Ethical Schools

We speak with Monica Chen, veteran teacher and executive director of Factory Farming Awareness Coalition. Monica tells us how cow’s milk became a staple in school lunches even though most children of color do not have the ability to digest lactose, the main carbohydrate in dairy products. She explains how checkoff programs like Got milk? mislead the American public into thinking these are healthy foods for human children. 

References

Overview

00:00-00:49 Intros

00:49-02:41 Factory farms and why is it important for students to know about them 

02:41-04:46 How schools started serving meals

04:46-05:33 Why school food looks the same across the country

05:33-11:06 Why most schools serve milk even though many students, those from especially other-than-European backgrounds are lactose intolerant 

11:06-13:10 Reimbursable lunches

13:10-16:01 Factory farm conditions for cows

16:01-18:11 Making connections between choices and impacts

18:11-21:07 Culturally responsive conversations about food

21:07-25:01 Respect/disrespect for Navajo culture in a Bureau of Indian Education school in the Navajo Nation

25:01-33:05 How schools can encourage students to think broadly about impact of choices 

33:05-34:30 Impact of industry lobbying campaigns on low-income schools

34:30-35:59 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode.  

Credits 

Photo: Canva

Soundtrack: Podington Bear

World renowned educational consultant Bill Stroud talks about schooling within our capitalist culture and the impact that on-line learning will have on teachers’ autonomy and teacher-student relationships. He discusses similarities and differences among classrooms in different countries, the potential impact of the Movement for Black Lives on schools, and what envisioning a different system of schools would look like.

Overview

00:00-00:45 Intros

00:46-02:52 Individual great schools will be anomalies without larger changes

02:53-05:50 A systemic culture of mistrust

05:51-11:23 Desegregation as a quality assurance step; impacts of segregation

11:24-13:29 Diversity of ideas as well as race/ethnicity

13:30-15:22 Local and national cultures’ impact on schools

15:23-17:04 Teacher dominated classrooms are the norm around the world

17:05-20:34 Different take-aways from education in the U.S. and in Thailand

20:35-23:56 Challenges sustaining schools with values that are different from the dominant culture

23:57-32:31 Impacts of technology and on-line learning

32:32-39:13 Free time, its uses and value; free time. class and race

39:13-43:40 Denmark: changes in daily school experiences during COVID-19

43:41-47:05 Potential effects of Movement for Black Lives on schools as systems and institutions

47:05-49:05 A vision for a movement to organize schools differently

49:66-52:20 Role of public education in creating an intelligent citizenry

52:21-57:35 Getting students invested in schooling; creating community

57:36-58:57 Outro

Transcription

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

Dr. Alan Singer, Dr. Pablo Muriel, and Gates Millennium Scholar Dennis Belen-Morales, three generations of teachers, describe how they center student activism in their project-based social studies and history classes while giving students the tools to pass the NYS Regents exams. Dr. Singer was Dr. Muriel’s professor in college, and Dr. Muriel was Mr. Belen-Morales’ high school teacher and college professor in turn. Now all three are at Hofstra University. Part 2 of a two-part series that contains lots of specific strategies for teachers and passion for civics education.

References

Soundtrack by Podington Bear

Dr. Alan Singer, Dr. Pablo Muriel, and Gates Millennium Scholar Dennis Belen-Morales, three generations of teachers, describe how they center student activism in their project-based social studies and history classes while giving students the tools to pass the NYS Regents exams. Dr. Singer was Dr. Muriel’s college professor, and Dr. Muriel was Mr. Belen-Morales’ high school teacher. Now all three are at Hofstra University. Part 1 of a two-part series that contains lots of specific strategies for teachers and passion for civics education.

References

Overview

00:00-01:03 Intros

01:03-07:49 Why teach civic education?

07:49-23:26 Essential elements of “Supporting civics education with student activism”

23:26-32:08 Should social studies/history teachers be open with their students about their political perspectives?

32:08-35:38 How do you handle action projects that you find offensive or unethical?

35:38-43:47 Encountering racism among students; relationships among national/racial groups

43:47-45:00 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

Credits

Photo hofstra.edu

Soundtrack by Podington Bear

Nia Morgan and Anahi Ortiz Fierros of Urban Youth Collaborative describe how police and metal detectors humiliate and traumatize students. The story of the “fork in the backpack” illustrates the system’s absurdity. And while NYC school arrests are down overall, Black and Latinx students are arrested at much higher rates than white students. NYS legislature considers Solutions Not Suspensions Act. Campaigns for police-free schools are taking place around the country. 

Overview

00:00-01:02 Intros

01:02-01:29 The Urban Youth Collaborative

01:29-02:39 90% of school arrests, summons, juvenile reports are of Black and Latinx students

02:39-03:48 UYC’s shift from improved interactions to elimination of police from schools

03:48-06:14 Examples of student experiences with police

06:14-07:40 Differences in how police and school staff treat students

07:40-09:55 NYC’s new budget will not bring necessary change

09:55-13:01 Campaigns around the country for police-free schools; Salem OR school board member wears blackface throughout meeting on BLM

13:01-13:44 Toronto as a model

13:44-16:24 Solutions Not Suspension Act in NYS legislature; opposed by teachers union

16:24-20:05 What’s needed in school culture; staff professional development to create safe schools; NYC commitment to restorative practices expansion but now not in budget

20:05-23:31 Effects of metal detectors in schools; student stories of incidents including a fork in a backpack and art supplies in a bag

23:31-25:42 Traumatic effects of police in schools; policing just doesn’t work

25:42-27:30 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

Credits

Photo facebook.com/urbanyouthcollaborative

Soundtrack by Podington Bear