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𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐥!!!!

Research has proven 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 again that one of the 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 of students' success are 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.  

𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐀𝐍, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴; 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯!

A 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 of me 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄!  I often tell 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫.  I rather be the door, giving students access to a world they may have 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.  

Teachers, we are 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬.  We can invite students into spaces that they otherwise have been shunned from.  𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐏𝐎𝐂 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲, "𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬".  𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥?  

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠!

For booking and other inquiries 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨@𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
𝐅𝐁/𝐈𝐆: @𝐦𝐫.𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥
𝐋𝐈/𝐓𝗪: @𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥

I look forward to helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐀𝐥𝐥

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𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞!!!

When I was growing up, 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞.  I grew up in a time when 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.  As I gotten older and became a teacher, the world changed.  𝗪𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠!  Some of it has led to great change while other parts of this have led to rebellious mindsets that really do not want to submit to anything.

𝘠𝘦𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞.  𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵.  I believe that 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!  That as teachers masters their content, they have the chance to share that mastery with their kids.  Buuuuut it has to make sense.  

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 "𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠" 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.  There may be steps to follow.  There may be situations that you have to persevere through, but 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍!  

Listen, I may not eeeeeeeeeeeever use the quadratic formula outside of my profession...𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐎𝗪 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝗪𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭.  I can make sense of it and put all parts together.  𝘐𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴?  𝗪𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞.  

𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴...𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄!!! 

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠!

For booking and other inquiries 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨@𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
𝐅𝐁/𝐈𝐆: @𝐦𝐫.𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥
𝐋𝐈/𝐓𝗪: @𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥

I look forward to helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐀𝐥𝐥

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One day I chose to interview the 𝐭𝐨𝐩 performing 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 students at my school and asked them 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭.  𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.  Their parents were the 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 why they performed at the level they performed. 

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬!!

Though there are 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 that get in the way of parents being actively involved in their child's education, especially as they get older, it is important to understand that 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝗪𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.  

As a math teacher, I clearly see what 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 a majority of kids from taking higher level math classes, and it many times it's because the kids that have made it to the higher level classes have had 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭.  I want to 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐊 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.  𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞!  Money gives you access to tools and systems that allows you "time" and "resources" to support children.  If you are working several jobs, worried about utilities, trying to support your children with one income, enduring cycles of dysfunction, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲?  

I am not making excuses for anyone because at the end of the day, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴!  

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠!

For booking and other inquiries 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨@𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
𝐅𝐁/𝐈𝐆: @𝐦𝐫.𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥
𝐋𝐈/𝐓𝗪: @𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥

I look forward to helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐀𝐥𝐥

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There are has been much talk surrounding this subject over the past couple of years.  𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐧-𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 says that Culturally Responsive Teaching is “𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬”.

𝐂𝐑𝐓 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡.  Today I want to encourage four mindset shifts for CRT to exist in all of our classrooms. 

𝟏. 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝟏 - 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟. 
So many of our students don't believe they can do the work so it doesn't matter what we put in front of them if they have that fixed mindset.  We need to empower our students to change "each other" minds.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝟐 - 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝. 
Many of us know what we are teaching, how we are teaching it, how we will know if students have retained what was taught, but many of us do not enter the lesson with the 𝗪𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝗪𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫!

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝟑 - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬.
There is no way for us to leave parents out of the equation if we want to be culturally responsive. I'm so committed to this that I refer to parents as partners! 

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝟒 - 𝐃𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐋𝐋! 
Culturally responsive teachers DO NOT ignore the ignored.  There are inequalities within every system.  We do not ignore them, we garner our passions towards them to solve the problem.  ALL students, means, ALL students! 

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠!

For booking and other inquiries 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨@𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
𝐅𝐁/𝐈𝐆: @𝐦𝐫.𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥
𝐋𝐈/𝐓𝗪: @𝐦𝐫𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐥

I look forward to helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐀𝐥𝐥

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This is the last day of Black History Month and this episode is dedicated to my Black teachers that I've had throughout my educational journey.  So this episode is dedicated to Mrs. Davis, Mr. Hardy, Mr. Satchel, Mrs. Burrus, Ms. Veale, & Dr. Lee Stiff.

Many people go throughout their K-12 and even college journey without having any Black teachers and especially Black male teachers.  I have been blessed to have some of the most amazing teachers help me to develop into the man I am today.  It has been statistically proven that all races benefit from having teachers of color.  

I stand on the shoulders of these giants and I am convinced that I can raise more giants after I am gone.  This podcast touched on so many emotions and showed me how much I owe to these amazing educators.  This country has not done a great job in keeping Black teachers in the classroom.  I am sooooooo glad that they stayed!!!!  I am so glad that they became comfortable in being uncomfortable.  I am so thankful for them and today I honor you, Mrs. Davis, Mr. Hardy, Mr. Satchel, Mrs. Burrus, Ms. Veale, and Dr. Lee Stiff!

Thank you for listening!

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll

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Teaching is NOT an easy job.  It takes a lot out of you and you must have a great capacity to give.  You find yourself giving so much of yourself and so much of your time that you can burn out easily. 

In 2016, I left Pittsburgh, PA and headed back to my home state of North Carolina.  I was exhausted and needed something new and yet familiar.  I ended up at Piedmont "You Know" Middle School in Charlotte, NC.  I loved what I saw when I looked at their website and I felt intimidated because they looked like a dynamic school.  I left Pittsburgh two weeks before the school year started and needless to say it was a looooooooooooooooot.  By the middle of the year I was going to work at 7am and not leaving until 7pm, four out of the five days!  I was ready to walk away.

