MMSD Voices: Recent Episodes
Madison Metropolitan School District
Welcome to the MMSD Voices podcast, where we go into our public school community in Madison, Wisconsin, and hear directly from the voices of our students, staff, and families.
The Madison Metropolitan School District is the second largest school district in Wisconsin and serves over 27,000 students in 50 schools. We are committed to ensuring a sense of belonging, elevating the voices of our students and families (particularly those most marginalized), and practicing anti-racist behaviors focused on racial and social justice.
In this episode, we are joined by two school principals, Sarah Larson of Elvehjem Elementary and Jaclyn Smith of Gompers Elementary as they discuss how they’re implementing LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) instructional routines and activities in their schools. Tune in to learn about their journey as anti-racist, instructional school leaders who are positioning their staff and students to reach freedom through high levels of reading achievement.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious. To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Join us as we discuss the significance of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training for MMSD educators, a professional development opportunity we are providing our school leaders to meet the literacy needs of our diverse young scholars featuring a lively conversation with Central Office Curriculum and Instruction leaders Kaylee Jackson and Dr. Caroline Racine-Gilles.
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious. To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
MMSD is prioritizing equity in early literacy to ensure all of our students are literate and can read according to grade level. We know that literacy instruction is not one-size-fits-all, which is why our district leaders and educators are working closely with our community education partners and MMSD families to meet the literacy needs of all of our diverse young scholars. In this podcast episode, Lisa Kvistad, MMSD’s Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning interviews Dr. Gabi Bell Jimenez, MMSD Interim Director of Humanities and Literacy. We’re also honored to welcome our first community partner to the early literacy podcast, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, President of the National Academy of Education and former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mrs. Ladson-Billings also served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at UW. An esteemed author and intellectual, Dr. Ladson-Billings is known for her work in the fields of culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory.
Join us as we discuss the current literacy conversation across the state and the importance of this work for the future of MMSD. To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Have you heard about the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project? It’s a compilation of research, readings, podcasts, videos and visual storytelling that examine the many ways the legacy of slavery continues to shape and define life in America. This episode features Camara Stovall, a current MMSD educator who is bringing this history to the classroom and Saundra Brown, a retired MMSD educator who is educating members of the Madison community on America’s untold history.
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Our monthly podcast series for current literacy topics is underway! This episode features staff from the Department of Public Instruction and addresses why high-quality materials are an important piece in providing equitable access and instruction to all students across the district. We'll cover the awarded grant funds from MMSD and how we are engaged in a process for the K-5 reading materials adoption. Join us as we discuss the current literacy conversation across the state and the importance of this work for the future of MMSD.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
This week on the MMSD Voices podcast we talked to an elementary school educator and a Madison Teachers, Inc. union leader inspired and enthusiastic about our district’s involvement in the national initiative, Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, coming to our schools in February during Black History Month. This is a collective effort from many MMSD teachers and district support staff to purposefully teach lessons and spark classroom conversations centered around racial justice and ethnic studies. Listen in and learn what students, teachers and families can expect during this focused week of inspiration and student empowerment.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us
Project SOAR (Student Opportunities, Access and Readiness) is a program where volunteer mentors from the 100 Black Men of Madison organization give their time to help middle and high school aged African American male students navigate through school and through life by helping them gain a positive self-perception, develop skills to influence others, build a support network and identify SMART career goals. This mentoring program has been ongoing in our school district for three years in four middle schools. In this episode, hear from mentors Manny Scarbrough and James Morgan about their work at Whitehorse Middle School.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Madison West High School alum Evan Halpop sits down with three retiring teachers – his kindergarten teacher Shari Lunde, West Latin teacher Gale Stone, and special education teacher Nancy Banaszak Lambert – to hear their memories, insights, and reflections from their time teaching in Madison schools.
Of special significance to Evan is these teachers' regard for students like him – students with disabilities who, in his words, "need a little push to get out into the world."
#specialeducation #autism #specialneeds #sped #spedteacher #slp #specialeducationteacher #teacher #autismawareness #specialed #asd #autismawarenessmonth #learningdisabilities #autismteacher #autismclassroom #autismspeaks
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Did you know that the Madison Metropolitan School District has a planetarium? Nestled inside James Madison Memorial High School on the far west side of Madison is a multimedia theater simulation of our day and night sky. Offering monthly public programs on various topics that are out of this world, it's truly an experience you'll remember and cherish. If you haven’t come to see us yet, make sure to "planet!" Check out madisonplanetarium.org for more details and for tickets to our next show!
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Project Soapbox, a public speaking competition facilitated by Mikva Challenge, calls young people to speak out on issues that affect them and their communities. In this episode, you'll hear the top ten finalists' speeches from the March 14 competition at the Overture Center. Congratulations to our winners: 2nd Place - Jonah Gulisano 1st Place - Claire Neblett Student Voice Award - Aria Bowman Aria will have the opportunity to participate in the national competition in Washington DC. The top 10 finalists also won two tickets each to a performance of their choice at the Overture Center.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Project Soapbox, a public speaking competition facilitated by Mikva Challenge, calls young people to speak out on issues that affect them and their communities. We went out to the Overture Center on March 14 to get a closer look at the competition and hear the students' speeches. Included in this episode are interviews with students LaNia Byrd, Cece Maravilla, and last year's winner Lilyana Sims; staff members Marty Moe and Creed Hanson; and judge Lynne Banks. We are proud of all of our amazing middle and high school students who participated!
