Ep. 86: Raising STEMinists

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EQ: What does equity in science education in the Corona Era look like and how might teachers continue to evolve their practices to engage students in a virtual space?

Guest: Chanel Johnson, science educator. Check her bio and interview from  Leading Equity and Interview with Teachers on Fire. 

Of course we had to ask Chanel a little bit about the historic role Georgia is playing in the 2020 elections. However, our main conversation focuses on figuring out what it means to be a STEMinist and how to encourage students of color to see themselves as scientists. Chanel also gives us insight into how importance Science education is in the middle of a pandemic. Lastly, she shares resources and ideas to help teachers intentionally embed culturally responsive teaching practices in a virtual context?

We’re excited to announce a collab with The Nerd Farmer podcast. We’re both going to be reading and recording episodes on the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. Tweet about the book with either #nerdfarmreads or #readlessbasic

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂 YO, BIDEN IS PRESIDENT-ELECT!!!!!!!

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 85: Confronting Barriers to Equity In Our Communities w/ Consultant Taniesha Lyons

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EQ: How has the work of diversity, equity and inclusion changed over time and why is this something organizations are still getting wrong in 2020?

Guest: Taniesha Lyons, community advocate, founder & executive director  of Taniesha Cares LLC whose mission is to empower people and businesses through consulting, resources, advocacy, and diversity equity, and inclusion (DEI) training. 

In this episode Hope and Megan are joined by Taniesha Lyons. They start the episode by talking about the importance of representation in all spaces, especially in education. By having spaces that are run by all white leaders, Cultural Imperialism is more evident and prevalent in that space. The conversation focuses on how organizations can and should include more voices in their organizations in order to create more equitable opportunities and representation or all. During the conversation they discuss cultural imperialism, social services and Covid, feelings around the new term BIPOC, and the trauma of code switching and the negative ramifications of school being a white space on students of color. 

Could you or someone you know benefit from some of the services discussed in the Podcast? You can find more information here:

Champagne and Real Pain:

🥂 Ron Banner - Clover Park Superintendent

🥂 Melanie Morgan - Representative for the 29th District  in the WA State Legislature

🥂 Marcus Young - Bethel School District School Board Member

🥂Larry Seaquist - Running for Pierce County Executive

🥂 T’wina Nobles - Running for 28th District 

🥂 Karen Dhaliwal - Bates Apprenticeship Navigator

🥂 Ben Feldbush - TCC Retention Specialist

🥂 Pastor C. Ivan Johnson - Pastor at Greater Destiny Church

🥂 Grant Twyman - Racial Equity Officer for Clover Park School District

🥂 All those writing personal letters to voters encouraging them to vote

🥂 Those having hard conversations w/ family & loved ones to ensure 45 is gone

🥂 Bea Lumpkin - the 102 year old women who essentially wore a hazmat suit to turn in her ballot

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • If you would like to hire Taniesha Lyons or learn more about what she does  you can reach her at her email: Tanieshacares@gmail.com

Ep. 84: This is Where We're At

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EQ:  How can you, through the Trauma that is 2020, navigate figuring out what you can and can’t control and find the strength and persistence to change the things you can?

In this episode Hope & Megan recap ideas from episode 80 “Back to School Coronavirus Edition” and the predictions we had about returning to school. Now, weeks into the school year it’s apparent no one knows what they’re doing and we’re all barely holding on by a thread. Teachers, students, and families alike are trying to maintain some semblance of sanity with the ever shifting tide of expectations. With basically no leadership from the Federal Government and varied support from local leadership, the stress and trauma from living in the Rona Era continues to escalate. The conversation runs the gamut of topics including why we should/shouldn’t have in-person teaching, how we are trying to focus on what we can control and how we are finding slivers of joy in the midst of a pandemic. 

We hope that educators listening will feel a sense of solidarity and perhaps walk away from this with a few ideas for your own instructional practice. We also hope that for listeners not in education, this conversation shines some light on what is happening. 

Champagne and Real Pain:

🥂 All of the teachers out there that have been showing up the best they can, with all odds against them, and doing the damn thing.

👎🏻 Real Pain to 2020 man… like, why won’t it stop? Also, to the governor of Texas for an egregious block on Texans' right to vote.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Megan: Go outside and get away from screens. Give your brain a break. Do it. You’ll like it. I promise.

  • Hope: Build in some time to escape or do something that brings you joy even if you feel it will put you further behind.

