Equity Umbrella Podcast

We (Sharon & Yvette) had originally planned to record about the importance of SEL but as educators we can’t ignore the weight of another mass school shooting & that SEL is a crucial component of how we build resiliency for ourselves and our school community. We invited our colleague, Evelyn Diaz, MTSS Advisor to suggest a few strategies to help us and our students cope with trauma.

Sharon & Yvette invite colleague & friend, Maria Chan, to discuss a recent parenting challenge Maria found herself in with her daughter's homework. In the transition back into in-person instruction, Sharon, Yvette, & Maria invite you to consider,

1)What are we doing?

2) Why are we doing it?

3) Why are we doing it this way?

In an attempt to move away from a compliance driven practice to support purpose driven teaching and learning.

We (Sharon & Yvette) have been on hiatus a looooong time but we are super excited to announce that we are dropping our first episode of season 2 THIS FRIDAY! We can’t wait to take a seat with you later this week under the equity umbrella. Until then Here is a sneak peak of Friday’s episode titled Make it Make Sense where our guest Maria Chan instructional Data coordinator tries to make sense of a recent parenting fail.

In this episode, Sharon & Yvette welcome their colleague and fellow MTSS Adviser, Cynthia Iglesias, to discuss her experience & expertise in building relationships with families. Cynthia shares her experience in supporting families who have lost a head of household to Covid-19 and what educators should consider when attempting to build two-way connections with families.

Did you know that to date experts estimate that 40,000+ children in the U.S. have lost at least one parent to Covid-19? In this episode, Sharon & Yvette draw from their experience & expertise as Restorative Justice practitioners to discuss all aspects of using check-ins as a practice to build relationships in the wake of the Pandemic.

In this episode, Sharon & Yvette sit down with Dr. Lourdes Ortiz, Administrator of Instruction, of LAUSD's Local District East to discuss how she manages the challenges of being a woman in educational leadership as well as the women who have influenced & inspired her both personally & professionally. Dr. Ortiz shares with us her insight, experience, and advice.

Did you know that we could fill the Staples Center Arena 3 times with all of the students who are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County? In this episode, Sharon & Yvette take a deep dive into the subject of supporting students who are experiencing homelessness. They invite Angela Chandler, a Homeless Liasion/Coordinator, to discuss how school community members of all levels can support students who are experiencing homelessness in the context of Covid-19, distance learning, and as we transition back to physical learning at school sites.

In episode 3, Sharon & Yvette provide an update on the 2020 election and share how their holidays will be different, this year, while in the midst of the Corona Virus. They also share some fun activities that teachers can do with their students to celebrate the holidays via distance learning. In the second segment, Sharon & Yvette invite fellow MTSS Advisor, Guadalupe Martinez-Gin, MSW, to provide some insight & perspective on how to help ourselves & our charges cope with the stressors of Covid-19 & the upcoming holidays.

In this episode, Sharon & Yvette discuss their own anxiety leading up to the 2020 presidential election while also sharing some tips for how to support yourself & students with this anxiety. In the second half of the episode, Sharon & Yvette continue their conversation with their community of schools' administrators, Gerardo Loera & Jesus Nunez regarding how LAUSD's Local District East Theory of Change drives their work.

In this first episode, Sharon & Yvette explore Local District East's (a region of the Greater Los Angeles Unified School District) theory of change which specifically calls out converting microaggressions into micro affirmations. In the second half of the episode, they invite Gerardo Loera, & Jesus Nunez, the community of schools administrators for Huntington Park & South Gate respectively, to explore how the progressive theory of change informs their work as administrators. Listen in to see how the administrators' personal school experiences really shape & drive their work with a personal sense of urgency.