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Welcome to the MMSD Voices podcast, where we go into our public school community in Madison, Wisconsin, and hear directly from the voices of our students, staff, and families.
In this episode Tony Rodriguez chats with MMSD LGBTQ+ Lead, Sherie Hohs, about the Foundations of Leadership Course.
We hope you enjoy the episode.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Have you ever wondered what it's like being a high school counselor? Our communications team sat down with Madison West High School Counselor Jabalja Gussine in celebration of National School Counseling Week to discuss a day in the life of a high school counselor. Here we talk about the challenges and joys of the job as well as the impact of being a Black role model for our students.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Dad of three, electronics engineering guru, travel enthusiast, Memorial High School graduate and Cherokee Heights Middle School Counselor Nehemirah Barrett talks with us as we celebrate both Black History Month and National School Counseling Week.
Mr Barrett takes joy in building relationships with kids and helping them learn from their mistakes.
"You can make as many mistakes as you want. You can always get up and move past them. I honestly think that how I was raised, losing a mother and a father at that age, I was able to push through that and live under these crazy circumstances... you can do anything you want to do."
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Madison La Follette High School freshman Lilyana Sims has performed her original, award-winning spoken word speech, “Don’t Touch My Hair,” at the Overture Center and at UW-Madison, in Washington D.C. in front of the White House and at the Kennedy Center, at an NAACP Freedom Fund banquet, and in a La Follette High School staff workshop. Now in her second year of writing and performing, she’s working on a new speech that she's hoping will rival the success of her first. Here she talks with her dad Jamie Sims, Principal at Black Hawk Middle School, about her creative process, what it's like to perform and more.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Do you have to "arrive" before you can leave behind a legacy? Or can you bring others along on your journey, while at the same time creating a legacy for young people?
Anthony Cooper, Sr., Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Reentry Services at the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, says he is still on his journey and that his gift to others is "to pull as many people along as possible."
He believes in the importance of helping young people realize they're connected to something bigger than themselves, and that this village mentality is what makes things excellent.
In this third installment of Facebook Live conversations on Black Excellence brought to you by Madison365 and MMSD, "Coop" talks with our Executive Director of Family, Youth & Community Engagement, Nichelle Nichols, about Black Excellence and ensuring we prepare our Black students for college, career and community.
You can catch the Facebook Live version of this conversation - and several others - on Madison365’s Facebook page if you’d rather watch and listen.
Here's a direct link to this video.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
How can we ensure that everyone in the Madison community creates spaces for black youth to demonstrate and grow into their greatness? How can we create a trustworthy space for everyone – especially those who may be guarded or skeptical of the district's commitment to anti-racism and Black Excellence – to join and shape the conversation?
In this second installment of Facebook Live conversations on Black Excellence brought to you by Madison365 and MMSD, the district's Restorative Justice Coach, Rudy Bankston, talks with our Executive Director of Family, Youth & Community Engagement, Nichelle Nichols, about creating a community coalition to guide our work around Black Excellence.
They also touch on how we all have identity work to do that transcends racial lines. Being anti-racist involves all of us seeing and upholding the humanity of black people, says Bankston.
You can catch the Facebook Live version of this conversation - and several others - on Madison365’s Facebook page if you’d rather watch and listen.
Here's a direct link to this video.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Five years ago, our district shifted from an approach to student behavior that relied heavily on punishment to one rooted in teaching and learning. The approach of our Behavior Education Plan aims to reduce exclusionary practices and establish a more progressive approach to discipline – one that helps students learn positive behaviors, repair harm when negative behavior occurs, and keep our students in classrooms where they can learn.
Throughout this school year, we have been working with students, staff, families and community members to improve the Behavior Education Plan. In this episode, you'll get an update on that process.
To learn more, visit mmsd.org/BEP.
You can reach Quinn Craugh at qtcraugh@madison.k12.wi.us and Jay Affeldt at jaffeldt@madison.k12.wi.us.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Today we have another episode for you focused on Black Excellence. It’s a community conversation led by Nichelle Nichols, our Executive Director of Family, Youth and Community Engagement and Henry Sanders, CEO and publisher of Madison365.
You can catch the Facebook Live version of this conversation - and several others - on Madison365’s Facebook page if you’d rather watch and listen.
Here's a direct link to this video.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Thank you to Henry Sanders.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
“I’ve never met a parent who doesn’t care about their children’s education. It’s the assumptions we make when families don’t show up to school in the way we might traditionally expect they would.”
Last year, some volunteer tutors in Madison public schools were having trouble relating to some of the students they were tutoring.
In response, we developed a three-part training series to help the tutors become more aware of who they are as they move throughout the world and become aware of their biases and assumptions so that they can limit the assumptions they act upon with kids.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Other music by Ryan Aranda.
Thank you to Laura Whitmore, Eric Kestin, and Lachele Greenlee.
Resources:
Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
In today’s episode, former MMSD Chief of Schools Dr. Mike Hertting, with the help of Hywania Thompson, answers some of the top questions from families about school start and dismissal times.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Thank you to Hywania Thompson and Dr. Michael Herting.
Resources:
mmsd.org/changing-start-times
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Listening, caring, building trust, and knowing each student individually. These are among the pillars of “culturally responsive teaching.” In this piece, we take you inside a classroom at O’Keeffe Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin, to see how these strategies, and more, are helping students break through to become independent learners, prepared to succeed and defy the achievement gap.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Other music by Ryan Aranda.