Ep. 83: Kill the Ogre of Post Secondary Education with Katie Wallace

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EQ: What are the unique challenges of BIPOC students in post-secondary education and how can these institutions begin to dismantle their oppressive systems and histories in order to create a more inclusive and accessible community for these students?

Guest: Katie Wallace is an educator living and working in Seattle. She's Korean-American, adopted, and grew up in a multiracial family. After eight years teaching high school Spanish in Central and South Seattle, she transitioned out of the classroom and into higher education. She now leads a paid internship program for undergrads working with nonprofit and public sector organizations. 

Hope and Megan sit down with Katie Wallace to discuss the experience of BIPOC students in Post-Secondary education. As more BIPOC students are enrolling in Post Secondary education, the conversation is shifting to how are Universities creating equity in the experience of these students. The conversation focuses on the retention of students of color, and what the responsibility is of the Universities/Colleges regarding this work.

Resources Referenced:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂Not related to our topic at all, but if you are Christian leaning go listen to Chasing Justice podcast or pick up “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up” 

🥂The Republicans who spoke at the DNC and endorsed Biden despite party politics.

🥂Orientation Leaders at Colleges who are still showing up and serving the first year students

👎🏻Lack of care around face masks and people that are not listening to science and making life more challenging for business owners.

👎🏻People that are still opening schools and are ignoring the science around reopening

👎🏻Covid causing rituals and traditions to look very different and having to experience very real things on a screen

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Katie- Disturbing Your Peace podcast - Created by Katie’s former student

  • Hope- not related to our topic at all, but if you are Christian leaning go listen to Chasing Justice podcast or pick up “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up” 

  • Megan- Find your ballot dropboxes in your area. Request your ballot early. Drop off your ballot directly to a dropbox early. Then, buy a book of stamps.

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Read Less Basic Book Club: The Body is Not an Apology

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Essential Question: How can radical self-love and our relationships with our own bodies change the systems and world around us?

Guests: 

Janice Bridges-- Janice is a Mom of 4 of The Best People in the World and grandma to 4 amazing boys.She lives in Tacoma and loves it. She is retired after working nearly 20 years at Pierce County Juvenile Court.

    • She is also running for Pierce County Sheriff (find out more details on FB)

Christina McDade--Christina is from Gary, Indiana and has been working on behalf of teens most of her professional career. She is currently a high school counselor in Abu Dhabi. And like most of us, has been caught up in diet culture most of her life. She was also a guest on Nerd Farmer Podcast Ep 90 “On Representation & Making Space for Black Women in the Workplace”

Megan Holyoke joins Hope in her first episode as Co-host to discuss Sonya Renee Taylor’s book The Body Is Not An Apology. The episode starts with an overview and conversation about initial thoughts on the book. We then move into defining what Radical Self Love actually is and have a discussion on how it is different from Body Positivity. We have an honest conversation about our own relationships with our bodies, and reflect on how that relationship impacts the people and systems around us.  

List of Resources/Social Medias mentioned:

Learn more about Janice Bridges campaign for Pierce County Sheriff at the Facebook Page Mamzforsheriff

Ep. 81: Getting Comfortable with Discomfort

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EQ: How can educators intentionally make space for challenging and engaging conversations in the classroom, be it virtual, hybrid or in-person?

Guests:

  • Milton Reynold, a San Francisco Bay Area based career educator, author, equity and inclusion consultant and activist. 

  • Stacey Kertsman, a veteran educator and has worked with schools and nonprofits around the country and internationally developing partnership-based programming for students and learners.  

This episode is a continuation of a panel discussion with Milton, Stacey, & Hope “Engaging Conversations Online and Off” about why we should embrace challenging conversations in the classroom and how to facilitate these dialogues. One theme of the episode is how to hold complexity of thoughts and seeming contradictions when pursuing equity and justice in teaching and learning. We are often socialized for avoidance and white teachers are especially adept at this, particularly if the conversations include analysis of race. Another theme is what it takes to  maintain a sense of urgency while also moving with the ebb and flow of the work. Instead of running towards simple solutions, educators need to grow capacity for discomfort and invest time into the process. Milton and Stacey leave us with practical advice for how to engage in the difficult conversations with ourselves, our colleagues, and our students in the new school year. 

Related Reading:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Stacey---get proximate with someone and push your understanding

  • Milton--wrap your head around eugenics and read Eugenic Nation by Alexandra Minna Stern

Ep. 80: Back To School Coronavirus Edition

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EQ:  How can educators continue to do their own racial literacy, while managing COVID trauma and teaching remotely?

