This summer I had the pleasure of teaching a podcasting camp at the Westwood Baptist Church. This year’s camp theme is Wise, creative, innovative thinkers, and Minister Elois Freeman, the last guest on the podcast, thought that podcasting could be a great medium for students to express their wisdom, creativity, and ingenuity. In this episode, you will hear middle schoolers talk candidly about their experiences in school and their suggestions for making school a better place.

 

Part 1: A Tale of Two Middle Schools

Part 2: What Our Kids Think and Understand About Race and Discipline in Schools

Part 3: The Ideal School

Part 4: I Wish My Teacher Knew

Here are a few suggestions for ways to get involved in helping make our schools better places for kids.

• NOAH
• Gideon’s Army
• Attend the Nashville Ed Chat book discussion of Part 2 of Making the Unequal Metropolis on July 28
• PASSAGE
• Local PTO's and church and community organizations (there are too many to list!)

Additional links shared by Minister Elois Freeman:

• Inspirational Spoken Word by Prince ea   "I Just Sued the School System"

• The consciousness gap in education - an equity imperative | Dorinda Carter Andrews | TEDxLansingED  In this talk, Dorinda Carter Andrews challenges us to consider how gaps in critical consciousness and mindsets for adults and students in schools prevent us from providing equitable schooling experiences for all students. Specifically, Carter Andrews urges educators to consider how increased critical consciousness about the role of race and culture in teaching and learning can be fostered through educator professional development and student curriculum and can ultimately strengthen teacher-student relationships.

• Excerpt of book, Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It by Richard Reeves, Brookings Institution Press, 2017. The American dream is of a decent home in a pleasant neighborhood, good schools for our kids, a steadily rising income, and enough money put aside for an enjoyable retirement. It is about sustaining a strong family and seeing your children off to a good college. It has become a staple of politicians to declare the American dream dying or dead. But it is not dead. It is alive and well; but it is being hoarded by those of us in the upper middle class. The question is: Will we share it?

Music used in this episode:

Artist: Lee Rosevere

Title: I'm Going for a Coffee

Album: Music for Podcasts 3

Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere

Title: Puzzle Pieces

Album: Music for Podcasts 2

Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_2/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_2_-_10_Puzzle_Pieces

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere Title: The Secret to Growing Up Album: Music for Podcasts 3 Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/03_The_Secret_to_Growing_Up   Artist: Lee Rosevere Title: Southside Album: Music for Podcasts 4 Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_09_Southside

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere Title: Try Anything Once Album: Music for Podcasts 2 Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_2/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_2_-_14_Try_Anything_Once

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere Title: Sad Marimba Planet Album: Music for Podcasts 4 Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_2/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_2_-_14_Try_Anything_Once

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere

Title: Betrayal

Album: Music for Podcasts 5

Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_5/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_5_-_08_Betrayal

 

Artist: Lee Rosevere

Title: We're Almost There

Album: Hold Music

Link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Hold_Music/Lee_Rosevere_-_Hold_Music_-_12_Were_Almost_There