Thank you to 8th grade teacher Tracy Warnecke.
Resources:
Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Transcript:
(musical intro with mash-up of different voices)
my main passion is robotics engineering. I kind of feel like we're on the radio. This has been my dream like forever. It makes you want to be a better student inside the classroom. I want to be a astronaut go outerspace. Try to understand where I fit in a society that doesn't always cherish my presence.
(end of musical intro)
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hello and welcome back to the MMSD voices
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podcast where we will go into our
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public school community in Madison
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Wisconsin and hear directly from the
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voices of our students staff and
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families I'm Ryan
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a Memorial High School 2009 graduate now
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I work for the School District I
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graduated from as a bilingual
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communication specialist at our central
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office I'm here to introduce today's
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episode we're heading to Georgia
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O'Keeffe middle school to hear from a
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teacher known for being great at getting
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kids to push themselves academically and
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achieve a high levels by relating to
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them connecting to their lives
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understanding them and gaining their
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trust
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it's a story on culturally responsive
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teaching we'll hear from eighth grade
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teacher Tracey Warneke and we slice up a
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few clips former students to sharing
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their insights we hope you enjoy it is
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my 21st year being a public head teacher
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so it's the journey to get to this point
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and it's a journey by making a thousand
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mistakes first and just constantly
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reflecting upon my practice and knowing
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what I can do better the next day I have
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no control over the kids reaction to me
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I have control over me and my reaction
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to them I have control over my
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curriculum and how I present it to them
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it's also through thousands of hours of
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grad school and professional development
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that I just take what I learn and I
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apply it here in the classroom I play
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some days it goes well some days it
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completely bombs
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I reflect on that I ask students for a
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reflection what can we do to make it
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better so with that what I've learned
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over the years is behavior comes first
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academics comes second and I think as
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teachers we get that especially math
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teachers where they have that crunch of
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they have to cover certain chapters by
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certain dates and you know you have to
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reach certain goals in the curriculum by
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a certain time we flip that in our head
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and so I spend the first week of school
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doing nothing but behavior teaching my
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expectations teaching my classroom
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routines teaching and building community
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and I teach absolutely everything and
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assume nothing so we agree every morning
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and I teach them why and the purpose and
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all of that
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all right ladies during our greeting to
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our mindfulness meditation get this day
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started are you done
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you are amazing human beings thank you
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so very very much would you guys like a
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piece of gum for helping me out or just
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like a piece of candy for helping me out
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one thing I live on was 20 live she's
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very open about herself and like she's
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like she is not afraid to tell people