I sat down with my principal and prepared a speech to let her know that I was going to leave.  She looked at me and said, "James, you cannot come in early and stay late every day.  You are going to have to pick one.  Either you come in early and leave on time, or come in late and stay a little later.  You CANNOT DO BOTH!"  

I sat with her words and I decided that I would give it one more year.  Over the summer I went to work and taught myself all the things I needed to know and redid all my answer keys and tightened up my mastery of content. 

I reflected on a sermon by Pastor AD3 when he said, you didn't ask for easy, you asked for excellence!  That is how I approached the rest of my career.  Five years later I am the best teacher I have ever been.  Listen, don't give up if this is truly something you called to do.  You didn't ask for easy, YOU ASKED FOR EXCELLENCE!

Thank you for listening!

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll

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Let me tell you, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE TEACHING!!!!

There are many reasons why I love this job and since today is LOVE DAY, I am spreading the LOVE TO ALL OF YOU!!!

I love teaching because...

1. I love interacting/building relationships with students.
   • I meaaaaaaaaaaaan come on now.  These human beings are full of joy and laughter and the occasional "go somewhere and sit down".  I love it because NO DAY is the same!!!  Our relationship is a rollercoaster, but we ALWAYS land safely...well 99.9% of the time 😄.
2. I live for the AH HA moments
   • Let's talk about those lightbulb moments!  I teach math and when students make those connections you talking about the room lighting up with brilliance!  They really shine and I live for these moments.
3. I get to change mindsets.
   • Math is a subject that has the most fixed-minded students.  They feel either they are born with the gift of math (passed down by their parents) or they are not.  And once a student decides they are horrible in math, it's almost impossible to call them back from the dark abyss.  Well, I am gifted to call them back.  
   • I also get to show them what Black Male Excellence look like!  I know as I stand in front of my students, many of them have NEVER seen a black male in this role.  Black Male Educators (BMEs) make up 2% of the teaching population!  BMEs are rare but we are necessary!
4. I get to be creative!
   • I've always been a creative person and I've always loved the arts.  Teaching math doesn't give me the liberty to do some of those things but it does give me the liberty to be as creative as I want with my classroom environment!  My creativity shines in the things I use to motivate students.
5. We get summers off!
   • Don't get it twisted, we are 10 month employees.  Our checks are spread out over 12 months OR YOU SAVE!!!  But that time to refresh and get away is paramount to the success of teachers!

Again, Happy LOVE DAY!!!  I love you and hope you enjoy this podcast!

Thank you for listening!

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll

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Black male teachers make up 2% of the teaching population.  It is imperative that we have more representation in this area!  I have been teaching for fourteen years and the lens that I have in education is unlike any other.  Our perspectives matter.  Our presence matters.  We matter!

My entrance into a classroom is a statement that we belong here.  Throughout my time in the classroom, I have learned that my presence puts other black and brown students at ease.  I have been the only Black male teacher in one district in Pennsylvania and the only Black teacher in another district as well.  It has not been easy, yet I take great pride in who I am and who I represent. 

This podcast today is just a peep into my journey.  I believe that it may offer some insight to what some of us face as the small minority in education.  I also understand what we signed up for when we step into the classroom.  I can emphatically say to every Black male teacher listening that you did sign up to be a father, mentor, expert, disciplinarian, confidant, big brother, and excellent teacher!  It's  a heavy load, but you can bear it with the help of those you surround yourself with and much prayer 😄.

Thank you for listening!

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll

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TEACHING THROUGH A PANDEMIC!!!!

Has not been for the faint of heart.  In this episode, I talk about some of the issues that I have faced in the past almost 2 years.  This pandemic has highlighted many inequities, mindsets, disparities, and intentions.  They have not all been negative, but this pandemic has put a strain on all of us in education! 

Throughout this pandemic, I have learned to listen to my body.  I have learned when my body, mind, soul, and spirit, says you need a break, YOU NEED A BREAK!  There are no if, ands, or buts about it.  You have to take care of you!  Listen to me, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU!

I've experienced many ups and downs through these two years, just like many of you.  I lost my mom the week before Christmas break and recently tested positive for COVID, knowing that I contracted it from school.  I have had so much emotional pressure on me throughout this season, that I was on the verge of breaking.  If not for a therapist, good friends, and JESUS, I would not be here in a good frame of mind, today!

As I reflect, I really want to let every listener know that you are enough!  You are amazing and you are worth it!  Please take care of yourself and get help whenever necessary.  I love you!  And that's real.  I do this because I love this work and this work impacts those I love and that is you!

Thank you for listening!

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll

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Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!  It is our day of service. 

Eight years ago, I had the awesome opportunity to write a spoken word and present it as a tribute to this amazing pioneer.  I am so blessed and honored to live in the legacy of his dream.  As a Black American I benefit from the choices this man made as he sought for the advancement of all mankind.  His legacy yet lives on through me and it is my privilege to share this work with you today!

May you continue to live a life well-lived so that death is a promotion for the live you lived here on earth!  

Check out A King's Dream YouTube Video if you want to see the visuals 😄. 

For booking and other inquiries please email me at [email protected].  To find other videos and more inspiration check out my website at www.mrjamesoneal.com.

Feel free to connect with me on any of the social media platforms:
FB/IG: @mr.jamesoneal
LI/TW: @mrjamesoneal

I look forward in helping your students, teachers, parents, and any educational stakeholder reach mastery.  #MasteryForAll