In this episode, Megan and Hope discuss a range of topics including  how we’re feeling about the start of the new year and the Wild West of the Covid Era, what’s the difference between emergency remote teaching and actual online learning, how to manage the unknown knowns and known unknowns, AND how to continue to intentional grow our own capacity to be anti-racists and design curriculum accordingly. We also touch on how to create meaningful virtual communities, what are the best practices for student engagement and how do we support students, families, teachers and our communities in this environment.

Resources referenced:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂All the teachers who ARE working hard prepping for the school year

👎🏻Districts who are ignoring COVID reopening guidelines and opening their campuses (such as Georgia Reverses Suspension)

👎🏻 The politicians who’ve shifted to blaming and vilifying teachers when they were praising us back in the Spring.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope & Megan: Read some of the links above, learn about the challenges of reopening schools, and support our communities (families, students, parents, teachers, ERBODY) in this stressful time

Ep. 79: The Role of Doulas in Promoting Racial Justice in Reproductive Health

EQ:  What role can doulas play in promoting racial justice in reproductive healthcare? 

Guest: Vanessa Bussell is the owner of Butterfly Birth. “She is a Student-Midwife, Doula, Community Health Worker, Health Minister, HypnoBirthing® Childbirth Educator and breastfeeding peer counselor in Tacoma,WA. Vanessa mainly works with underrepresented communities.”

The birth experience is something many of us experience first hand or in supporting someone we love. We’ve discussed some of the topics surrounding motherhoods, advocacy and justice in previous episodes:  “Perspective on Childbirth, Motherhood, & Advocacy"with Tobbi Tommaney and "Being a Boob Defender" with Leah Ford.

In this episode, Vanessa shares her story of how she was called to be a doula, the creation of Butterfly Birth, anti-doula bias rampant in hospitals, how to advocate for your birth plan and what it’s like being a black doula. She explains the impact of systems of white supremacy and racism that create birth trauma. To educate yourself, check out the links and resources below. 

Related Links:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂 Black Women Birthing Justice, Birthing Beautiful Communities 

🥂 Birth for the People

👎🏻Doctors and medical professionals who don’t listen

👎🏻We don't’ have to understand something to respect it

Do Your Fudging Homework:

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Ep. 78: Defund School Resource Officers

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EQ: To what extent do schools need SROs? 

Guest: Megan Holyoke, Lincoln HS Teacher and shit-talker extraordinaire. Previous guest on IWL Episode 29 “Striking While Female”

We begin this episode by voicing our current thoughts on the #defundthepolice and #abolishthepolice moments. Listeners can rest assured that this discussion is not about any one officer but about systems. American policing is rooted in slavery and is now an integral mechanism in our public schools. To be clear, calling for a removal of police from schools is an explicit disruption to the school to prison pipeline. We are asking that the money spent on district partnerships with local police be used to fund social services such as counselors, nurses, social workers, etc. We continue to circle around the notion that white people continue to make excuses and uphold oppressive systems such as policing because they are afraid.

List of Resources Referenced:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂Restorative Justice Work

🥂The Advancement Project

🥂Minneapolis Public Schools Terminates Contract with Police Department

👎🏻White people who refuse to understand George Floyd protests

👎🏻People so set in their fear they can’t hear or listen to others

Do  Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: Rewatch 13th documentary

  • Hope: Read some of the links above; listen or read Stamped from the Beginning

  • Megan: Before you go outward, go inward to examine why you are so defensive

Ep. 77: Racial Healing Is A Crucial Component for Achieving Equity

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EQ: Why is racial healing a crucial component for achieving equity in our schools and communities?

Guest: Tovi Scruggs-Hussein is “a visionary educator, author, and award-winning urban high school principal with over 25 years of emotional intelligence training.” Her work on self-transformation and  healing through courageous leadership development can be found at Ticiess. Highlights from our discussion include recognizing that educators can be smart and dedicated but still be racist (and uphold racist infrastructure in schools).  We further discuss how to make long term change, and grow our compassion for colleagues and students. We cannot serve our students unless we are more balanced in our own personal lives and truly understand our racial and cultural identities. In education, we often ignore that both teachers and students experience educational trauma. It’s only through acknowledgement of this trauma and pursuit of healing that we can achieve equity for all students. 

Additional resources:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: Do some additional research about radical empathy!

  • Hope:  Go read about Racial Healing Allies--download the ebook & sign up for an e-course

  • Tovi: Please pace yourself (white folks!) and do not burn out.

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 76: How a Slice of Poundcake Can Change A Community

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EQ: How are small business owners coping with the coronavirus pandemic and adapting in this new environment?