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who she is like she openly told us that
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she was
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okay and I actually really liked that
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because when this morning he was telling
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us all about her I got to know her
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better and like know what kind to
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specialize in she showed me that like I
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shouldn't be afraid to like show who I
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really am she's a really cool teacher
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and I feel like I can just trust her
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with anything like earlier today when I
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was mad and I was I did not want to get
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in trouble with my other teacher because
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I did not want to do anything stupid I
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just went to her classroom and she gave
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me a piece of gum and let me draw in her
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classroom calm down and it really helped
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she's good in that way and she
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understands us you know my name is Lily
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I'm in this morning he's morning class
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for homeroom class and I've just always
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noticed since the beginning of the year
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that she always tells her students that
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they're smart and that they shouldn't
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like cut corners and that they're better
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than what they think that they are and
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that they are smart and stuff like that
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and I think it's really helped a lot of
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the students in our class know that they
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can trust her and I know that I can
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trust her and I really enjoy being in
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her classroom and I think I my ground
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students in the purpose of why that we
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do the things that we do and I really
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establish by the fact that this is a
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public school
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we service the public that means
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everybody from the public is here people
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that we might not necessarily spend time
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with in our normal everyday lives are
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here in this classroom so I have the big
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rule that we do not have to like each
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other I have 26 kids in my morning 30 in
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my afternoon block
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we're not the expectation that we're all
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going to be friends is ridiculous but we
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will respect each other as colleagues
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and then I spent a significant amount of
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time talking about code-switching what's
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the purpose of this class I was the
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purpose of coming to school who are we
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as a student who are we as a learner
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were the difference between those two
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things and why are we here who are we
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going to be when we're in this room
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because who we are in this room is not
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who we are
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hey buddy you tap out okay you all right
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do you need to talk to me you just wanna
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take a break okay who we are in this
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room is not who we are would we're hold
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their parents or hanging out or
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grandparents or cousins or our
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at the park so we do a lot of work on
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identity in the beginning as
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eighth-grade staff teaching American
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history as our curriculum we kick it
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also by diving into privilege and what
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does that mean
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and we put all the kids on a privilege
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walk so the entire eighth grade in the
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morning block and afternoon so it's half
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hour standing on the blacktop and we do
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a privilege walk we built to that we
