Building the Black Educator Pipeline

Why do we continue to not to tell the truth in education? This is the question that guided this throwback episode of BTBEP, originally live-streamed ahead of Thanksgiving in 2021. 

Join us in this classic episode of Building the Black Educator Pipeline where Dr. Greg Carr joined host Shayna Terrell to discuss the importance of always including historical context in the classroom.

In the episode, Shayna and Dr. Carr discuss the tradition of American education lying to students about the history of the nation and the role educators play in making sure our students are presented with the truth.

Listen in to get the real story of Thanksgiving and contrast it with the one often told to young people. Dr. Carr also breaks down the motivation certain educators as well as the system of education as a whole have for perpetuating lies to students about American history. Shayna and Dr. Carr also discuss resources for examining and telling the truth in the classroom.

Finally, the episode touches on how we can honor our Native American family and promote their legaciy and contributions.

Guest Bio

Jéri L. Ogden is an educator, writer, and facilitator with a passion for and emphasis on equitable practices and cultural competence. Jéri graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in Communication and Culture and from American University with an M.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy. Upon her undergraduate graduation, she spent one year working at DC’s first all-boys public charter school as a substitute teacher and assistant director of the after-school program before her training as a Summer 2010 DC Teaching Fellow. Jéri has taught at both public and charter schools in DC and Houston, as well as an international school in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
 

With over 14 years of progressive teacher leadership, Jéri most recently served as the Director of the Professional Learning Community at ASCD. In addition, she is the founder of P.U.R.P.L.E., a consulting firm that provides purposeful, uplifting, and restorative professional learning experiences to organizations and communities. Jéri is currently pursuing her Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation at Marymount University. She is a former member of the adjunct staff at Trinity Washington University where her courses focus on restorative practices, relationship building in school systems, and empathy. Her work is rooted in the philosophy that equity is not a buzzword.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeri_teaches

Website: http://jeriogden.com/

Dr. Camika Royal is an urban education expert with more than 20 years of experience. Her work focuses on the intersections of race, politics, history, and urban school reform. She spent seven years as an urban education professional in the public schools of Baltimore City and Washington, D.C., teaching, coaching teachers, and helping to lead a charter high school. In 2006, Dr. Royal returned to her hometown—Philadelphia—and transitioned to higher education, first by teaching pre-service teachers at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, then for other colleges and universities in the Philadelphia and Baltimore regions, while she continued to coach and support urban school leaders and teacher educators.

We welcome Edwin Mayorga, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies and the Program in Latin American and Latino Studies, and co-researcher of the Education in our Barrios Project (#BarrioEdProj) to BTBEP podcast!

In this episode, Mr. Mayorga shares about his journey and what inspired him to become an educator. He shares with host Shayna Terrell how race and culture can be at the forefront of how we engage today’s youth, and the importance of affirming our own identities and the identities of the students we serve.

As #HispanicHeritageMonth comes to a close, the episode centers around Latinx communities, educators and students and what "culturally relevant curriculum" looks like for these communities. Edwin Mayorga shares about his "Barrio Education Project," the term "LatinX," and the importance of Black and Brown unity in this work. 

Is education political?

Dr. Greg Carr, Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies at Howard University rejoins the show to answer this question and more. Host Shayna Terrell and Dr. Carr discuss propaganda as a tool used to control the masses, and how  we educate our students about propaganda and how to think critically about it?

The conversation moves on to book banning and whether it is a violation of the first Amendment, and what the process should be to get books banned? Dr. Carr shares what educators should be doing to support the 1st amendment right of our students, and how can educators organize to ensure a right to freedom as teachers?

Finally, Shayna asks Dr. Carr about what we should be teaching in schools, the difference between activism and advocacy, and how we can best prepare our students to be mobilize once they are equipped with knowledge of the world around them.

Enjoy one of the greatest hits of the Building the Black Educator Pipeline Podcast, with this season one episode featuring Joyce Abbott, the inspiration behind Quinta Brunson's critically acclaimed show, Abbott Elementary!

In this flashback episode that was originally live-streamed, Mrs. Abbott shares memories of having Quinta Brunson as a student, well before she would go on to creating the hit show Abbott Elementary. She also discusses what it felt like to be the inspiration behind the show's name and what lessons we can draw from the hit series. 

Mrs. Abbott also talked to host Shayna Terrell about what inspired her to be an educator and why she has stayed in the classroom for so long, as well as how her time in the military shaped her and the impact it add on her as an educator. 

Finally, the conversation touched on the importance of Black educators, bridging the gaps between schools and communities, and how we can truly achieve educational justice.