Guest: Cassandra Williams--pastry chef, baker, creator She is the founding CEO and lead baker at Love by the Slice.

Cassandra shares the story of how she fell in love with baking and Love by Slice was birthed from poundcake.  Through unexpected surprises and challenges, Cassandra focuses on the blessings she received through this business and how she is able to give back to the community. The unexpected opportunity brought on by Covid-19 to create Revive Washington. We don’t just talk about baking but dig into current events and why we hope that when the cameras shut off, people will still be in the game, working towards social and racial justice. 

Follow, support and donate to Revive Washington via Facebook

Other Black Businesses to support:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Cassandra: Ask our selves and write it down on paper—what are our biases (as it relates to race, etc). Identify two or three actions that will help us overcome those biases.

  • Hope: Support black/women/minority owned business

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 75: Keep Calm & Grow Plants

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Note to listeners: This episode was recorded the end of May, prior to George Floyd’s murder and ensuing civil unrest. We’ve added an additional 6minutes at the end of this episode for Kat to update us on her business and how her own thinking and learning has changed since that time.

EQ: How are small business owners coping with the coronavirus pandemic and why do we need plants now more than ever? 

Guest: Katherine Raz is the owner of  The Fernseed, a retail plant shop based in Tacoma, Washington that is now expanding its e-commerce offerings and opening a second location to service floral. You can follow The Fernseed on Facebook.

In this episode, Kat shares her passion for plants and her desire to be a thoughtful, white, female business owner. We discuss things such as gentrification, advice for other small business owners and the impact of COVID-19 on our business and communities. 

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: gardening and cottage core Tiktok 

  • Hope: check out The Fernseed and buy plants!

  • Katherine: replace your Amazon spending with someone local such as King’s Books

    Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

    Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club.

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Ep. 74: How A Pandemic & Civil Unrest Impacts Mental Health: Perspective from A Social Psychologist

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Notes to listeners:  This episode was recorded early June and was intended to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on our mental health and the initial responses to the protests against police brutality. There are many key issues we did not cover, but we hope you will find some solace in this episode.

EQ: What impact is the Coronavirus pandemic having on mental health and how are those impacts uniquely burdensome for female identified folx and people of color?

Guest: Michelle Ceynar

The pandemic is highlighting inequities in our society in new ways and exacerbating anxiety and depression around the world. This experience is much like adolescent ups and downs. The inability to recover from all the “fires” makes it difficult to ever fully recover. People of color are not only left out of conversations about mental health but are most impacted because of institutional racism and marginalization.

Related Links:

Champagne & Real Pain

🥂Legal Defense Funds

🥂Businesses coming out in support of BLM saying

🥂Conservative “middle” people who are waking up to the situation in America

🥂The Humble grocery store employee

👎🏻Murderers of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery

👎🏻White people who refuse to understand George Floyd protests 

👎🏻Police officers who aren’t refusing to go to work or standing up to their crew

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: Michelle’s work. Our episode cast a really broad net today, so don’t forget to learn more about social psychology theory and read Michelle’s new research. Psychology Today-  The Psychology of Rioting: the Language of the Unheard 

  • Michelle: Do internal HW--start thinking about why you’re responding to “riots” the way you’re responding.

  • Doug: don’t post fake images—do you homework on anything you post

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 73: The Police & Passive White Folks Are the Problem

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EQ: How do we make sense of the world in which we presently live? No, really - how? We need ideas. 

In this episode, Annie and Hope move through a range of thinking about current events in the US.

Some key points:

  1. For some white people this is their “awakening moment” what many experienced in 2012 with Trayvon Martin’s murder, in 2014 Michael Brown’s murder, in 2016 with Philando Castile  & Alton Sterling, 2017  Freddie Gray murder 

  2. We need white people to fight white supremacy (especially the “milk toast”, conservative types0

  3. Murder isn’t political. Stop making it that. Neither is Coronavirus for that matter

  4. To what extent is the white response to George Floyd’s murder performative?

  5. White people need to move from actors, to allyship, to being accomplices (see White Accomplices)

  6. We need the political will to address police brutality

  7. It is worth the risk to join the protests and stand up for Black lives

  8. We need to reimagine policing (maybe even abolish the police)

Learn More:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂white people who are doing the work and putting their bodies on the line; people of color who’ve continued to lead change 

👎🏻 The police!

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 72: Liberate & Chill--Embracing a Mindset of Possibility

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EQ: To what extent should we still strive to be anti-racist in a world on fire?