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don't just watch but by the third day of
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school we did that activity you did a
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privilege walk where we all lined up and
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then took steps forwards or backwards
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depending on if this applied to you to
0:06:42.680,0:06:47.750
show like the different versions of
0:06:44.120,0:06:50.900
privilege it was like have you ever
0:06:47.750,0:06:53.050
taken a family vacation and then people
0:06:50.900,0:06:56.090
who have done that took a step forward
0:06:53.050,0:06:59.810
do you feel like safe expressing
0:06:56.090,0:07:01.730
yourself in public like you do that and
0:06:59.810,0:07:05.420
then you could see where people say in
0:07:01.730,0:07:07.370
the line of the spectrum like with how
0:07:05.420,0:07:10.250
they feel and the privilege that they
0:07:07.370,0:07:12.230
have not because they earned it by just
0:07:10.250,0:07:15.620
like their race their gender their
0:07:12.230,0:07:18.440
sexual orientation stuff like that no
0:07:15.620,0:07:21.380
this was new to me and I think everybody
0:07:18.440,0:07:24.710
in there we weren't really used to like
0:07:21.380,0:07:28.460
talking about it like that it was but it
0:07:24.710,0:07:30.260
was good yeah we had like a whole unit
0:07:28.460,0:07:32.390
on privilege so for that we did a lot of
0:07:30.260,0:07:35.000
talking about privilege and the
0:07:32.390,0:07:39.200
different types of privilege so we made
0:07:35.000,0:07:44.270
posters there's gender there's racial
0:07:39.200,0:07:46.280
there's aesthetics social and it's
0:07:44.270,0:07:48.110
always such a great eye opener kind of
0:07:46.280,0:07:49.730
breaks down those barriers of assumption
0:07:48.110,0:07:53.750
that people make about one another based
0:07:49.730,0:07:54.980
off of skin tone or hair texture a lot
0:07:53.750,0:07:56.120
of times it's the kids who are in the
0:07:54.980,0:07:57.470
back that we don't expect
0:07:56.120,0:07:58.850
and it's the kids in the front who we
0:07:57.470,0:08:01.160
don't expect so it's a great way to
0:07:58.850,0:08:03.230
start that dialogue of diving into who
0:08:01.160,0:08:04.970
where we are as a community and really
0:08:03.230,0:08:08.170
working on that sense of identity of
0:08:04.970,0:08:10.340
ourselves in a classroom with that I
0:08:08.170,0:08:11.720
most of my anchor charts have had to
0:08:10.340,0:08:13.460
come down because we don't need them up
0:08:11.720,0:08:14.810
anymore but I really build a lot of
0:08:13.460,0:08:16.820
anchor charts that Bruce and our
0:08:14.810,0:08:19.919
behaviors ruin our routines reserve our
0:08:16.820,0:08:22.860
expectations through all of that work
0:08:19.919,0:08:24.900
and listening because I run my classroom
0:08:22.860,0:08:27.960
on a circle was it sort of like a
0:08:24.900,0:08:29.849
lopsided circle but in the first week we
0:08:27.960,0:08:31.830
actually had tables against walls and a
0:08:29.849,0:08:33.180
circle where everything was kind of it
0:08:31.830,0:08:35.820
you know like a restorative such a
0:08:33.180,0:08:38.399
circle the kids to start to share you
0:08:35.820,0:08:40.229
just start to pay attention and you just
0:08:38.399,0:08:41.430
start to just ask you know you just get
0:08:40.229,0:08:43.440
to know you know you just start to
0:08:41.430,0:08:45.750
listen to who are your kids and how do
0:08:43.440,0:08:47.220
they react I greet my kids every morning
0:08:45.750,0:08:49.380
I mean I might not always be at the door
0:08:47.220,0:08:50.670
but if I mean here we're like good
0:08:49.380,0:08:52.529
morning good morning good morning how we
0:08:50.670,0:08:54.029
doin you read their body language I mean
0:08:52.529,0:08:55.589
the great thing about middle schoolers
0:08:54.029,0:08:56.160
is they wear their emotions on their
0:08:55.589,0:08:58.320
sleeves
0:08:56.160,0:09:00.690
they're full of hyperbole and they're
0:08:58.320,0:09:02.670
they just want to be said but like all
0:09:00.690,0:09:05.220
kids they want the structure they want
0:09:02.670,0:09:06.690
to know what they're supposed to do and
0:09:05.220,0:09:08.250
how they're supposed to do I think
0:09:06.690,0:09:10.740
that's just people I think people like
0:09:08.250,0:09:13.490
structure and so I do that I'm very very
0:09:10.740,0:09:19.019
clear on my expectations and I I
0:09:13.490,0:09:20.550
remember two of my morning students came
0:09:19.019,0:09:21.810
to me the first week of school said this
0:09:20.550,0:09:23.820
Marty you're a really really good
0:09:21.810,0:09:26.339
teacher thanks guys I really appreciate
0:09:23.820,0:09:28.260
that and kind of blew it off like no you
0:09:26.339,0:09:30.390
get kids who are normally pushed out of
0:09:28.260,0:09:34.589
the classroom and you keep them in the
0:09:30.390,0:09:37.380
room and I think that's the key is kids
0:09:34.589,0:09:38.670
blip in a classroom for a reason they're
0:09:37.380,0:09:40.680
not you know there's no such thing as a
0:09:38.670,0:09:42.959
bad kid there are kids who make bad
0:09:40.680,0:09:45.300
choices there are kids in bad situations
0:09:42.959,0:09:48.839
but there's no such thing as a bad kid
0:09:45.300,0:09:51.420
so community and I stress with both of
0:09:48.839,0:09:52.800
my classes that we are a community and
0:09:51.420,0:09:54.420
when the community is not doing well
0:09:52.800,0:09:56.339
when certain individuals are not doing
0:09:54.420,0:09:59.100
well in the community we're all in it
0:09:56.339,0:10:00.930
together I also start the year off by
0:09:59.100,0:10:02.820
telling them that I'm the dictator I'm a
0:10:00.930,0:10:05.850
nice dictator I'm a compassionate
0:10:02.820,0:10:07.800
dictator I will listen to you dictator
0:10:05.850,0:10:09.149
but the end of the day I'm the teacher
0:10:07.800,0:10:10.769
you're the student you have to do what I
0:10:09.149,0:10:13.560
say because I'm the teacher a student
0:10:10.769,0:10:17.010
that's why power works which fits really
0:10:13.560,0:10:18.779
nicely into privilege um I go I hate my
0:10:17.010,0:10:20.910
dictators mr. Droog ah I have to tell it
0:10:18.779,0:10:22.980
you know I listen to what he tells me
0:10:20.910,0:10:24.930
right I can't say no and blow him off
0:10:22.980,0:10:27.300
he's my principal I have to do what he
0:10:24.930,0:10:29.490
tells me to do but he's a nice dictator
0:10:27.300,0:10:30.390
right I'm a nice tech Tator but the end
