Our Classroom

Welcome to Our Classroom! In this brief episode, Math Educator and Consultant Kwame Sarfo-Mensah wraps up our conversation about math including talking about supporting bilingual learners. 

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is a 15-year veteran urban educator and the founder & CEO of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to K-12 school districts, educators, colleges & universities and educational non-profit organizations. He is also the author of two books: "Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You" and "From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators".  A proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  He was honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession.  Kwame's work has also been featured on The Tavis Smiley Show, Edutopia, Education Post, Teaching Channel, WGBH News, The Educators' Room, LLC., and Medium.

Follow Kwame Sarfo-Mensah-Mensah @kwam_the_identity_shaper, @radicalmathtalk and the Identity Talk Website

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Start Here Start Now by Liz Kleinrock is a practical guide to antibias and antiracist work in schools. 

“There is no ‘one and done’ lesson or book when it comes to social justice and culturally reflective teaching. This book is meant to help educators break habits that are holding them back from this work, as well as build positive, sustainable teaching for the future.”

Learn more and purchase Start, Here, Start Now at Heinemann.com 

For more education resources subscribe to multiculturalclassroom.com

#matheducation #culturallyresponsiveteaching #mathteacher #teacherssupportteachers #mathteachersofinstagram #teacherauthor #teachergoals #edupreneur #education #school #educators #teaching #consulting #mathematics #teacher #multiculturalclassroom #ourclassroom #Ghana #ABAR #socialjusticeeducation

As we proceed (P. Diddy voice) with the math strategies you need! In part 2 of Mathin' It Up w/ Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, we discuss Math & Hip Hop, creating a STEM Speaker Series, Culturally Responsive Teaching in math, standardized testing, and the difference between math in the USA and math in Western African countries.

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is a 15-year veteran urban educator and the founder & CEO of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to K-12 school districts, educators, colleges & universities and educational non-profit organizations. He is also the author of two books: "Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You" and "From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators".  A proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  He was honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession.  Kwame's work has also been featured on The Tavis Smiley Show, Edutopia, Education Post, Teaching Channel, WGBH News, The Educators' Room, LLC., and Medium. 

Follow Kwame Sarfo-Mensah-Mensah @kwam_the_identity_shaper, @radicalmathtalk and the Identity Talk Website

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Start Here Start Now by Liz Kleinrock is a practical guide to antibias and antiracist work in schools. 

“There is no ‘one and done’ lesson or book when it comes to social justice and culturally reflective teaching. This book is meant to help educators break habits that are holding them back from this work, as well as build positive, sustainable teaching for the future.”

Learn more and purchase Start, Here, Start Now at Heinemann.com 

For more education resources subscribe to multiculturalclassroom.com

For more education resources subscribe to multiculturalclassroom.com

#matheducation #culturallyresponsiveteaching #mathteacher #teacherssupportteachers #mathteachersofinstagram #teacherauthor #teachergoals #edupreneur #education #school #educators #teaching #consulting #mathematics #teacher #multiculturalclassroom #ourclassroom #Ghana #ABAR #socialjusticeeducation 

I don’t even like math like that but this was fun! 😂 My mom commented, “I wish I had a math teacher like you when I was in school!” Brother Kwame Sarfo-Mensah out here getting love from mom dukes! I guess he was a good guest to have on the show and I will have to bring him back in the future! Yes, I used all exclamation points is this caption! Check out this lively conversation where we talk about math, culturally responsive teaching, supporting educators in growing their anti bias anti racist practices and more!

Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is a 15-year veteran urban educator and the founder & CEO of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to K-12 school districts, educators, colleges & universities and educational non-profit organizations. He is also the author of two books: "Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You" and "From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators".  A proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  He was honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession.  Kwame's work has also been featured on The Tavis Smiley Show, Edutopia, Education Post, Teaching Channel, WGBH News, The Educators' Room, LLC., and Medium.

