigate the experience, feel it deeply and authentically express himself. Take this story in like you're sipping a special beverage. 01:35- What comes up for your when you think of worth work practices? 01:58- Jesse "Embracing our whole selves so that we can embrace others. In a quantum sense- 'you are my other me' and that comes from the http://vue.annenberginstitute.org/perspectives/lak’ech-you-are-my-other (In Lak Ech poem), that ancient Mayan concept. We are all connected, so its practicing that connection. Practicing our humanity." 02:36 Desmond- "There are a lot of folks dealing shame, a lack of self worth. Which creates all sorts of ways that our pain in manifesting in the classroom and in the systems. The idea is worth... of self worth, the value we innately have by being here and being here another day.... every time we see the next day there is something that decides we are worthy of seeing another day, without having to do anything. If we can stay connected to that, we don't fall victim to the way we convince ourselves that we're not enough." 03:32 Desmond "There is the work piece and the practice piece. Not just showing up to do the work when the work is needed, but practicing the skills you need in order to do the work. Its continuous, its daily.... there are times when we lose the human connection and we need to practice the skills that help us maintain the human connection while we deal with the challenges of meeting everyone's need in the system." 04:21- Desmond "A worth work practice is something you create yourself to practice internal skills, so when its no longer a drill, you're ready to act." 05:15 Jesse "In Worth Work- the vision is to create a world where everyone has access to everything they need to live their highest selves. In our context- eradicating white body supremacy.... we need practices to evolve. Some practices are passed down from our ancestors and then we also need to develop and expand new practices to adapt to what our times are calling for." 05:55 Desmond - "And having the skill set to adapt. Which may not be present if your don't have a creative practice... We are attempting to create something new...humans have always been dealing with the human condition... What we are trying to do is deal with the human condition together. " 07:00 Jesse- "These practices are way to deal with out pain. Like https://www.resmaa.com/about (Resmaa Menakem) says, clean pain over dirty pain. Pain will be expressed some how. Our practices help us express pain in productive ways, in ways that bring connection.... With worth work we are trying to build that human connection in the context of the institution of school despite all the obstacles we face on the daily. Which might be a good segue into your story of how to channel pain and the value of having practices." 08:18 Desmond "Yea cause when you said how to bring humanity into it. The simple answer is allowing our stories to be heard and told in community, in our classes." 08:45 Desmond sets up and shares an experience 2/15/22.... 14:02- Desmond "It got to the point where I said 'the human part of me wants to go and have a conversation with the other classes, the teacher part of me is hesitant to do so. It was in that point that I realized, 'oh I'm a human before I'm a teacher.' I experienced the dehumanization of what was happening, through the word and the culture context that we're in..."
As the school year rolls into its start, this episode is a reminder that human connection transfers real learning to students. Enjoy this episode. More show notes on the way. https://worthworkpodcast.substack.com/
Today, in Portland Public Schools, we start planning for the year. It's a great time to think about our systems. So enjoy this episode. It's one of my favorites. -Desmond
Worth Work in full effect. This episode focuses on the relationship of power in our teaching profession in individuals and in the system. What do we gain when we give up power? How can we shift the culture so power is more evenly distributed? A real gem in this episode is around the 30:10 mark hear a story from from a few years from students (now in college) about how they were able to shift the power dynamics at their school in a event called Time to Talk, where adults had to be the primary listeners and how that student voice impacted the school. As always tune in to the end where Desmond and Jesse freestyle rap with key words of the episode. 01:36- Desmond- "Its good to understand power to use it in ways that isn't based in default conditioning and the need to self protect. That is the impetus if you will. The question is How do we use power in a way that can bring equity and inclusion into classroom spaces as well as the world. 02:24- Jesse "When I'm empowered I feel it in my chest and solar plexus, thats when I'm using all my genius and gifts to make the world a little better.... When I'm feeling threatened by power or unsure of my own power, I get in my head...being aware of the dynamics of power in my own body. 02:50- Jesse -"On a collective level... I'm contemplating power in all the hierarchies we live in. Having access to things you need, food, water, shelter. Today power is symbolized in money... 03:20 https://bookshop.org/books/teaching-to-transgress-education-as-the-practice-of-freedom/9780415908085 (bell hooks in Teaching to Transgress): "It was only when I began to interrogate my fear of power that I began to understand that power itself was not negative." 4:10- Desmond -"As a black kid, I'm navigating power structures to get my needs met. Not from a place of inherent self worth as a human being... which is the default of the culture.... In our culture You have to prove yourself before you have power.... to bring change and inclusion we have to recognize that every person has power.... We have to interrogate it for ourself to understand it's not the force thats the issue, it's the use of it." 05:30 What is the definition of power? https://bookshop.org/books/atlas-of-the-heart-mapping-meaningful-connection-and-the-language-of-human-experience/9780399592553 (Brene Brown in Atlas of the Heart). Echoing Martin Luther King Jr. "A defintion of power is the ability to take care of needs and effect change." 