When KIPP started pushing me out of the school system, that's when I lost my interest in school. It wasn't until I got to college that I could begin to understand myself and the system. That's when the spark came back.

“Expectations were so incredibly high and people reached those

expectations. They may not have liked it in the moment, there may have been

some struggle, but that’s part of the process”

In today’s episode I continue my conversation with University of Texas student and Mexican American and Latino studies major Edwin Sanchez. As a former KIPP student, Edwin shares his memories of KIPP’s brand of discipline and its effect on his higher education aspirations. Today, we cover reserving judgement of individuals within the KIPP organization, how schools ‘rank’ students learning potential and allocate resources, and Edwin’s path from expulsion to collegiate success.

The Knowledge is Power Program network of charter schools, more commonly known as KIPP receives its fair share of praise and criticism for its methods and intentions. Today I begin a conversation with former KIPP student, Edwin Sanchez on these two sides of the same coin. We talk about his experiences with KIPP discipline, the school industrial complex, and the wisdom obtained after his journey from an expulsion from KIPP into studying social justice at the University of Texas.

In the last episode, Rafael and I shared our similar yet vastly different experiences as boys of color in private schools, college, and some plights facing some of the most inspirational teachers.

We now pick up where we left off, on the lack of humanity our education system approaches students, teachers, and educators in general.

In Teachers Lounging inaugural episode, I sit down with prolific non-profit educator Rafael Trujillo to discuss our experiences in private schools, after school programing, and the lack of humanity in which teachers and students are considered.

Episode three brings the conversation on music and fine arts education to a close. My guest, Brian Pavloff and I tackle the shortcomings of what society deems to be a successful life, using academic content as a springboard to teach students about empathy, and finding the positives in how some schools are approaching arts education.

In the second part of a conversation on music and fine arts education, Brian Pavloff and I discuss giving students space for self expression and the life lessons provided by Kanye West. But first, we begin with a basic question, what is the point of having our young people go to school?

In the inaugural episode, educator Brian Pavloff and I begin a conversation on the state of music education in American schools.  We touch on the importance of high expectations in arts classrooms, state testing and the hurt in the label "non-academic subject," and use a memorable high school orchestra and jazz teacher as a springboard into the substitute teacher phenomenon.