0:10:29.490,0:10:32.130
of the day and there's
0:10:30.390,0:10:35.490
times I look at they can be like
0:10:32.130,0:10:37.350
teacher-student all right you know but
0:10:35.490,0:10:38.940
again they just want to know like they
0:10:37.350,0:10:40.260
wouldn't know their limits you want to
0:10:38.940,0:10:42.780
know what they can and cannot do and
0:10:40.260,0:10:44.550
then once I get all that established
0:10:42.780,0:10:46.710
then when it comes to work
0:10:44.550,0:10:48.180
it's the gradual release lots of things
0:10:46.710,0:10:50.790
that districts are teaching us it's the
0:10:48.180,0:10:52.470
you know model first you know show them
0:10:50.790,0:10:55.020
what you're supposed to do do it whole
0:10:52.470,0:10:56.490
group do it together do it in small
0:10:55.020,0:10:58.640
group and then kind of look like that
0:10:56.490,0:11:03.030
all those PD's that we're getting from
0:10:58.640,0:11:04.590
our experts downtown it's just going to
0:11:03.030,0:11:06.900
be really really mindful in it just
0:11:04.590,0:11:09.570
takes a lot of time just one step at a
0:11:06.900,0:11:11.310
time and just slowly but surely by
0:11:09.570,0:11:12.780
fourth quarter I don't need a model how
0:11:11.310,0:11:14.370
to put your assignments in the area when
0:11:12.780,0:11:16.110
you know how to do that but everyday
0:11:14.370,0:11:17.930
right now it's everybody do is it
0:11:16.110,0:11:20.310
together cuz we're not quite ready I
0:11:17.930,0:11:21.930
also feel really sweet group of kids
0:11:20.310,0:11:24.420
this year and they help each other which
0:11:21.930,0:11:26.670
is awesome it is not easy to be a warm
0:11:24.420,0:11:29.790
demander it is not easy to put on that
0:11:26.670,0:11:31.200
academic press because that's constantly
0:11:29.790,0:11:33.540
something that you're juggling that line
0:11:31.200,0:11:35.490
in that line is not always clear and so
0:11:33.540,0:11:37.800
it's never good to make assumptions
0:11:35.490,0:11:41.160
about that line so it's really important
0:11:37.800,0:11:42.930
to get to know who your kids are and by
0:11:41.160,0:11:44.640
shutting up and listening I think that's
0:11:42.930,0:11:46.440
the key is finding the gifts that they
0:11:44.640,0:11:50.850
bring to the classroom finding the good
0:11:46.440,0:11:53.160
in all kids and recognizing that the
0:11:50.850,0:11:56.760
front that they give you is not who they
0:11:53.160,0:12:00.630
are middle schoolers do not like to be
0:11:56.760,0:12:02.490
uncomfortable and so if the learning pit
0:12:00.630,0:12:05.130
right the falling into that pit that's
0:12:02.490,0:12:06.840
savoring the struggle where they want to
0:12:05.130,0:12:08.280
mislead you they start talking we'll put
0:12:06.840,0:12:09.660
a boop boop boop and they were like get
0:12:08.280,0:12:12.480
the answers from their friends or they
0:12:09.660,0:12:13.890
want me so badly to define exactly what
0:12:12.480,0:12:15.960
they should be doing or they will
0:12:13.890,0:12:17.190
exactly want me to give them the answers
0:12:15.960,0:12:19.440
that they're supposed to write down on
0:12:17.190,0:12:21.180
their paper so the to be a slave ABC
0:12:19.440,0:12:23.100
book right every kid picks a random
0:12:21.180,0:12:24.690
letter they to take that letter and
0:12:23.100,0:12:28.740
connect it to a concept they learned in
0:12:24.690,0:12:31.710
slavery so like S is for slavery W is
0:12:28.740,0:12:34.710
for whippings J is for jumping the broom
0:12:31.710,0:12:36.930
you know whatever that concept that
0:12:34.710,0:12:38.820
resonated with them and then they have
0:12:36.930,0:12:41.040
to do a Melancon paragraph so they have
0:12:38.820,0:12:42.300
to you know find textual evidence they
0:12:41.040,0:12:45.330
have to
0:12:42.300,0:12:50.160
I do the content at least sexual others
0:12:45.330,0:12:51.930
provide the link that's hard that's some
0:12:50.160,0:12:54.450
seriously high level writing and
0:12:51.930,0:12:57.270
thinking about a really difficult topic
0:12:54.450,0:12:58.950
and so when we first wrote you know I we
0:12:57.270,0:13:01.140
of course we model we do things together
0:12:58.950,0:13:02.610
we do things in small group we talk
0:13:01.140,0:13:03.690
about it we have lots of discussions but
0:13:02.610,0:13:05.100
when it comes to the rubber hand the
0:13:03.690,0:13:08.820
room where they they're like I have my
0:13:05.100,0:13:10.230
my my graphic organizer and my notes and
0:13:08.820,0:13:14.550
this book and I gotta put it all
0:13:10.230,0:13:16.890
together now they all blow just like and
0:13:14.550,0:13:18.450
so it's just constantly just a lot of
0:13:16.890,0:13:22.350
reassurance for that it's like you've
0:13:18.450,0:13:24.750
got this you have this the expectation
0:13:22.350,0:13:26.370
still is no talking I want your brain
0:13:24.750,0:13:30.090
not your brain in your neighbors brain
0:13:26.370,0:13:33.390
what do you know and they just sir just
0:13:30.090,0:13:36.900
allowing them to be uncomfortable and
0:13:33.390,0:13:38.490
not to save them from their internal
0:13:36.900,0:13:40.470
insecurities or there and there is
0:13:38.490,0:13:42.090
especially this happens a lot with my
0:13:40.470,0:13:43.950
high-flyer learners right that a lot of
0:13:42.090,0:13:46.710
my perfectionist want to be put in the
0:13:43.950,0:13:50.070
box and well how many pages does it need
0:13:46.710,0:13:52.050
to be it doesn't and they're like what
0:13:50.070,0:13:54.720
I'm like you have to have all of the
0:13:52.050,0:13:57.750
skills or that I'm asking you to
0:13:54.720,0:13:59.580
demonstrate but you can demonstrate that
0:13:57.750,0:14:03.180
in a page maybe it takes you five pages
0:13:59.580,0:14:06.780
demonstrate that I don't know so I push
0:14:03.180,0:14:08.250
them out so my rubrics and my assignment
0:14:06.780,0:14:09.480
description if it's not on those two
0:14:08.250,0:14:12.030
things you have carte blanche to do
0:14:09.480,0:14:13.230
whatever you want so that's that's
0:14:12.030,0:14:15.330
always going to start to see them
0:14:13.230,0:14:20.270
grapple with that but I think the big
0:14:15.330,0:14:20.270
also heated ideas I do a lot of student
0:14:21.200,0:14:28.140
interesting curriculum like I connect
0:14:25.020,0:14:30.930
history to current events so when we
0:14:28.140,0:14:32.290
were studying a lot about slavery miss
0:14:30.930,0:14:36.129
Warneke showed us a video
0:14:32.290,0:14:38.649
of Beyonce I think it was her recent
0:14:36.129,0:14:40.509
like showing it the award show I don't
0:14:38.649,0:14:42.910
remember which one it was but it was
0:14:40.509,0:14:43.929