06:07 Jesse- shares how his realizing of social power came when he participated in https://courageousconversation.com/ (courageous conversations) about race working for https://openschoolnw.org/step-up/ (Step Up) and realized he had a certain amount of power because of his skin color. 06:43- Desmond refers to https://www.thisishowyoucan.com/post/__wheel_of_power_and_privilege (wheel of power or privilege). This tool helps us realize our social location in our context. 08:34 Jesse- "Courageous conversation was the first time I could own my power in terms of race. I look at my power as my genius and abilities I can contribute to my community. I can give and receive. 10:30 Desmond- "I've been thinking of the domain of spiritual power... Spirituality I was raised with taught me to turn inward, and by turning inward and connecting myself, with my body... There is innate wisdom in my body that guides me.... We need to recognize that there is something larger than us that effects us. It doesn't have to be gods, angels, demons, it can be the culture. The culture effects us....That force that is culture in collective story and sense making, has a spiritual component we need to pay attention to. 12:13 Desmond refers to an incident with a racial slur on a desk at school and how he called us to examine the culture. He invites us to all do the work to change the culture so the impact of these actions doesn't do as much harm. Desmond asks "How can we change the culture to allow more voices to be heard." 13:40...
In this episode of the Worth Work podcast the quest begins with the question: Why are teachers leaving the profession? Enter these fifty three minutes and twenty three seconds where Jesse and Desmond have a conversation and contemplate the heart of the matter. The invitation that emerges from their conversation; Worth Work is a way of being, a beneficial way to expand our humanity. Deeply knowing our own worth will help in little shifts to create conditions for justice and equity to be more present. If we dare to feel our fear, learn from it, pivot into the joy of the process who knows what types of creative visions emerge. Be sure to catch the 2 BARS guided meditation at the 15:35 mark and the key words and phrases freestyle rap summary at 50:45 mark. Enjoy! 01:37: Desmond- "Worth work as this idea to reframe equity from the burden and the 'when will it be done' type of approach. Switching it to a way of being. And from this way of being you will experience your worth and others will experience their worth more often. So they don't have to question it. They have more resilience for others and they can be more compassionate. its being, its movement, its not done, its continuous..." 02:42- Mentioned Cornelius Minor from his book https://bookshop.org/books/we-got-this-equity-access-and-the-quest-to-be-who-our-students-need-us-to-be/9780325098142 (We Got This). The actual quote that Jesse alludes to is "The true masterminds- the real enemies- in this dystopia are the business as usual attitudes, binary thinking, and inflexibility with which we have been conditioned to approach these problems." 03:23 Jesse- "The biggest hindrance to creativity is fear of all sorts." Jesse shares a metaphor for fear that have been helpful from him. Keep fear in the backseat of the car but don't let him DJ and play the music when you're driving. Listen to fear's 16 bar verse but not his playlist. Hear what fear is saying and be informed but don't let fear control the vibe. This metaphor he credits to hearing somewhere along the line from author and speaker https://robbell.com/ (Rob Bell) 04:57 Desmond- "It's acceptance that every person is on their journey." Desmond shares an analogy about a labyrinth [from a book called https://bookshop.org/books/find-your-red-thread-make-your-big-ideas-irresistible/9781774580523 (Find Your Red Thread) by Tamsen Webster] Labyrinths exist in our minds- we can see where a students journey could take them into vitality, but we don't know where the students labyrinth will take them. We can provide space to navigate the labyrinth. 07:38-08:32 Jesse explores how as educators can build capacity with an alive-it (word play off diet) what we feed ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally to take a vibration into the world that helps heal instead of getting sucked into the fear based vibrations that exist all around us- in the news and all the gossip. 09:05 Quote from a Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2021/10/15/this-is-the-hard-part-of-teaching-its-getting-harder/?sh=3110bf1d78e8 (This is the Hard Part of Teaching. Its Getting Harder by Peter Green)- "A fundamental challenge of teaching is coming to grips with this: There is never enough. Never enough time, never enough resources, never enough you..." 10:03 Desmond- "The idea of not enough...This brings up a few questions- What's vital? What's enough?" 10:10- Jesse- "What would it look like to serve the whole? Ideally thats when we are the most whole hearted and alive, when we have that vision tucked into our daily actions." 10:20- Desmond- "Yes- moments of whole heartedness. It's not permanent where you reach this state and you're done. It's this dynamic equilibrium. Meaning the amount going into the system is essentially the same as the amount going out. The flow is balanced and there is always movement and change. 11:00 Quote used at the 01:37 intro mark- Desmond: ""Worth work as this idea to reframe equity from the burden and...