Follow Kwame Sarfo-Mensah-Mensah @kwam_the_identity_shaper, @radicalmathtalk and the Identity Talk Website

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Start Here Start Now by Liz Kleinrock is a practical guide to antibias and antiracist work in schools. 

“There is no ‘one and done’ lesson or book when it comes to social justice and culturally reflective teaching. This book is meant to help educators break habits that are holding them back from this work, as well as build positive, sustainable teaching for the future.”

Learn more and purchase Start, Here, Start Now at Heinemann.com 

For more education resources subscribe to multiculturalclassroom.com

#matheducation #culturallyresponsiveteaching #mathteacher #teacherssupportteachers #mathteachersofinstagram #teacherauthor #teachergoals #edupreneur #education #school #educators #teaching #consulting #mathematics #teacher #multiculturalclassroom #ourclassroom #Ghana #ABAR #socialjusticeeducation

Henry J. Turner and Kathy Lopes join Roberto to discuss their new book Change the Narrative: How to Foster an Antiracist Culture in Your School. In addition, they share about their co-authoring process, their challenge in writing about assessments, and the content that most resonates with them.

Henry J. Turner serves as principal at Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts. He is most proud of the collaborative community he works within to empower students to fight hate and bigotry in their school. Pointing to his unwavering commitment to equity and a student-centered culture, Henry was named 2020 K–12 Principal of the Year by the industry news site K–12 Dive.

A national speaker, Henry shares his experience as an innovative instructional leader, passionate advocate, and committed antiracist. Henry works with educators, leaders, and communities on how to create a culture that commits to diversity, equity, and inclusion, empowers students’ voices, and addresses economic and racial disparities.

Henry is an instructor at the Educator Leadership Institute (ELI). He serves on the University of Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors College Advisory Board and the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association Board. He received  his doctorate in education from Boston College, a master’s in education from Framingham State University, and an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has a biweekly newsletter, Lessons on Social Justice Leadership.

Kathy Lopes is a clinical social worker and educator with over twenty years of experience ranging throughout primary, secondary, and postsecondary education. She currently serves as the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Newton Public Schools in Newton, Massachusetts, leading the district’s work in their antiracist leadership practices and principles. Additionally, she holds a long-standing adjunct faculty position at her alma mater, Simmons University School of Social Work.

Lopes is known as a local and national public speaker on topics of cultural humility, racial identity, and antiracism in education and mental health organizations. Recognized early in her career by the US Department of Justice with the Justice for Victims of Crime Award, social justice and equity have remained a consistent part of her leadership and strategic planning vision.

Follow Henry J. Turner on IG @turner_hj

Follow Kathy Lopes on Twitter @kathylopes21

For more education resources subscribe to multiculturalclassroom.com

It’s great to learn and journey with others. Thom Gibson is my go-to person for all EdTech related questions. In this episode of Our Classroom, we discussed EdTech and Edupreneurship. We also touched up fatherhood and the challenge of trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Thom Gibson is a two-time teacher of the year educator, creative director at New EdTech Classroom, educational consultant, and an Adobe Education Leader. He has taught middle-school math, robotics, and YouTube Video Production

Outside of education, he's a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, an avid runner, a chicken wing (and ranch) connoisseur, and is actively involved in his church.  He, his wife Sara, and daughter Audrey live in Austin, TX.

Listen to this short episode now! 

Follow Thom on IG @gibsoneducation 

Student voice matters! In this episode of Our Classroom, I had my first student guest, Clara Mangali. We discussed how her senior research project led to her creating a Justice & Healing virtual workshop for educators and students.

Clara Mangali (she/her) is a student seeking to affect change through activism, community building, and identity development. She currently resides on the ancestral land of the Kizh people and is a senior at Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, California. After attending the National Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference in 2019, she went on to serve as a co-leader of her school’s Multiracial and Asian American student associations. For the past two years, she has served as the co-chair of Chadwick’s Student Diversity Council.