really awesome because it showed exactly
0:14:42.910,0:14:46.600
what we were learning about in class
0:14:43.929,0:14:47.739
like how we represented slavery and it
0:14:46.600,0:14:49.959
was really interesting to see how she
0:14:47.739,0:14:53.169
brought that into the classroom first
0:14:49.959,0:14:54.789
for ela they get to choose what they
0:14:53.169,0:14:57.129
read they get to choose what they write
0:14:54.789,0:15:03.279
about as long as it fits under my
0:14:57.129,0:15:06.519
umbrella of standards they get to do it
0:15:03.279,0:15:08.049
so I believe a big big thing about
0:15:06.519,0:15:09.519
student choice over the narrative
0:15:08.049,0:15:12.609
writing project they could choose to
0:15:09.519,0:15:14.079
write a traditional short story they
0:15:12.609,0:15:17.829
could have chosen to write a humans of
0:15:14.079,0:15:19.779
New York or peoples of Madison blog or
0:15:17.829,0:15:21.789
they could have chosen to write this I
0:15:19.779,0:15:22.929
believe and we laid it all out over the
0:15:21.789,0:15:24.609
different choices and what those three
0:15:22.929,0:15:26.049
different choices would mean and then I
0:15:24.609,0:15:27.910
got to see all the expectations
0:15:26.049,0:15:30.759
everybody has the same running target
0:15:27.910,0:15:31.869
areas the same rubric but just you know
0:15:30.759,0:15:33.999
what do you want to write an imaginary
0:15:31.869,0:15:37.689
story a memoir or something about a
0:15:33.999,0:15:39.009
lesson of values that you have most of
0:15:37.689,0:15:40.600
them choice is a short story which is
0:15:39.009,0:15:42.489
always interesting because my humans of
0:15:40.600,0:15:44.019
Madison kids are like this is so easy I
0:15:42.489,0:15:46.419
don't have to make anything up it's all
0:15:44.019,0:15:48.279
in my head I'm like that's what I think
0:15:46.419,0:15:50.919
but you know some kids want to take on
0:15:48.279,0:15:52.929
the challenge and so that having that
0:15:50.919,0:15:55.989
power of choice and knowing that I have
0:15:52.929,0:15:59.230
a voice and what I get to do it makes
0:15:55.989,0:16:01.600
the engagement so much higher make
0:15:59.230,0:16:03.910
sagacious and then if they are blipping
0:16:01.600,0:16:05.470
well why are they blipping and it's
0:16:03.910,0:16:07.329
flipping because either can't be it you
0:16:05.470,0:16:08.199
know competent or autonomous or have
0:16:07.329,0:16:09.579
really they don't have a relationship
0:16:08.199,0:16:11.679
with me where they're not having any fun
0:16:09.579,0:16:12.819
and as much as I try to make learning
0:16:11.679,0:16:14.079
fun in here there are certain days where
0:16:12.819,0:16:15.939
like guys this is one of those days
0:16:14.079,0:16:17.980
where we just have to learn it's not
0:16:15.939,0:16:19.389
gonna be great but there's gonna be lots
0:16:17.980,0:16:21.309
of things in your life that you have to
0:16:19.389,0:16:25.480
sit through that are not great and this
0:16:21.309,0:16:27.789
is not a rarity for us and I think it's
0:16:25.480,0:16:33.059
I've gotten the feedback from kids that
0:16:27.789,0:16:35.319
they enjoy the topics that we do and
0:16:33.059,0:16:36.850
bringing it like they enjoyed they found
0:16:35.319,0:16:38.289
the privilege work really interesting
0:16:36.850,0:16:41.259
they're ready to be done with slavery
0:16:38.289,0:16:43.480
and I don't blame them it's hard I mean
0:16:41.259,0:16:44.600
I it's raw we read the to be a slave for
0:16:43.480,0:16:47.000
the slave narratives we watched
0:16:44.600,0:16:49.850
Unchained memories it's hard stuff to
0:16:47.000,0:16:53.209
hear and that and we do the same thing
0:16:49.850,0:16:54.800
with Columbus and Zen they get there
0:16:53.209,0:16:57.649
like man america's got a lot of bad
0:16:54.800,0:16:59.990
stuff it's like yeah well how did we get
0:16:57.649,0:17:01.819
here like because they are they're
0:16:59.990,0:17:03.170
opening to the world they're going out
0:17:01.819,0:17:04.640
in the world they have these phones
0:17:03.170,0:17:07.760
where they're getting this sound bytes
0:17:04.640,0:17:08.689
and these little pictures and means that
0:17:07.760,0:17:10.010
you know if you don't have the
0:17:08.689,0:17:12.770
background knowledge you're not going to
0:17:10.010,0:17:15.500
understand let me teach you what that
0:17:12.770,0:17:18.709
means let me teach you why that's
0:17:15.500,0:17:20.270
important let me teach you about our
0:17:18.709,0:17:21.919
government and how it's supposed to
0:17:20.270,0:17:24.559
function so you can be an informed voter
0:17:21.919,0:17:26.270
when you're 18 or you can understand
0:17:24.559,0:17:28.490
then you can make choices that will
0:17:26.270,0:17:30.320
benefit our country because you I don't
0:17:28.490,0:17:32.030
want you to be an ignorant voter I want
0:17:30.320,0:17:33.919
you to understand how our government
0:17:32.030,0:17:36.490
works so that when you can have that
0:17:33.919,0:17:39.530
opportunity you can do that so a lot of
0:17:36.490,0:17:42.470
relating the purpose of why and bring in
0:17:39.530,0:17:44.360
making it personal for that but really
0:17:42.470,0:17:47.929
enhances the curriculum and then they're
0:17:44.360,0:17:49.429
more likely to do the work right that
0:17:47.929,0:17:51.890
one demand or sort of goes away because
0:17:49.429,0:17:55.490
like oh I get to research my status
0:17:51.890,0:17:57.770
student research um he was really into
0:17:55.490,0:18:00.289
gangs and we were doing our research but
0:17:57.770,0:18:02.750
okay so what is some gang prevention and
0:18:00.289,0:18:05.360
he was from Chicago and he like way into
0:18:02.750,0:18:07.100
understanding like and I got like
0:18:05.360,0:18:09.080
community community centers can really
0:18:07.100,0:18:10.490
help keep kids off the street in gangs
0:18:09.080,0:18:12.950
but then he's like but wait community
0:18:10.490,0:18:14.840
centers close at six thirty you know and
0:18:12.950,0:18:16.250
like so he got it so we got to really
0:18:14.840,0:18:19.190
understand like what was going on in his
0:18:16.250,0:18:21.770
neighborhood what was happening and like
0:18:19.190,0:18:23.539
he was way into that work in that
0:18:21.770,0:18:25.100
research because it was a topic he was
0:18:23.539,0:18:28.280
interested in so I didn't have to fight
0:18:25.100,0:18:30.500
him on learning and then I gave him the
0:18:28.280,0:18:32.150
scaffolds and the organizers and you
0:18:30.500,0:18:33.919
know the stuff that can get them you
0:18:32.150,0:18:35.870
know the cop give them to the autonomy
0:18:33.919,0:18:38.630
to do that work by themselves because