This episode of the Worth Work podcast Desmond and Jesse investigate the importance of inner work for creating racial justice in ourselves and our school communities. Desmond shares the background about where the name of this podcast; Worth Work- came from. To summarize briefly- the process of liberating ourselves from ubiquitousness of shame begins by claiming our inherent worth that comes from simply being alive. Dominant systems at play want us to continue operating as though our worth comes from what we produce. Let's do the inner work my friends- the work to create our purpose outside the status quo. A purpose that liberates and creates a more humane and just world for us and our grandkids grandkids. This isn't quick fix gratification. This is the inner work. The worth work. We encourage you to tune in at the 35:19 mark of the episode where Desmond and Jesse explore a simple practice to track you're experience of a class period. A 2 BARS guided mediation is at the 12:29 mark. And of course we end every episode with a summarizing freestyle rap- 50:45 ENJOY! 01:36- Desmond- The question we were asking our interviewees: 'What social and emotional barriers exist to keep us from doing equity work?' 02:32- Jesse- "The way I think about inner work is developing practices and ideally developing a way of being, a way of developing your character, where you build this well within. So when the inevitable chaos of life comes, or the unexpected thing happens in the classroom. That you can draw upon this well that you've built up through whatever practices work for you to develop love, live from your genius and respond to truth, to direct your energy in a way that doesn't harm and brings a sense of creativity." 03:20- Desmond- "When I think of inner work, its the work that done within yourself and I think of practices you use to cultivate your inner being. For me I've been a big reflection person. Writing, journaling, all those things to capture a little bit of whats going on in my experience- in my head- and to look at it and determine- okay, thats helpful, thats not helpful as it relates to connections in the class room." 06:30- Desmond- "How do we create the space for teachers to be able to do the inner work that is necessary for them to maintain themselves in the job? During the job hours.." 08:33- Desmond- "In the Zeitgeist of this time, there is these words; mental health, self care... and I don't know if people connect that this inner work is also needed for racial equity..." 08:48- colleague clip- Lambert- "My expectation is that people would turn internally, its easier to blame someone or get intellectual or say the framework isn't right, instead of turning inside and saying I got to own some of this stuff. For example..." (shares a story) 09:39- Jesse- "The connection for me going from the fu fu feel good to the real heart of it is getting into the shadow work of it. Specially taking ownership of being a white man in this country and this context, is being a part of a demographic that has caused an immense amount of harm.... to take real ownership brought me into the heart of the work, because of the potential for shame, the potential to be the bad guy, the potential to be misunderstood and wanting to belong and do the right thing." 10:32- Jesse- "If we want to go there we have to do the shadow work. We can't bypass it. I think by passing is another product of white culture, like 'I just want to get to where we're all equal.'... yes lets get to where it's equal, but we have to heal this wound first. And that racial wound is deep. As a white man I have my work to do to heal that. It's a process." 11:00 Desmond- "Why would anyone want to do this work?" I understand why i do it and want to do it. Part of what this podcast is about is providing an actual lived experience of why we do this work.... It's a dynamic experience... this culture wants us to get to the promise land of everything being 'good'. 12:29 Two...