Recently, Clara conducted her senior research project on how schools can better support educators of color. Through her project, she hosted the virtual Justice and Healing workshop, which offered students and educators of color a space to share their stories and radically reimagine how equity work in schools can more authentically center the humanity and experiences of people of color. 

Outside of school, she is involved in community organizing through GABRIELA South Bay, an anti-imperialist grassroots organization that fights for the liberation of all Filipino women. Additionally, Clara recently joined the writing team at Radical in Progress, an organization that provides free study guides for must-read social justice literature. 

In college, Clara aspires to study sociology, education, and ethnic studies, with the ultimate goal of undertaking research that investigates the relationship between culture and trauma. In her free time, she enjoys running, tending to her army of plants, and reading tarot. 

To learn more about Clara follow her on IG at @Clara.mangali. Clara is also involved with GAB South Bay and they are engaged in two campaigns, the Philippine Human Rights Act and Kontra Day 2022.

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

We Got This by author Cornelius Minor is a book you must have! 

We Got This explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices—specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. 

This book addresses advocacy, Inclusivity and building bridges, while making learning relevant and accessible.

“You can transform your teaching; your team can transform your school; your school can solve real community problems. If you listen.” 

Learn more and purchase We Got This now at Heinemann.com 

For more education resources subscribe to: www.multiculturalclassroom.com

#podcasts #teachersofinstagram #teacherpodcast #abar #education #educationmatters #multicultural #OurClassroom #MulticulturalClassroom #podcast #teachersofinsta #teachersofcolor #inclusionmatters #iteachtoo #pedagogy #advocacy #affirmation #socialjustice #California #Filipina #SDLC #POCC #NAIS #ChadwickSchool 

Since y’all kept stressing me about bringing Lorena Germán back on the podcast, I found a way to do it without giving her an opportunity to turn my interview into a flirt session with me! This is the shortest episode that I have published, yet it is fruitful. This is an excerpt from her Textured Teaching presentation several months ago at the ICTE (Iowa Council of Teachers of English) Conference. In this excerpt Lorena emphasizes the fact that You Have Agency!

Lorena Germán is a two time nationally awarded Dominican American educator focused on anti racist and anti bias education. She has taught English Language Arts from 6th through 12th grades in both public and private schools. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NCTE’s journals, ASCD, and more. She’s a co-founder of #DisruptTexts through which she encourages teachers to work toward an inclusive ELA curriculum. As Co-Founder and Academic Director at Multicultural Classroom she leads professional development for teachers and creates teaching materials with and for leading literacy organizations. Lorena is also the Chair of NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Textured Teaching by author Lorena Germán is a must read book! 

This secondary professional learning guide will help you:

“In our fight for positive social transformation, we nurture and sustain students’ hearts through the tool of books.”

Learn more and purchase Textured Teaching now at Heinemann.com

For more education resources subscribe to: www.multiculturalclassroom.com

Well… I tried to keep the interview focused on Textured Teaching but your girl Lorena was wildin’ (dropped the “g” because she was out of control)!

Nonetheless, before she snuck in to give me a kiss, we managed to discuss:

    ◦    The impact of Textured Teaching since being published in Sept 2021
    ◦    What has surprised her along the way
    ◦    Textured Teaching can being utilized on the college/university level

I hope y’all enjoy this interview because it might be the last! I ain’t gon’ let Lorena turn Our Classroom into Love & Hip Hop! Sorry, not sorry!

Lorena Germán is a two time nationally awarded Dominican American educator focused on anti racist and anti bias education. She has taught English Language Arts from 6th through 12th grades in both public and private schools. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NCTE’s journals, ASCD, and more. She’s a co-founder of #DisruptTexts through which she encourages teachers to work toward an inclusive ELA curriculum. As Co-Founder and Academic Director at Multicultural Classroom she leads professional development for teachers and creates teaching materials with and for leading literacy organizations. Lorena is also the Chair of NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Textured Teaching by author Lorena Germán is a must read book! 

