Until the Bell Rings

Question: What is the most important lesson a teacher can teach you? (Hint: It's not comma placement)

Answer: Listen in today's episode find out, and to learn why it's so important to engage in healthy communication with young people.

Today, I share a poem that is my personal favorite. Full disclosure, I wrote it a while ago. In fact, it was my first and I have yet to top it. 

In this episode, I discuss how I got started writing poetry, and what happened when my creative endeavors intersected with my professional endeavors - when teacher was formally introduced to writer.

In the beginning, the relationship was tenuous, at best. 

Welcome back! (Or for the first time) Today, I've got a little poetry and a little discussion about loyalty - what it is and what is ISN'T - and little background about how I came to learn that. 

Spoiler alert: It was a hard lesson to learn. 

Isn't it the worst feeling, when you know what you're talking about, but the person (or people) you're talking to just treat you like you're crazy? This happens when your self-doubt and lack of confidence, make it easier for the other parties involved to get away with shady behavior. In today's episode, I discuss my experience with being gaslighted at my school, and how it impacted my life. 

In today's episode I discuss the questionable hiring practices at my school. Specifically, the seeming belief that, if there is a leadership position available, the best fit is some white guy. I also get into the general treatment of black faculty members...the words "unappreciated" and "undervalued" come to mind. 

This is a short poem about working through some things, about "glowing" up. 

In today's episode I talk about how the black experience, past and present, is purposely left out of school curriculum, and how that ultimately impacts the future. At my school, in particular, it seems like every time a teacher tries to make strides in correcting the issue, their efforts are intentionally thwarted. It's very frustrating, but more than that, it's disheartening. 

What is a safe environment? And how do schools create a safe environment for ALL students? In today's episode I discuss the impact of not addressing the racial biases that teachers reveal through off-handed comments, and even, direct commentary. In some cases the effect is minimal, but sometimes, the effect can be quite harmful. 

Why is it so easy to ignore red flags? Today I'm going to talk about the things that I overlooked when I joined the faculty at my school. I'm also going to discuss accountability. Every relationship - personal and professional - is made up of two responsible parties who contribute to its success of failure. 

I'm back for Season 2! And I'm still on my mission to bridge the gap between teachers and learners by acknowledging that we are all both...through REAL conversations. I have found that students who attend more diverse schools, really want, and need, to talk about race dynamics. Ironically, it seems diverse schools avoid that topic the most. for fear of saying the wrong the thing. I get it, but we can't operate based on fear - the future is depending on our courage. So I will be sharing the stories of my own experience as black woman working at a private school. Today, I'm getting into the harsh realities of speaking the truth about race.