0:18:35.870,0:18:42.470
again I have high class numbers so I
0:18:38.630,0:18:44.059
can't sit one-on-one with each kid and
0:18:42.470,0:18:47.390
also then at the same time meet my high
0:18:44.059,0:18:50.179
fliers needs and keep them moving
0:18:47.390,0:18:52.340
forward and going deeper in their box
0:18:50.179,0:18:54.350
when you know ioki if we have some just
0:18:52.340,0:18:56.549
naturally really just smart intellectual
0:18:54.350,0:19:00.929
kids we have smart intellectual families
0:18:56.549,0:19:02.759
add fun you know you got a laugh you got
0:19:00.929,0:19:09.149
a laugh and have some fun play some
0:19:02.759,0:19:10.499
games enjoy each other thanks for
0:19:09.149,0:19:12.029
listening I hope you enjoyed this
0:19:10.499,0:19:13.529
episode if you want to hear more about
0:19:12.029,0:19:14.999
the topics we discussed today in today's
0:19:13.529,0:19:16.919
podcasts check out
0:19:14.999,0:19:18.690
zarayda Hammond's book culturally
0:19:16.919,0:19:20.549
responsive teaching in the brain you can
0:19:18.690,0:19:26.459
also dig into the story a bit more on
0:19:20.549,0:19:28.109
medium.com /at sign mm SD you can find
0:19:26.459,0:19:28.499
these and other resources in the show
0:19:28.109,0:19:40.799
notes
0:19:28.499,0:19:43.559
see you next time black excellence is
0:19:40.799,0:19:45.959
the district's unapologetic stand in
0:19:43.559,0:19:48.479
support of our african-american students
0:19:45.959,0:19:50.359
our first strategic framework helped us put our
0:19:48.479,0:19:53.099
school district on an upward trajectory
0:19:50.359,0:19:54.959
but more important laid the foundation so
0:19:53.099,0:19:57.299
that we can make even more progress in
0:19:54.959,0:20:02.570
the future it starts with believing in
0:19:57.299,0:20:02.570
the potential of each and every student
0:20:03.890,0:20:12.039
[Music]
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[Music]
0:20:22.510,0:20:25.990
[Applause]
0:20:22.840,0:20:25.990
[Music]
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[Music]
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you
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you
On National Coming Out Day, we celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, (LGBTQIA+) or as straight allies. And as a school district, we celebrate our out students, staff and families and provide support to all of our queer youth.
To do that this year, some LGBTQIA+ MMSD staff and community members got together to send our students messages of love, encouragement, and PRIDE.
COMING OUT MATTERS. When people know someone who is LGBTQIA+, they are far more likely to support LGBTQIA+ equality, inclusion, and justice. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Resources:
mmsd.org/trans
mmsd.org/welcoming-schools
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Advanced Placement courses. Our high schools offer lots of them, from computer science to calculus to micro and macroeconomics to French and Spanish.
Yet students of color are often underrepresented in our AP classrooms, something counselors like Andrew Stendahl are trying to change by encouraging more students to enroll.
We went to James Madison Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin, where the first Scholars of Color meeting of the school year was getting underway.
The group exists to give students of color enrolled in honors and AP courses at Memorial a space to come together every Tuesday over lunch to study, get help with assignments, take part in group activities, and host speakers.
Students talk about what it’s like to be the only student of color in an AP class. They discuss applying to college, and they support each other through high school.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
Why does it take so long to implement the new start/dismissal times? Why does the district need a whole year of planning? What’s the rationale behind all the decisions that were made?
If you’ve wondered about the timeline for changing start/dismissal times, we offer this recording of Mike Hertting, our former Chief of Schools who is leading this work.
Dr. Hertting recently met with many of our after-school providers to discuss how complex this change is and all the different players it impacts beyond our students and families, including Madison Metro, after school programs and our Food & Nutrition Department.
Interested in learning more? Visit mmsd.org/changing-start-times for research, board of education presentations, frequently asked questions, the implementation calendar and more.
In part two of this episode, Hywania Thompson and Dr. Hertting will be answering questions we’ve received from our families and staff. Stay tuned!
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Thank you to Elyse, Laura and Graham Whitmore.
Resources:
mmsd.org/changing-start-times
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
We believe in the brilliance, creativity, capability of black youth in Madison. It is our responsibility to make sure that that excellence can shine.
The Madison School District historically has always known that it has had pretty horrific outcomes for African-American students. We don't hide from the data, but we want to reframe the conversation so that our students and their families know they are more than this. We see their brilliance. We know how much they have to contribute and we're going to support that.
Credits:
Intro/Outro music by MicroSchool students Cheviest and Montevious.
Thank you to Henry Sanders Jr., CEO and Publisher of Madison365.com.
Resources:
https://madison365.com/
https://www.facebook.com/madison365.org/
Nichelle Nichols of MMSD talks to Vice President of Strategic Partnership & Reentry Services for Nehemiah and Executive Director of Focussed Interruption Coalition Anthony Cooper on how to best support and promote Black Excellence. WATCH VIDEO.
Nichelle Nichols of MMSD talks to MMSD Restorative Justice Coach Rudy Bankston about how to best support and promote Black Excellence. WATCH VIDEO.
Nichelle Nichols of MMSD talks to Madison365 CEO Henry Sanders about how best to support black excellence. WATCH VIDEO.
To request a written transcript of this episode, please email mmsdnews@madison.k12.wi.us.
"Voices of MMSD" (aka "MMSD Voices") is a brand new podcast (only in English for now, but we plan to produce some episodes in Spanish) that brings you authentic voices, stories and conversations (plus original music) from around our school district directly to you.
We've got several episodes queued up, with lots more to come after break.
Happy listening!