Racial Identity In this episode, we explore the work of racial Identity, and our discussion reveals Desmond's resistance to this episode. Jesse shares a nutshell version of his racial autobiography as a white man. We are working not to get cookies for doing the right thing. We are doing this work to be more fully human. The paradigm is shifting, balance is coming, and shame wants to stop us from the full embrace. We all have a unique part to play in dismantling white body supremacy in our society, and enter into the discussion of what that can look like for us as educators. Https://worthworkpodcast.substack.com Notes and Highlights02:55 Quote: “The job isn’t to catch up to the status quo, the job is to invent the status quo.” Seth Godin 03:21 Jesse mentions the transformation of taking ownership of his racial identity started with https://courageousconversation.com/ (Courageous Conversations) when he worked for https://openschoolnw.org/step-up/ (Step Up.) 03:35 Jesse mentions the term White Body Supremacy. Look into https://www.resmaa.com/ (Resmaa Menakem’s work.) 03:54 Inciting incident for this episode: 1619. Desmond- “Race is construct, that has been invented to- among many things- to create free labor and justify the means for creating that free labor. Which was stealing human bodies from Africa.” 05:03 Ruth King- from her book https://bookshop.org/books/mindful-of-race-transforming-racism-from-the-inside-out/9781683640813 (Mindful of Race). Two truths doctrine: We all live in ultimate reality and relative reality. In relative reality we are some body, habituated, ego driven, relating to life through concept. Ultimate reality there is neither race nor reason to suffer, we’re formless, empty of self and eternal. 06:18 Jesse mentions https://www.dismantlingracism.org/ (Dismantling Racism Training). 07:26 Desmond- “Racism thrives in the shame. Shame thrives in the shadows.” 09:10 Desmond- “The policies and practices and things that have to change, have to start getting us to the point where we are dealing with the aspects of our own selves and identity that could commit the same atrocities if we were in the same positions.” 10:40 Desmond- “That practice of telling ourselves stories to get rid of the tension and discomfort is what allows us to be bystanders to oppression.” 11:01 Desmond- “As we start understanding what it really means to be human… its these fluctuations, its these cycles. Its while I’m doing my part to change the system, there are times when I am complicit with the harm that the system does. As I do the work to give myself grace in those moments I can come back to doing this work.” 12:02 Desmond- “I have many maps of who I am. But the terrain of who I am, I’m always exploring.” 12:21 Jesse asks “How does your understanding of racial identity….impact you as an educators and what you bring into the classroom?” 13:43 Desmond quotes KRS-One about identity being like putting on a jacket. 14:52 Jesse guides a 2 B.A.R.S. meditation. Breathe. Align. Relax. Shine. To absorb whatever is coming up for you. 17:00 Colleague clip: “Back home (in California) people knew that I was not only Indian, but that I was Punjabi, because there is such a huge community of us. People could tell the state I was from. The religion I was. There was enough diversity to have knowledge around that. Moving to Portland was the first time I learned that I identify as a person of color. I did not know that growing up. I really had no idea. Moving here was a huge culture shock.” 19:26 Referencing Resmaa Menakem again and his concept of clean pain vs. dirty pain. If you haven’t- please go buy https://thirdeyebag.com/products/my-grandmothers-hands-racialized-trauma-and-the-pathway-to-mending-our-hearts-and-bodies-1?_pos=1&_sid=742ff20e2&_ss=r (My Grandmothers Hands) and read it, re read it and reference it often. 21:07 Jesse’s nutshell version of his racial autobiography as white man. 23:19 Desmond- “The ability...
Defining EquityIn this episode, we explore a dynamic definition of equity, and our discussion springboards from a collage of quotes from our colleagues. Join us as we build off our first episode about the artform of teaching and use an artful lens to get into the nitty-gritty of racial equity. The paradigm is shifting, balance is coming, and shame wants to stop us from the full embrace. We all have a unique part to play in dismantling white body supremacy in our society, and enter into the discussion of what that can look like for us as educators. Notes and Highlights01:57-Clip from a colleague: Elias-“I think equity looks like adults out of the way at its best…student leaders making decisions around what their school can be for them…equity work at its core, when it’s really working, it’s responsive to what students are, and students are having that self determination around what direction they want things to go.” 03:20 link to https://worthworkpodcast.captivate.fm/ (artform of teaching episode) 03:46- Jesse references https://www.thebreakreate.com/knowledge-hip-hop-cultures-fifth-element/ (knowledge of self is the 5th element of Hip Hop)- self actualization. 04:35- Desmond: “The system incentivizes you to not be engaged, to try and figure out what’s the least amount of work I can do to get the top result versus how do I learn, how do I better myself and gain skills and confidence.” 05:48 Jesse - “One of our challenges as educators is to model bringing our genius in the classroom.” 06:16 Clip from a colleague- Daniel: “We make adjustments to our approach and curriculum …. Striving for equality…When it’s working well students are feeling empowered and energized and getting what they need.” 07:50- link to Ungrading episode coming soon 07:55 what is racial equity? 08:20- Jesse- “for equity to happen we need to approach teaching from a vantage point of the knowledge of white supremacy is happening and we’re steeped in it.” 08:30 Jesse and Des- explore the metaphor- guitar string needs tension to create beautiful music. We are invited to lean into the tension of creating equitable systems. 09:23 Invite teachers and students to understand systems. Desmond “we need to start recognizing and seeing as much of the system as we can.” Improving relationships between the parts of the system. 10:00- Exploring how we isolate ourselves as teachers. Our culture's emphasis on independence. 12:50- how can we serve the whole? 13:20- “doing what’s best for you and just thinking about the next class.” What percentage of the time are you in this mindset? 14:25- Jesse- self-actualizing isn’t in our justice b description but is the bedrock of teaching. link to how to self actualize 14:55 Des’s idea- teach who you are ————>teach who you want to be 16:35- Two BARS pause- guided meditation 18:43- Clip from a colleague: Ken- about equity being radical acceptance 20:20- Jesse- each of us has an invitation and part to play in healing the inequities 20:45 Des- radical acceptance- accepting each other at the core of who we are. 21:46- Desmond- radical acceptance is maintaining the human-to-human relationship. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_listening (active listening) 22:49 Jesse- part of the risk is to slow down and really listen- see ourselves, see our students, see our colleagues. 25:50- Desmond- “if you're used to going a 100mph and someone is asking you to stop. That’s some tension coming to that stop.” 26- Jesse- taking two BARS to take a pause to connect with the breath. Link to https://www.niroga.org/training/dm/ (dynamic mindfulness training out of Oakland.) 29:24- Desmond "...It (emotional intelligence) doesn’t help us navigate the old paradigm. Paradigms are shifting- we are moving from productivity at all costs to a balance. Design for productivity vs Design for resilience." 31:25-Desmond- the radical acceptance and listening needs to be grounded in the new paradigm of a design for...
