Friend of the pod and OEA legislative expert, Ellen Pogemiller, returns to discuss the deteriorating educator shortage, the consequences it has on our students, and what the state of Oklahoma can do to begin valuing education as it should.

We also speak with newly elected NEA Director for the OEA, Zach Grimm, about his journey becoming a Spanish teacher, life as the president of The Education Association of Moore, winning a statewide election among members, and the importance of representing Oklahoma educators with the NEA.

This week, the OEA Board of Directors voted to stand in solidarity with another professional labor organization, the Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA), in their lawsuit against SB 658. Elected local school boards have a constitutional right to do what is best for their communities.

Our Labor Day episode continues by introducing Cari Elledge, OEA's newly elected vice president and a 5th grade teacher from Norman. She chronicles her journey from growing up in a union household to an educator making a difference through her professional association.

Sarah Green, executive director of the Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System, breaks down a crucial component in the lives of professional educators, both new and experienced.

We also talk with Heidi Russell, executive director of the Coalition of Oklahoma Breastfeeding Advocates (COBA), on the impacts of SB 121 and why it is so important to support working mothers in our schools with safe, clean lactation rooms.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister returns to Fried Okra to discuss another hectic back-to-school period, the responsibilities we have to protect our schools, and new opportunities for student teachers across Oklahoma.

One of the two pediatric infectious disease experts in the state of Oklahoma, and friend of the pod, Dr. Donna Tyungu of OU Health, returns to shed light on where things stand with COVID, the Delta variant, and the best ways to keep our children safe as school returns.

Fried Okra returns with new OEA President Katherine Bishop, in her first podcast as co-host, to speak with legislative guru Ivy Riggs on interim studies at the Capitol related to education.

We also hear from teachers, Rowdy Washburn and Amber Taylor, who chair OEA's Democratic and Republican caucuses respectively, on the importance of educators coming together and fighting for what's best in the classroom, regardless of political affiliation.

After serving her full two terms as OEA president, Alicia Priest reflects on an incredibly eventful six years that included a state-wide walkout and a pandemic. On her final Fried Okra, she looks back on her journey from Yukon Public Schools educator to being elected OEA's 97th president and her hopes for the future of a state hopefully finding its focus on public education.

Following a short discussion with legislative guru Amanda Ewing on the status of education funding for next year and the interim studies being pursued by the legislature this summer, Fried Okra is joined by three members of said legislature who are former history teachers. State Senator J.J. Dossett and State Representatives John Waldron and Jacob Rosecrants talk about their time in the classroom teaching history and the special perspective it gives them at the Capitol.

After a quick recap on the legislative session from Ivy Riggs, we are joined by Rep. Monroe Nichols of Tulsa to discuss the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre and how Oklahoma can lead by reconciling with our history, telling those stories, and addressing the inequities caused that we still face today.

Friend of the pod (and public education) Joy Hofmeister returns to Fried Okra to discuss what is on the horizon for education in Oklahoma, including a needed increase in the number of counselors across the state, continued distress in the teaching pipeline, summer learning programs, and the constant concern that all children in this state are still getting meals.

engage.ok.gov