After a turbulent year locally and nationally, Dr. Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams are back with your Back to School shopping list. They break down issues facing educators of color and the communities they serve as super-producer Gerardo Muñoz sits in the virtual producer’s chair! Asia discusses life after PhD matriculation, Kevin shares the trials and tribulations of the now-completed Master Agreement contract negotiations in Denver Public Schools, and we evaluate the way forward for teachers of color. Should they follow Dr. Asia, our pedagogical Harriet Tubman to liberation? Will Kev teach forever? Does Gerardo have the attention span to make this interview pop?

Find out in this back to school episode!

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What happens the year after a person is named CCSSO National Teacher of the Year? Find out when we catch up with 2021 National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey! In her FIRST interview since her term ended, La Juli talks to us about her year representing America’s teachers, Joy and Justice, even today, and what she has learned about being in community with us. She also shares with us what is next for her (a TooDope Exclusive).

Juliana Urtubey, NBCT is known as “Ms. Earth” for her efforts to beautify schools and unify communities through murals and gardens. As the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, Juliana advocates for a “joyous and just” education for all students, one that is inclusive and celebratory of all students’ identities, families and communities. A bilingual, first-generation immigrant, Juliana has worked throughout her teaching career to serve as a mirror for her school community, helping students to be proud of their identities and families, and to acknowledge their strengths and contributions to the community. Urtubey is the first Latinx National Teacher of the Year since at least 2005 and the third Special Education Teacher to hold this distinction. Juliana has served as a bilingual and special education teacher since 2009 in Arizona and Nevada. 

Juliana is a National Board Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs, Birth to Age 21) and holds a bachelor’s degree in bilingual elementary education and a master’s degree in special bilingual education from the University of Arizona. She is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors member. 

Juliana (HOO-lee-on-a ER-two-bay) lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She enjoys reading in Spanish and traveling, and has had the opportunity to study and teach in Ecuador, Mexico, Spain and Puerto Rico. She also enjoys tending to her collection of house plants and spending time outdoors, and she aims to visit all the National Parks.

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Man, we had no idea there were Chicano teachers in Nebraska, and we sure didn’t know they were as fire as Lee Perez, who represents that state for 2022. On a passionate and animated episode, Lee shares his path, his story, his commitment to justice for multi-language learners and the critical issue of teacher pay and working conditions. His top 5 is fire, and you cannot help but love this dedicated and passionate teacher.

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“Oh sure, they’re gonna pick the big gay Appalachian” was Willie Carver’s first thought when he learned he had been nominated as 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. It was a crowning achievement after fifteen years. Guided by the credo “fear has armor, love has none,” Willie supported students, especially LGBTQIA+ students, in being themselves and building a deeper understanding of their identities. Despite being warned by a school leader that being out and advocating for his community “you will be crucified, and no one will protect you, including me,” Willie continued to fight for his students.

The homophobia and hate reached a boiling point, and Willie Carver, the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, resigned his teaching position.

Hear his thoughts here. Support marginalized and minoritized teachers, students, and communities.

Read Willie’s Story Here

Connect with Quetzal Education Consulting!

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It was deeply humbling and inspiring to collaborate with 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson and 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Shawn Sheehan, co-hosts of the Teachers Caucus Podcast, which examines the role of teachers in policy spaces.

For this collaborative episode, we discuss lighter moments in the classroom and touch on multiple other topics and issues. Laughter, insight, and wisdom prevail in this fun conversation. We’re posting a little late, but we hope you enjoy it.

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Habitually Disruptive is about those who think differently about how we do things. Those who question the fundamental assumptions we make as we navigate and try to survive the status quo. That’s really it. You can be disruptive really anywhere, because most systems are designed to work exactly as they work, and most systems are maintained by human beings who either sustain or disrupt the status quo.

I met Laken James on Twitter, where all great friendships are born. She had posted an op-ed in which she described the impact of being benched after a loss as a college basketball player. She shared that it was devastating, but formed a foundation for healing and, ultimately success. enjoy this conversation with my favorite professional basketball player!

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I met Kristi Borge, 2021 Montana Teacher of the Year, in person during our fall Washington Week event. Her teacher story was intriguing; she teaches in a one-room school. Immediately my mind jumped back to 19th-century schoolmarm, chalkboards, big wooden desks that doubled as lockers, and a bell to let the children know that school is in session.

Hearing Kristi’s story was powerfully educational for me, as a (relative) city kid. She is responsible for EVERYTHING from clearing the snow, discipline, and if she is out sick, there is no school. She describes maternity leave, the ski resort she purchased with her husband, and the only kind of traffic jam you will ever see in her area. Plus we find solidarity in challenges that face both urban and rural kids. Listen, learn, and disrupted your assumptions!

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I’ve had a chance to reflect on my 23 years of teaching, and I’ve been reminded to consider the role that Chicana/o/x Education has played in my life. When I came into teaching, and declared myself to be a Chicano teacher, some looked at me quizzically, wondering aloud, “Is that still a thing? Do people still identify as Chicanos?” Later I read a quote by some journalist declaring that “Chicano” is only used by old guys who have handshakes and reminisce about the past.

Welp, thanks to stickin’ around so long, I have seen a renacimiento of the Chicana/o/x name. Not that we ever went anywhere, but there is a new generation of Chicanas and Chicanos entering the teaching profession, but unlike me, the show up as their authentic selves.

I hope you enjoy this Chicana roundtable with Isabel Barajas de Benavidez, Emely Contreras, and Diana Bustamante Aguilar, three early-service teachers who are proudly and uncompromisingly CHICANAS…and who are connecting with each other for the first time.

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When Colorado, like so many other states, created its draconian school performance framework and accountability measures (mainly standardized test results), an “accountability clock” was institutionalized and put in place. This meant that if a school did not perform satisfactorily according to standardized testing data, that school or district would face an extinction-level event, in terms of public education: state takeover and potential privatization.

Adams 14, the district serving a population decimated by institutional oppression, environmental racism, and utter neglect, saw its accountability clock run out in 2018. Since then, a comedy of errors has ensued, with charter mismanagement that has landed the district and its hardworking allies in the courts with those who have done them harm.

I sit down with four educators/community members to unpack the urgency of this situation. This is a must-listen. Adams 14 is all of us.

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Since last season, we have brought you stories that are heart-wrenching, painful, and traumatic. Examples of racial battle fatigue, professional violence and PTSD, which, even though most have experienced a measure of healing, or begun that healing journey, are difficult.

In some cases, Black classroom teachers depart the classroom to make a wider impact. This was the case for Dr. William Anderson, History teacher extraordinaire, who was just minding his own business, working on his doctorate, ready to return to the classroom for the 2021-2022 school year when he was tapped to take over the Teacher Education Program at the University of Denver, the first Black man to step into that role.

Dr. Anderson knew this was an opportunity to impact the profession in a more powerful way, and went on a journey to make it happen.

This is a provocative episode, and we encourage you to put on your intersectional lens as you digest this inspiring and powerful story.

Sponsored by quetzalec.com

Music composed and performed by Kevin Adams

Production by Gerardo Muñoz

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