The Art of TeachingSummary: Welcome to our first Worth Work podcast! This episode we focus on seeing the vocation of teaching as an art form. Using this podcast as a canvas we paint with quotes, clips from empathy interviews of colleagues, a guided meditation, storytelling, insights, and end with a freestyle rap using the key words and phrases of this episode. Our hope is to bring infectious energy to help you energize your approach to teaching. Enjoy! 0:00- Intro song and summary 01:35: "To practice any art no matter how well or how badly is a way to make your soul grow; for heavens sake- so do it." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut (Kurt Vonnegut) 02:40- Darshanpreet quote- about changing the way we do things- ""instead of changing the way we do things, telling the kids again and again- why can't you meet these standards? Then of course it goes into who did set the standards in the first place? How do we scaffold them appropriately if we do think they are important so that there is multiple points of entry? I see how things that are already inequitable from the start, where people are starting at different level, then we put them in a school system that was never built for everybody and then the school system does very successfully what it was meant to do: educate white boys." 04:08- Des exploring the tension of meeting standards 05:29- Jesse explores that tension by sharing his journey through school as white man. 06:23 Jesse “I could check the boxes, I could get the As and Bs. Bu there was this whole other part missing. That’s me sharing my story, that’s me expressing myself, that’s me finding my unique genius in the world.” 07:33- https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_cA81eUmc3iSVYgZaH5-cJdTNvEDQyAX_Lo8_Vc-_Lc/edit#slide=id.g1224da328df_0_12 (Slide of genius awakening pedagogy vs traditional school) 09:40- Des sharing his unique journey through school as a black man. Seeking to over achieve… 12:25 Des “we turn away from the work of equity, because of not wanting to be shamed by it. Not understanding that we are all dealing with some degree of ‘not good enough’ and having some type of reaction to that because of an intentionally created hierarchy based on skin color. 13:35 Jesse asking Des- “how much of your school experiences do you carry with you as a teacher?” 14:38- Des as a junior was invited by his mom to read https://thirdeyebag.com/products/the-four-agreements-a-practical-guide-to-personal-freedom-a-toltec-wisdom-book?_pos=2&_sid=b5ac8576f&_ss=r (The Four agreements). The four agreements are: -always do your best -don’t take things personal -be impeccable with your word -don’t make assumptions 17:38- 2 BARS pause 20:12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilla_Watson (Lila Watson) wiki page. Check https://thisisrhymesandreasons.com/brother-ali/ (Brother Ali’s episode of Rhymes and Reasons podcast) where he breaks down how our liberations are bound up with each other. 24:30- Des quote along the lines of project based learning- “who says you have to wait till your out of high school to make a contribution?” 25:55- Desmond’s acronym- G.O.D- genius over doubt. Which is about liberating folks from shame. 27:13 https://www.amazon.com/Soundtracks-Surprising-Overthinking-Jon-Acuff/dp/1540900800 (Jon Acuff- book called Soundtracks:) The Surprising Solution to Overthinking 27:55 Desmond- “a good chunk of what this podcast is about is the art of healing from a collective shame that we’ve all been conditioned to because it served those in power at the time.” 28:28 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ON9jPwDptCrmAUvBj5LJqmLWOoVJhvh4eJcmaddaOr4/copy (Link the assignment of empty your cup.) Shame keeps us from being vulnerable and mutual liberation. This is an assignment designed to share story. Teacher demonstrating- students having space to write and empty their cup by processing their life experience. 29:40 Des “Being human...
