The Liberated Educator

Just a phone call away, Dee and Ken simply get together to have real conversations that just need to be recorded. This episode is just that, two brothers chopping it up for some good CPT with one another, this time covering:

C: Consumption - Do we blame the producer or the consumer

P: Playing Both Sides - the difficult yet typical straddle in education

T: Teaching To Think - Are you taking the Blue or Red pill

Music: All can be found and licensed at Soundstripe.com (Use the code TLEP20 for 10% off a yearly or monthly subscription) 

It's the #Bonnerville episode that we have been trying to get done for a while! Ken and Dee sit down with Michael Bonner and mix it this CPT convo to address:

C: Community - The desperate need for it.

P: Power - That needs to be created.

T: Transformation - What we all need to go through

Michael Bonner is A teacher infusing innovation into education by focusing on SEL and critical thinking. Teacher - @ronclarkacademy  International Speaker - @premierespeakers

Music: The Musical Hermit

Ladies and gentle, right out the gate please welcome back Fernando Chavez for Part 2, this time while Dee is in the booth as well. Together with Ken, the fellas have a really engaging CPT convo over: 

C: Competition - Exposing the unfair competition in education and calling our the setup that it is. 

P: Policy - Not being conducive for those who will speak up against the inequities and that's why they'll never be...

T: Teacher of the Year - It's truly an unfair competition and not meant to truly identify those who start from way behind the line in a staggered start to the 100-yard dash.

But remember this work towards liberation is a marathon, not a sprint.

Fernando Chavez, MA, NBCT

Born in Los Angeles, California, and growing up in what is considered a low-income/at-risk community section of the San Fernando Valley, overcoming systematic obstacles has been at the forefront of Fernando’s empowerment. Being a child of undocumented immigrants, Fernando used education and a vehicle to access, equity, and empowerment. After graduating from UCLA with a BA in Sociology, he decided to pursue his passion which was (and continues to be) empowering, inspiring, and motivating traditionally marginalized youth. He received a credential in Exceptional Needs and a MA in Multicultural/Multilingual Education from California State University, Northridge. Concurrently with his masters, he became a National Board Certified Teacher. As a teacher of Diverse Learners (Special Education and ESL), Fernando has empowered and motivated scores of students to see their true potential. He has taken his experiences academically and professionally to develop students of diverse backgrounds, support his colleagues, and champion positive change both locally and nationally.  His keynote centered around understanding the contemporary diverse learner. He speaks to challenges students face and pushes the thinking of educators by having them reflect on their implicit bias and pedagogical approach. 

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @uclafern

Music: The Musical Hermit 

In celebration of #WomenHistoryMonth, Victoria Thompson comes back to the podcast to provide a rich touch to the CPT conversation around -

C: Cross Stitching - Who does that? Or, what hobbies do you have that allow you to escape for sanity sake without having to turn it into a side hustle. 

P: Passing - What are you really doing with the time you have and does it have value in taking the best care of yourself

T: Trauma Porn - Knowing when enough is enough and setting those boundaries to what is not acceptable for your self-preservation in triggering moments.

As you know, You can find more information about Victoria and connect with her resources at Welcome to VictoriaTheTech including her phenomenal blog and STEM Cooking Resources

Music - The Musica Hermit 

Thank you for listening to The Liberated Educator Podcast with Dee Lanier and Ken Shelton. In this episode, the phenomenal Nadia Moshtagh Razi joins the CTP conversation covering

C: Curriculum Design - Taking a look at having to design an African American Literature course from scratch while critiquing Literary Canon that is absent of black voices and perspectives.

P: Power - Acknowledging that teachers have not been trained adequately to understand the history of racism is a challenge to who has the power.

T: Technology - The intentional use of Nadia's Hyperdocs, with the support of the HyperDoc girls (Hey Ladies), to create authentic learning experiences around black culture in literature.

Nadia Moshtagh Razi teaches Freshman English, African American Literature, and AVID at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, California. She is a SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) leader, a level 2 Google Certified Educator, and a blended learning and HyperDoc expert. She has led initiatives throughout her district promoting equitable practices for students of color and LGBTQ+ students and advised the BSU and GSA student clubs. She is a Teach Plus California Senior Policy Fellow, publishing research and legislation on culturally-affirming school environments and teacher diversity. She earned a BA in English Literature and an MEd in Teaching & Learning from the University of California, San Diego.

Twitter- @_MsRazi
Website- NadiaRazi.com

Hyperdoc Girls  - 
Lisa Highfill (@lhighfill) 
Kelly Hilton (@kellyihilton)
Kelly Hilton (@kellyihilton)

Music - The Musica Hermit 

Special Guest James F. Ford joins Ken and Dee for this CPT conversation motivated by the article, "Will North Carolina Continue to Whitewash History for its Student?" released on January 28.  Listen in as they discuss:

C: Curriculum -  “Our job here is not to rescue America from constructive critique or to project optimism.” - James Ford You can't teach history without history being told, the good and the bad. 