This secondary professional learning guide will help you:

“In our fight for positive social transformation, we nurture and sustain students’ hearts through the tool of books.”

Learn more and purchase Textured Teaching now at Heinemann.com

For more education resources subscribe to: www.multiculturalclassroom.com

All the way from London, UK! Author Marisa Taylor checked into Our Classroom to discuss Using Bilingual Books to Teach Self-Love & Diversity. She touched upon:

-The personal experiences that inspired her book ´Happy within´
-Her observations of how other countries responding to the concepts of bilingualism and diversity
-Steps monolingual families can implement now to learn a new language and connect with people from other cultures

Marisa Taylor lives in London, UK. Her first book ´Happy within´ has been translated into +15 different languages. The idea behind the bilingual books is to create diverse resources that help encourage children to learn a second language, while celebrating multiculturalism.

Marisa is passionate about learning & teaching languages as it is a key element to connecting with people from other cultures.

To learn more about Marisa and her upcoming books, you can also follow her on IG @lingobabies

This episode is sponsored by Heinemann --- a publisher of professional resources and a provider of educational services for teachers, kindergarten through college.

Textured Teaching by author Lorena Germán is a must read book! 

This secondary professional learning guide will help you:

“In our fight for positive social transformation, we nurture and sustain students’ hearts through the tool of books.”

Learn more and purchase Textured Teaching now at Heinemann.com

#MulticulturalClassroom #OurClassroom #bilingualteachers #bilingualbooks
#booksforblackkids #blackkidsmatter #contraracismo #diversitätinkinderbüchern #gegenrassismus #boybooks #selflovematters #raisingreaders #raisingconfidentkids #happywithin #lingobabies #teachersofinstagram #teachersofinsta #teachersofig #teachersofigau #iteach #teacherpodcast #teacherpodcasts #professionaldevelopment #texturedteaching #education #educhat #tlap #leadlap #teacherlife #teachrgram

It's Women's History Month and fortunately an Extraordinary Latina was the most recent guest .In this episode of Our Classroom we were joined by Isis Ortiz-Belton who is making power moves in the financial services and banking industry.  We discussed Isis':

ISIS ORTIZ-BELTON is a financial services and banking professional with over 12 years of credit risk, corporate finance, and underwriting experience. She is a Vice President, Portfolio Manager at Eastern Bank where she manages a portfolio of commercial banking relationships with a broad array of middle market and security alarm companies. Prior to joining Eastern, Isis was Vice President, Portfolio Manager at Citizen’s Bank independently managing over 30 middle market client relationships in the public and private sectors. She has also held positions at Santander Bank and at John Hancock Financial Services. Her career began in the non-profit sector at ACCION International, now a pioneer in the fields of microfinance and fintech impact investing.  

Isis is an active community leader and diversity, equity and inclusion champion. She’s a strong advocate for the education and financial literacy of minority students and the rights of women, BIPOC and those identifying as LGBTQ+. Notably, Isis is the President for the Boston chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (“ALPFA”), the first and largest Latino professional association serving over 95,000 professional and student members across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. She sits on the Board of Trustees for Phoenix Charter Academy Network and she is a member of the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club Advisory Council.  

Isis holds a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Business Management from Emmanuel College, a Master of Science in Finance from the New England Institute of Business at Cambridge College, and a Master of Business Administration from Bentley University. She’s a recipient of the 2014 McCallum Leadership Scholar Award, a 2018 Latinos for Education Board Fellow, a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 2021 Boston Future Leaders fellow, and a 2021 Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive System-Wide Change (“LEADS”) Lawrence fellow. Most recently, Isis was recognized as a 2021 Latinx Amplifier and co-authored her first book, Extraordinary Latinas.    

Originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Isis lives with her wife in Lawrence, MA.

Follow Isis on LinkedIn or via Twitter @iceychill