Nerd Farmer Podcast

Tacoma teachers are currently at a labor impasse with the Tacoma School District. Because the school district has the home phone number and home email address for every family they serve, there's an information asymmetry. They can give families whatever information they choose to share or withhold and frame events in any way they see fit. Teachers don't get to tell their side of the story. So I decided to sit down with three local educators, right after they finished their first day on the picket-lines. They each shared why they voted to strike and why they find the most recent contract offers from the district unacceptable.

Our guests:

National Board Certified Teacher, Sara Ketelsen, Math

Interchangeable White Ladies show host, National Board Certified Teacher, Hope Teague-Bowling, English

Channel 253 contributor Cat Melaunie, a new kindergarten teacher 

Note: the second half of this episode references the Thompson Group. Since recording, we've learned more about their long list of local clients. For more info check their website. 

In Part II of our look at Northwest Detention Center, we took an in-depth view at the politics of the Northwest Detention Center including a deep-dive at the political contributions of the Geo-Group and its lobbying firm.

Guests:

Tacoma Native, Erik Hanberg. Eric is the Co-Founder and Publisher of Channel 253, he is also the Commissioner of Metro Parks Tacoma.

Evelyn Lopez ran for mayor in 2017. She is the former Executive Director of Public Disclosure Commission. Evelyn was born in New Zealand and has become a Tacoman Transplant. For more with Ms. Lopez, check out Episode 11 of Nerd Farmer Podcast.   

Shannon McMinimee is Former General Council for Tacoma Public School, former Assistant Superintendent Yakima Public Schools, and current part-time Lecturer at University of Washington Tacoma.

Going Further:

Eminent Domain

Difference Between Welcoming City and Sanctuary City

Tideflats Subarea Plan

Jogger Detained for 2 Weeks after Accidentally Crossing into U.S. From Canada

13th Amendment

McCulloch V. Maryland

The Socials

PDC Website

True Tacoma Facebook

Evelyn Lopez Twitter

Eric Hanberg Twitter

Cedar Law PLLC

Shannon McMinimee Twitter

Housekeeping:

Housekeeping: Buy the fall #NerdFarmReads Book, We Gon Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

In part one of our deep dive into The Northwest Detention Center, we had a conversation with Lewis Kamb and Monserrat Padilla.

The NWDC, a detention center created to hold undocumented migrants, is the largest private prison in the State of Washington. NWDC is privately owned by the corporation, GEO Group. GEO Group has more than 200 facilities that include both immigration prisons and privately operated prisons.

This week’s guests are Lewis Kamb and Monserrat Padilla. Lewis is an investigative journalist who currently writes for Seattle Times. His previous credits include Seattle PI and Tacoma News Tribune. Monserrat is the Coordinator for Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. Monserrat has been an LGBTQ Immigrant Coordinating Director, the program coordinator for  QUIP (Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project) for United We Dream.   

Going Further:

Lewis Lamb's NWDC article

Washington Immigration Solidarity Network

Jay Inslee Legal Defense Fund for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

Priorities for Deportation

Socials:

Monserrat Twitter

Lewis Kamb Twitter

Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network Facebook

Housekeeping: Buy the fall #NerdFarmReads Book, We Gon Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

Housekeeping: Buy the fall #NerdFarmReads Book, We Gon Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang

This week the pod takes on Social Emotional Learning in schools. Danielle Gonzalez of the Aspen Institute begins the podcast with her perspective on SEL and why we must teach it. She also delves into the danger of "systematic whitening" of students of color and where the national policy conversation on SEL is headed.

Next up, author and professor, Claude Steele, gives an overview of Stereotype Threat with a few ways to combat it. Professor Steele’s book Whistling Vivaldi centers around anecdote about a man-of-color whistling Vivaldi in public spaces. Steele also discussed the impact of the disproportionate ratio of white females teaching to students of color and the need for Social Emotional Learning in school.

2:00 What is Social Emotional Learning and why do we teach it in schools?

4:00 Aspen Institute convenes state superintendents to talk about leadership and disparities between white and black students. Implicit bias, interpersonal relationships, black and white students experience the world differently. See the Aspen Report here.

9:00 Is SEL a way to systematically “whiten” students of color?

12:00 Stereotype threat and the meaning behind Whistling Vivaldi.

15:00 Academic Beat of Professor Steele: What do you do?

17:30 Professor Steele explaining SEL from his perspective.

22:00 Teacher diversity and the correlation of Social Emotional Learning

25:00 Professor Steele’s take on historical events that led to teachers being so homogeneously white and female. How should we develop trust between students and teachers of any color.

29:00 What should school systems do to support students social-emotional needs?

33:00 Who do you see and who have you seen do this well?

35:00 What do you [Professor Steele] wish the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, understood about Social Emotional Learning?

Going Further:

Aspen Institute

claudesteele.com

Stereotype Threat

Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us by Claude Steele