Ep. 141: Developing Intercultural Intelligence Part I

Joining us today is Shelley Reinhart, an intercultural intelligence practitioner with Knowledge Workx, a company that certifies practitioners in intercultural  intelligence. 

In this episode we discuss why it’s important to change how we think about culture–that we can have active roles in shaping culture. Megan and Hope learn foundational elements about the three major worldviews present in society: innocence vs. guilt, honor vs. shame, and power vs. fear. We explore implications for how these worldviews can influence relationships and community building our classrooms and workplaces. Reach out to Shelley on Twitter or LinkedIn

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Shelley: 1) Check out the Three Colors of Worldview; 2) Consider your primary preference & it’s impact in your life

• Hope: Danau Tau “Growing Up in Transit”

• Megan: Ditto on the worldviews. Reflect on where you feel celebrated in your identity

Ep. 52: You're Not Innovating If You're Not Solving Problems

***NOTE TO LISTENERS: We recorded this episode at the start of summer. Apologies for anything that feels dated.

EQ: How can the ed tech industry work with schools, teachers, and within its own ranks to create equity?

Guest: Holly Morris is an educational technology innovator whose work over the last 10 years has focused on facilitating the creation of engaging learning environments at every point on the spectrum: Pre-K to higher ed. She studied law at Berkeley and holds an MA in Education Policy from the University of Washington. 

Holly explains the meaning of ed tech - technology solutions that help schools on the back end (administrative tasks, payroll, etc.) and the front end (teacher, student, and classroom tools). She shares her experience with Global Voice - a tech platform to help all the stakeholders in the ELL system - and equity work within the tech sector, including racial and gender inclusion. Holly also drops some knowledge about how innovative educational technologies are funded, including through private grants and philanthropy (it’s expensive to fail!). She makes projections for the future of ed tech and emphasizes the importance of developing technology that serves users and their specific needs within schools. 

Champagne and Real Pain:

• Champagne - we want to raise a glass/ pour one out for...

  • All the educators who are in the middle of their summer break. We know you won’t slow down - you’re probably at Target or at school and on Teachers Pay Teachers right, don’t lie - but it’s summer. Cheers!

  • Holly - open schools (Charter Schools Commission)

• Real Pain - we want to call one out for

  • Summer day camps that don’t let campers go inside when it’s 90+ degrees outside. Give those kids some shade! Like actual shade!

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Google search “assistive tech in education” and check out some of the amazing things people are creating to make learning more accessible for people with disabilities.

• Hope: Global Voice website

• Holly: check out IDEO popularized Design Thinking; Arizona State University Service Blue printing

Ep. 37: Let’s All Be Really Healthy...Let’s Also Eat the Sheet Cake

Our EQ: What is diet culture, why is it so insidious, and how is it related to white privilege and the patriarchy?

Sponsor: Talking About Your Body Weight

Guest: Stephanie Skaggs, high school Humanities educator from Tacoma and woman of thiccness. She’s a third generation Tacoman and has a BA and Master’s in Teaching from Western Washington University.

This episode is inspired by the yearly conversation about “wellness” (aka diet and weight loss) that creeps up around the holidays. Topics include:

• Our history of dieting, including the heritability of diet culture (we’re looking at you, moms and grandmas). Cabbage soup, French Women Don’t Get Fat, Atkins. The WORKS.

• Diet trends - see this handy graph.

• The relationship between wellness and wealth (and thinness as a status symbol).

• The coded and secret language women use to talk about their bodies.

• The changing conversation around obesity, including shifting definitions of health.

• Stephanie’s extremely compelling primary source document - 1972 edition of The Joy of Sex and particularly the section entitled “Problems,” that is both fat-shaming and racist.

• Double standards about male and female bodies and how they’re treated (Stephanie brings some insight about growing up with brothers, including how wonderful and supportive her family was. Hope talks about growing up with sisters). We figure out that even in supportive homes, there is intense pressure from society.

• Sara Upson, doctor and registered dietitian. She has a blog called My Signature Nutrition and a post called Diet Culture 101 that is incredibly informative. She says:

  • “Diet culture is a society that focuses on and values weight, shape, and size over health and well-being. Variations of diet culture also include rigid eating patterns that on the surface are in the name of health, but in reality are about weight shape or size. Diet culture is really tricky because as we have learned that diets don’t work, they (diet culture) have transformed their message to say that they are all about health. Their definition of health though, is one that is synonymous with weight- that when you lose weight (by any means necessary) then you will be healthier. By restricting your eating and eliminating food groups you will feel better and be happier. This isn’t reality. The reality is- people do crazy, unhealthy, even dangerous diet behaviors in the name of health to lose weight. That isn’t health.”

• How people equate thinness with happiness and use food to protect from trauma (read Roxanne Gay’s Hunger).

• The crossover between diet culture and multi-level marketing and diet culture in schools.

• Working with youth and modeling self-care for them in the classroom (including avoiding negative self-talk and body talk).

• Taking apart the toxic crap:

  • The Anti-Diet Movement - comes in different forms on the internet, but the basic idea is to stop dieting and accept your body.

  • Focusing on goals that aren’t related to weight loss, but are for your health - like daily walks with the intention of clearing your head, not racking up steps or torching calories.

  • Studying diet culture and learn how to avoid its pitfalls. Check yourself when you’re talking about it.

  • Being intentional about body positivity and avoiding negative language. Give more genuine compliments.

• Queer culture - outside the patriarchal male gaze?

Guilty Favesies:

• Annie: Riverdale - delicious trash. Body positive actors on the show!

• Hope: reheated leftover coffee with sugar free hot cocoa mix.

• Stephanie: following body-positive Instagram accounts (gabifresh! Nabela Noor!)

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Read an article on the Frisky called “Girl Talk: I’m Sick of Women Talking About Weight” by Wendy Stokes. The author talks about those social situations in which women reinforce negative talk about weight with each other. The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams.

• Hope: a super awesome book about body types - Body Drama by Nancy Amanda

• Stephanie: Roxanne Gay - articles and books. She’s great.

Ep 27: Finding Joy and Giving Love: An Interview with Musician Stephanie Johnson

EQ: What’s awesome/challenging about being a women of color in the music industries?

Guest: Stephanie Anne Johnson of Tacoma (season 5 of The Voice). Born and raised in Tacoma. From a military family, Stephanie is a musician, performer and educator!

Ignore the star-struck awkwardness of the hosts during this interview with the amazing Stephanie Johnson. The way Stephanie talks about music, love, and relationships will have you reaching for your tissue box. Telling her “Tacoma Story”, Stephanie reminds listeners that each of us has a story that is uniquely our own and it is up to us to define and create these stories.

Related Links:

• PLU Late Knight Show: Check out this interview w/ Stephanie
• Rain City Rock Camp
• The Queen Aretha Franklin “Natural Woman”

Guilty Favsies:

• Hope--Expensive Vinegars
• Annie--Swedish fish
• Stephanie--the Kardashians

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Stephanie - Buy music directly from the artist; pick up a book and READ
• Annie - Go to the Hilltop Street Fair
• Hope - Check out Stephanie’s music on CD Baby