Back to Freedom School

Season 2, episode 8 – Netdahe Stoddard (Part 2) – In this second recording, Netdahe speaks to how the work of Building Fearless Futures continues to evolve, along with the different levels of self reflection, internal communication, support, accountability and trust building that is required to grow as individuals and as an organization. The conversation then transitions into some of the cultural dissonance within all the different communities we navigate.

Season 2, Episode 7 – Netdahe Stoddard (Part 1) – In this multi-part conversation, Netdahe and Infinite go deep into some of the complexities of trying to dismantle white supremacy culture in Vermont – especially for people who categorize themselves as white. “It feels like…   “being responsible for whiteness, I feel like white people are taught that it has to go hand in hand with shame, that you have to feel diminished somehow, and to me it’s like a part of being grown, it’s a part of being the same kind of person that cares about my child and wants there to be clean air.”

Season 2, Episode 6 – Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Lydia Diamond shares stories from her journey and struggles with adjusting to Vermont. She reflects on what it’s been like to advocate for her family, organizing for mutual aid, while addressing and overcoming racism in schools. 

Thierry Mugabo Uwilingiyimana, Winooski’s first Black classroom teacher (who is no longer with the organization) shares his family’s journey from Rwanda, why are there so few Black educators in our public schools, ways of getting to equity, the challenges and opportunities of personalized learning, creating high expectations for students, measuring progress for students, and what he considers to be the “tragedy” of Winooski.

Season 2, episode 4 – Infinite and Steph Yu discuss some of the looming questions raised by the “Pupil Weighting Factors Report” prepared by the University of Vermont for Vermont’s Agency of Education, including; What’s the best way to get resources to the kids who need them? and What does improving outcomes/success look like? Their discussion also explores broader questions about who gets to decide how funds are used at the local level, the paradox of the “magnet” elementary schools in Burlington’s Old North End neighborhood; how much we can realistically expect from schools to meet the needs of our children with the highest needs; and larger systemic steps toward taking collective responsibility for getting children’s needs met. 

Season 2, Episode 3- Recent high school graduate, Saja Almogalli, breaks down the realities on the ground for young people moving through Vermont’s public education system, the challenges of family engagement, youth voice, some of the tensions that exist around addressing racism, and how she learned how to read by listening to rap music and Rhianna. 

Season 2, Episode 2– Aden Haji and Infinite discuss why reading and writing is still fundamental to student success, “student voice”, diversifying representation on school boards as a means of overcoming inequities in public education, and some of the challenges that come with achieving that diversity. 

Season 2, Episode 1 – A conversation with Paul Cillo, who shares his perspective on funding public education in Vermont, which “is the only state service mentioned in the constitution… it’s a critical state function. Despite it’s warts, we do have the most equitable school funding system in the country… and there’s improvements to be made.”

Hosted by Infinite Culcleasure

Back to Freedom School – Ongoing conversations about education equity in the State of Vermont

If you fail our students, you fail our society…

This week on Back to Freedom School, a little bit of a throwback to this past summer when I spoke with one of my neighbors, Cathy, about her family’s educational experience in Burlington. These can be vulnerable conversations to have, so I am truly grateful for Kathy’s honesty and authenticity. 

In our discussion she acknowledges “a huge divide between the school community and the makeup of the school community, and those parents that have the means and the resources and the ability to support their students in ways that other families will not. And there goes the whole picture, it just cuts to the heart of the matter. And I’m just really worried.”

Hosted by Infinite Culcleasure

Missing Metrics & Students at the Center  – in 2 parts

Part 1: At the end of this past summer I sat down Mike McRaith, the Assistant Executive Director at the Vermont Principals Association and we discussed some of the complexities of how to achieve racial equity in Vermont – in the midst of a global pandemic. “To my mind, the pandemic has sharpened inequities for some folks,” Mike observes. When asked why we should be trying to achieve racial equity in the second whitest state in America, he responded, “to me that’s more reason to.” When it comes to measuring a student’s success, he suggests that there might be some missing metrics, and that a step in the right direction may be having our metrics designed with, by and for students. “I’m always reminded that when we think about how to measure things, or how we’re going to do things, we should ask kids because they probably know.”

Part 2: In the second part this episode Emily Baker, a senior at Randolph Union High School, sat down with one of her classmates, Grace Brock, and reflected on her learning experience under covid. The biggest takeaway from their conversation for me, is how much Grace affirms the importance of personalized learning. A lot of students are different types of learners, maybe they are not the type of learner that reading and writing is their strong suit and math is something they can excel at, or doing something hands on like in the technical career program where you need to remember certain measurements… it should be about figuring out what each student needs and what their learning style is and then trying to work that into the collective as a classroom.”