There are countless times as an educator where you have to communicate your vision to an outsider. What comes to mind when you read this? Are you a teacher communicating with a parent? A principal making your case to district leaders? A literacy coach presenting to major stakeholders in your school community?

I recently went to Exchange 24, a conference in DC with all the movers and shakers, hosted by the XQ Institute and the Carnegie Foundation. What stuck out to me the most from this conference was a presentation by Dr. Frank Luntz, about the “words to use” and “words to lose” when talking about education.

Here’s what you’re going to learn today:

(0:00) Class in session

(4:35) The differences between Democrats and Republicans when describing education issues

(12:40) “Words to use” and “words to lose” as as an educator/principal/education advocate/advocate for your school community

(16:00) The middle school matriculation problem in America

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Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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The secret to teaching is… There is no secret? That’s a common cliche these days that I disagree with. Secrets are real. But I think the main idea of this cliche is that secrets often don’t unlock the superpower you think they will. Sometimes the secret is that teaching is a lot harder than you think it will be going into it. It’s harder, more complicated, and it thrives in the gray areas of life.

This episode believes that in looking back, we can go forward. In understanding our origins, our humanity more than we can possibly conceive, it will help us understand the art of teaching.

Check the conversation that sparked these reflections, episode 4 with Vladimir Puvača.

(0:00) Class in session

(3:00) The things I wish someone told me earlier as an educator

(12:40) My origin story as an educator. How did I get into this?

(19:30) Something you should know about your students’ winter break

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

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Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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What percentage of your student body claims they are in a good place, but deep down, they feel like they can’t share their true feelings? My TED Talk answers this question - using data from the school site where I began my teaching career - and talks about a time when I went to get a gun. If I had pulled the trigger, I would have thrown my entire life away...

(0:00) Class in session; my history with the TED organization

(3:00) Videos about masks, masculinity, teaching, and education that I never post online

(6:50) TED Talk at TEDx Marin

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

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Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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We’ve all had that amazing lesson plan that we were so excited to teach. And when we finally got to teach it, it fell apart within the first 30 seconds. So what went wrong? I'm riding solo today, with my individual takeaways from a conversation with educator, administrator, headmaster, director… Dr. Ray Swann. Check out my conversation with this veteran educator in episode 3.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

(0:00) Class in session

(2:10) Takeaway 1 - a story about letting students know you have their back, even when it means disagreeing with another educator

(12:10) Takeaway 2 - how teachers make metaphorical waves as they move about the classroom

(14:55) Takeaway 3 - reconnecting to the soul of teaching before you start your winter break

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

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Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Teachers, tell me if this sounds familiar: When you first start teaching, it’s survival mode. Next thing you know you’re barking orders, becoming the disciplinarian. It’s natural, instinctual, understandable. But in order to avoid the trap we all fall for, especially with this new generation of students, we need to do what’s counterintuitive - what some would call “wasting units and falling behind on the curriculum.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Check out episode 2

(0:00) Class in session

(2:55) Learning meditation practices in India and bringing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to high schoolers in Oakland, CA - and how to get successful buy-in

(9:20) Building academic stamina as a math teacher

(14:20) Getting interdisciplinary with social-emotional learning and math, and bringing the community into the curriculum

The Masks, Emotions, and Math Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtA5Pg6wUc 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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All it took was three months… I haven’t been able to shake the story of freshman Jose Zamora, of Santa Clara High School. What happened to him is exactly what this podcast seeks to prevent.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

(0:00) Class in session.

(2:50) Some background on Jose Zamora and statistics on bullying and suicide.

(11:00) Ashanti’s perspective on bullying as an educator

(11:30) Important things to ask yourself as a teacher in order to prevent bullying

(15:30) Teachers need to demonstrate to students that they are aware of the undercurrent of behaviors so that students know they can trust a teacher to have their back

(22:30) What the statistics about bullying and suicide say about our male students

(25:00) Bullying is strictly about power

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

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Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

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This is the story of a man who sacrificed two-thirds of his annual salary to become a teacher… You might be the ONLY male educator at your school site, quite an isolating experience. So in order to keep the classroom as invigorating as you imagined it would be when you first answered the call to teach, we need to share stories and reconnect with our why. We present to you, Vladimir Puvača. Listen to Vladimir’s story and apply these takeaways to your class tomorrow:

(0:00) Class in session

(4:00) Vladimir introduces himself and what he learned about setting boundaries as a first-year high school teacher and how to get buy-in from students as a leader

(11:00) Closing your classroom door between periods

(15:00) Ashanti reflects on all the mistakes he’s made as an educator

(17:20) Ashanti and Vladimir share their “teacher persona” masks

(20:00) Waiting tables at Chili’s after teaching all day, and what happens when your faculty shows up

(23:00) Why Vladimir became a teacher, what he left behind at his corporate job, and why psychology and therapy are very important to him

(31:00) Vladimir fired himself instead of following his CEO’s mandate to fire 100 workers. This moment led him to teaching.

(34:00) Vladimir’s salary in his corporate job was 3 times more than his new job as an educator. He’s still an educator today :) How did he not go back?

(37:45) Finding time to do more for students and the community outside of the classroom, and being motivated by and gifted with empathy and the ability to understand student’s pain

(41:55) Vladimir’s message to youth on uprising, revolution, defiance, and finding oneself

Connect with Vladimir Puvača: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladimirpuvaca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-puvaca/ 

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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This is essential listening, especially for first-year educators. To be honest, the first year will have you questioning your career choices. So this episode is packed with advice and tips to keep you connected with your male students in ways that make teaching sustainable. In Ray’s words, BEFORE you do anything, tend to the soil, the garden that is your classroom. AND tend to your own personal garden - your personal well-being. Build trust and safety through gameplay.

In this episode, we cover

(0:00) Class in session

(2:45) Get to know Ray and his teacher mask

(11:00) Being liked as a teacher is the wrong pursuit

(13:00) Early teacher milestones we all hit, and the teacher persona - how students read you

(15:00) Providing self-love as educators

(18:00) Year one burnout; safety is more important than entertainment. Paolo Freire’s power over vs. power with

(21:00) Culture, climate, and belonging - setting the weather in the classroom and how personal wellness/self-care affects this

(29:00) Safety and trust through games, before any curriculum

(33:00) The soul of teaching

(36:00) Smartphones in schools, kids forgetting how to read, and practicing curiosity and getting intel from students

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Connect with Ray Swann:

Website: http://www.positivemasculinity.org.au

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrayswann/ 

Theater Company: www.identitytheatre.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-swann-6673531b/?originalSubdomain=au

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Here’s a dirty little secret: Every educator, even the master teachers, are struggling to keep their students attentive and engaged. And research shows our male students are paying the heaviest price for it.

In the era of the smartphone, how do we combat decreased attention spans? Design.

In this episode, we cover

(0:00) Class in session

(1:50) Get to know Jerome’s teacher mask

(13:40) Phone addiction and dopamine

(17:25) Relationships, and restorative justice/restorative practices in schools

(25:30) Design, architecture, spaces, and reimagining classrooms

(34:00) Academic Stamina/Should we ban phone usage in schools and classrooms?

(46:15) Helicopter parents

(50:30) Techniques Jerome uses with Black and brown male students in the classroom that can be applied to all students

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Connect with Jerome Hunter:

https://www.jeromeleehunter.com/

https://www.instagram.com/seatownstorycollective/

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Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 

Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male. As a male at your school site, it gets lonely. And just think about the ramifications of this gender gap for your male students - walking the halls daily, acting out, and experiencing disproportionate levels of discipline - male students who just want to feel understood. Sound familiar?

This is a show for male educators - male educators who want to be more understood by their community and want to create emotionally safe classrooms and schools for the next generation of male students.

Listeners leave this show equipped with tangible, actionable lesson plans and techniques to engage their male students; nourished by stories and experiences from male teachers and educators at their school sites; and fired up to improve students’ learning and well-being with the sense that, as a male educator, they are not alone.

As US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted, the mental health of our young people is the “crisis of our time.” As more and more of our young boys fill this void with extreme thoughts and ideas - ideas from the likes of Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, etc. - we, as male educators, are uniquely positioned to stop this dangerous trajectory our students are on. Because real men teach.

Join our community of listeners. Join our community, Advocates for Young Men: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345

Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform 

Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/ 

Email us questions and comments at [email protected] 

---

Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

---

Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support 

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Connect with Ever Forward Club:

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