P: Politics - In the absence of good faith actors in education, it's critical that we understand Ed Policy and the power that comes with that knowledge. 

T: Truth - Regardless if we are seeing the same thing on the same channel in the same room, people will still find a way to deny the truth in order to protect their history of lies. And this is especially true in education. 
 

This week, special guest host, Fernando Chavez, steps into the booth to fill in for Dee while on vacation. Ken and Fernando dive into a complex CPT convo covering...

C: Cheating - Is the game fair when it comes to calling foul when using references and resources in the same way as condemning privilege as an advantage when it comes to education?

P: Productivity -

Trading - How does the latest hoarding of wealth by hedge funds present itself as a perverse idea while we still have homelessness in America? 

That and more on Ep 20 on The Liberated Educator Podcast.

Fernando Chavez, MA, NBCT

Born in Los Angeles, California, and growing up in what is considered a low-income/at-risk community section of the San Fernando Valley, overcoming systematic obstacles has been at the forefront of Fernando’s empowerment. Being a child of undocumented immigrants, Fernando used education and a vehicle to access, equity, and empowerment. After graduating from UCLA with a BA in Sociology, he decided to pursue his passion which was (and continues to be) empowering, inspiring, and motivating traditionally marginalized youth. He received a credential in Exceptional Needs and a MA in Multicultural/Multilingual Education from California State University, Northridge. Concurrently with his masters, he became a National Board Certified Teacher. As a teacher of Diverse Learners (Special Education and ESL), Fernando has empowered and motivated scores of students to see their true potential. He has taken his experiences academically and professionally to develop students of diverse backgrounds, support his colleagues, and champion positive change both locally and nationally.  His keynote centered around understanding the contemporary diverse learner. He speaks to challenges students face and pushes the thinking of educators by having them reflect on their implicit bias and pedagogical approach. 

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @uclafern

Special guest Rohiatou Siby blesses the studio for this CPT conversation covering

C - Celebrating Black Excellence (It starts with a C.): Ken, Dee, and Rohiatou discuss the importance of ensuring Black History month is more than 28 days of observance, but a launchpad into recognizing and celebrating black excellence throughout the year.

P - Pantera Negra: Dee reveals his feels toward the celebration of black excellence in The Black Panther while viewing it in a foreign country. Is it the same?

T - Tubmans: Will the government truly change the $20 to depict the great Harriett Tubman. What will you do with your first Tubman?


Rohiatou (@Siby_Rohiatou ) is a life-long learner, educator, artist, and mentor committed to centering the health and well-being of traditionally marginalized learners. Her work in education spans over a decade as a performing arts educator and instructional coach where she taught and created programming in both traditional school settings and renowned performing arts institutions. After receiving her B.F.A in Theater Arts/Dance from her beloved Howard University, Rohiatou was selected to participate in The Lincoln Center Scholars’ inaugural cohort. Since obtaining her Masters in Educational Leadership, Rohiatou has been hard at work, with a group of brilliant women, designing a school for Black and Brown girls, while working as a blended learning coach with LINC.  

For this week's CPT, Ken and Dee spill what's in their coffee with some celebration of the peace on Twitter then quickly jump into a conversation around

C - Credibility: Do you partner with folks based on the idea of taking advantage of their status or are you amplifying their voice? 

P - Pirating: Is there damage done when taking from the works of educators and passing it as your own. How does that impact the voices of the marginalized? 

T - TpT: Who's the blame the system or the people... Well, you just have to listen for this one. 

Special guest Val Brown graces the mic as Ken and Dee chop it up over the idea of a...

C: Culture or Civil War - the time that we are in, overly exposed by Jan6 by why aren't we recognizing this by denying the opportunity to talk about what's happening.

P: Privilege - The exposure to the fact that it is Privilege that affords people the escape clause to not have to talk about difficult conversations.

T:  Terrorism - Is it right to equate acts of politically motivated means to attack or coercion to something that many people cannot see themselves associated with?

How can all of this lead to our Collective Liberation?

Val Brown is a professional development facilitator for a national non-profit. Her role primarily includes designing, facilitating, and evaluating anti-bias professional development for educators across the country.

In December 2016, Val founded #ClearTheAir.  #ClearTheAir is a body of educators who believe that community, learning, and dialogue are essential to personal and professional growth. Val believes education is a vehicle for social change and encourages educators to engage in public discourse about critical topics because it allows them to learn with and from others.

For 14 years prior to joining her current organization, Val worked in the public K-12 education and higher education sector as a teacher, instructional coach, district administrator, and professional learning specialist. Her other professional interests include instructional coaching, teacher leadership, and educator pathways.

Val received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Florida and holds an M.Ed. from Florida Atlantic University and an M.A. from the University of Central Florida in Multicultural Education and Education Leadership, respectively. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education at the University of Florida. Support from the good folks at the Center for Teaching Quality and #EduColor were influential in her finding her voice.

She is also a wife and mother. You can read about her family’s antics on Twitter.