Kevin and Asia listen to Crystal Gillis’ story. From leaving the classroom to facilitating and developing youth voice and leadership at YAASPA, her story is informative and impactful.
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Kevin and Gerardo infiltrate the halls of power in the highest levels of educational government by visiting with the first Latino United States Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona! From his humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to a “class clown” to a twenty-year veteran educator, Dr. Cardona has traveled a long road and, in his words, “my stripes are the same.”
As the Biden Administration rolls out American Rescue legislation, Kev and Gera as him questions about the expenditures, investment, and future of American education in this contentious time. We discuss important issues facing communities of color in education, and share some laughs.
And of course, a top five that will, no doubt, sow the seeds of controversy.
We are profoundly grateful to EduColor and Profe Equis, José Vilson for this amazing opportunity.
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We recorded this episode waaaaaaaay back in the fall, just after Autumn Rivera, Glenwood Springs Middle School Science Teacher, was named 2022’s Colorado Teacher of the Year. This was before she was named a National Teacher of the Year finalist, and we get this amazing glimpse of an earnest, humble, exciting and fun individual like the teacher her students and community have come to love and celebrate.
Join us for this early part of this journey. We talk shop, middle schoolers, and a controversial top 5!
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Sarah Brown Wessling is friend, mentor, coordinator and calming presence for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), where she serves as the National Teacher of the Year program’s Senior Advisor. This means that she gets to travel the country, meet amazing teachers (and me), support those of us entrusted with the Teacher of the Year role, and amplify and elevate the teaching profession. A National Teacher of the Year herself (2010), she brings wisdom, insight, and above all, a love of teachers to a national stage. In a time when teaching is hard…it is HARD, people…Sarah disrupts the struggle with peace and honesty.
Plus a very calming and spiritual top five.
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This episode is a long time coming!
Darrion “DC” Cockrell, the 2021 Missouri Teacher of the Year, has a powerful, heartbreaking, and inspirational story, and he shares it with us. This is less a teacher’s lounge conversation and more of a “chop it up on the front porch” episode. DC discusses his experience with violence, sports, learning disability, and his journey to the classroom.
The temperature rises with a contentious Top 5, one from which we may never recover.
Theme music composed and performed by Kevin Adams.
Sponsor: quetzalec.com
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Scholar, Author, Entrepreneur, and Educator Desmond Williams has been there, done that. A talented and effective classroom teacher, he quickly moved up the ranks to building leadership. But even as a principal, Desmond was not achieving the impact he wanted to. He found himself in frequent conflict with fellow leaders, and gained a sense of clarity.
That sense of clarity has manifested in his DEI firm Nylinka, a book, The Burning House, in which he echoes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s question about racism as a system that perhaps African Americans should try to escape, and frequent speaking engagements and training. Desmond shares his story, questions the notion of Racial Battle Fatigue, and gets out the receipts. Do not miss this one!
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We sit down this cold evening to talk with Autumn Rivera, the Glenwood Springs Middle School science and social studies teacher who begins her term as 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year this month! She makes history as the first Colorado Teacher of the Year to become a National Teacher of the Year Finalist in 28 years, and only the 9th in nearly 60 years. Autumn shares her path as a mixed-heritage educator of color, into middle school teaching, authentic service work for youth, solidarity and advocacy in the union, and of course, an amazing top five. An exciting and energetic interview as we learn from a brilliant scholar-activist.
Music composed and performed by Kevin Adams
sponsors:
https://www.lyonseducationalconsulting.com/
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On December 21, Denverite broke the story that legendary community leader and Montbello/Far Northeast Warriors Coach Tony Lindsay, Sr. would not be invited back to coach football for the newly reunified Montbello High School football program. Despite a winning record that included a recent state championship, building leadership chose not to bring him back.
Coach Lindsay is more than a football coach, and much more than an X’s and O’s guy. He is a mentor, a friend, an elder, and a leader in his community since he began coaching nearly three decades ago. A onetime NFL player who played professionally in Canada, Coach Lindsay’s reputation is sterling in his community.
Asia and Kevin sit with him and hear his story. He shares his emotional journey as he recounts times that he was all some of his players had, and the outcry since the announcement has been deafening. In a time when the Far Northeast community needs every hand on deck to unite the community, this will prove a difficult blow from which to recover.
Listen and remember the value of community-grown leaders.
Read the story:
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Natalie Vardabasso is one of my favorite education minds and overall cool humans that I’ve been lucky enough to meet. We first connected through Twitter (@natabasso) and we are truly kindred minds. This conversation happened a WHILE ago (shoutout to my doctoral program), but you all need to know her work, no matter how long it’s taken.
Nat’s Twitter: @natabasso
#EduCrush Podcast: https://educrushpod.libsyn.com/
Sponsors:
Quetzal Education Consulting: quetzalec.com
Lyons Educational Consulting: www.lyonseducationalconsulting.com
Royalty-free music, “Wasted Education” from AdobeStock
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This episode was actually recorded about a week ago, but in the words of the mighty Yasiin Bey IT’LL COME OUT WHEN IT COME OUT AND IT’LL BE FIRE.
Peoples. We made it. We pushed, pulled, or dragged ourselves to the 21-22 school year’s midway point and at the very least we can (should) separate from all things work-related. We hope that this time gives you a chance to slow down and breathe in the joy and relief that comes from community and a new connection with self.
We open with a requiem to the Righteous and Brilliant bell hooks, who we lost just recently. We reflect on which of the hooks teachings that most impacted us, and pour one out for our fallen sister.
Then we reflect on what was, is, and could be the coming days, weeks, months as we keep hope alive.
We love y’all so much, and can’t wait to chop it up on the other side of ’21.
Also check out our friends from Quetzal Education Consulting at quetzalec.com!
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