Guests: 

  • Kass Minor (she/her/hers) is an inclusive educator who is deeply involved in local, inquiry-based teacher research and school community development. Most recently, along with her partner and husband, Cornelius Minor, she has established The Minor Collective. You can follow Kass on Twitter @MsKass1

  • shea martin (they/them/theirs) previous guest on episode 69 “Working Toward Liberation”. You can find them on Twitter at @sheathescholar.”

Concretely learning about ways to “work towards liberation” in our classrooms, schools, and communities, is part of the necessary work for anti-racist educators. In the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted every aspect of our lives, many educators are looking for a “place to call home.” In this episode, we interview two of the four co-founders of the collective Liberate and Chill “an immersion online learning experience for anti-racists educators.” Kass and shea walk us through the inception and development of this new collaboration.  As we consider this current place and time, we are looking towards the future not as a “return to normal” but a “turn to better.” We’re reminded albeit contradictory, liberation looks like both  joy and rest. 

Learn more about Liberate and Chill by following them on Twitter and Instagram @liberateNchill 

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 71: Where's the Discourse on My Students? An Interview on Special Education with Monise Seward

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EQ: How do we create  systems that support ALL learners with a specific focus on supporting students with disabilities? 

Guest: Monise Seward is a 6th grade math and science special education teacher in Georgia, a student advocate, an IEP consultant, and the author of the blog (re)Birth of a Teacher. 

Monise begins by sharing her story of what brought her into education and why she chose to work in the world of special education. Even in 2020, special education is viewed as a “place” rather than services.  Misconceptions of the purpose of the services has led to few changes in the system over the years. The structure of our schools is stagnant---teachers aren’t receiving the supports and ongoing training they need to provide fully services to their students. Simultaneously, parents and students need to be trained on advocacy. Monise calls out K-12 education as a system which is ignoring elements of the law and refusing to provide the services students need and deserve. As an IEP consultant, Monise developed a resource “A Parents’ Guide to Being in the Driver’s Seat”. Additionally, listeners should read her ideas on her blog including, Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities During a School Shut down and Virtual Learning Cannot Support the Needs of Students with IEPs 

If you want to learn more about Special Education:

Sources for Understanding Impact of COVID-19:

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂 Special education teachers working under impossible conditions to renew their IEPs this year. For those who don’t know, IEPs have to be renewed yearly and involve families in meetings, which has been made exceptionally difficult by the pandemic. Special education is a right and this work is not optional. 

🥂Gen Ed teachers who reach out to Monise asking specific questions so they can be a better teacher  to their students!

🥂Karen Pelander (at Clover Park HS) and Roberta Whitesell (Lincoln HS)

👎🏻 All the educators who claim to want social justice classrooms but don’t actively pursue ways to make their curriculum/instruction better for special education students

👎🏻 Don’t ring a bell every time you are doing something you’re supposed to do. Just do it.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: No homework! 

  • Monise: Reach out ot SpEd co-teachers. Ask your partner, “what are we going to do different next year?” Consider them your colleague and partner together.

  • Annie: Educate yourself on issues in special education

Find Monise on Twitter @MoniseLSeward

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for #readlessbasic book club

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Ep. 70: On Creating a “Beloved Community” with Kelly Wickham Hurst

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Note to listeners: This episode was recorded prior to the corona outbreak in the US so you will not hear any discussion of its impact on this particular topic.

EQ: How can we better understand the double-taxation facing black educators and students in US schools?

Guest: Kelly Wickham Hurst is the founder and CEO of Being Black at School and author of blog Mocha Momma

Recorded in late February, Kelly joined us for an interview while returning home from a conference. In this episode, Kelly recounts her experiences as a woman of color and her journey through education--first as a student and then eventually as a teacher,  principal, and district leader. She delves into the double-taxation on Black educators and students and the trauma experienced in public schools. Her current work with Being Black at School sets an example for the rest of us about what it means to develop policies that center the priorities and needs of Black students. “You have to be in right relationships with your white folks and white folks you need to be reconciled with your people of color.”

Advice for those trying to mitigate the double-taxation on Black educators and students:

  • Do our own work

  • Collect each other (take responsibility)

  • Avoid deficits thinking in the way you discuss students & families

Champagne 🥂 & Real Pain 👎🏻

🥂 Monise Seward, shea martin

🥂All the amazing Black women who’ve taken the time to come on the show and help us #belessbasic

👎🏻 Betsy DeVos

👎🏻 Those in positions of power actively causing harm

Do Your Fudging HW:

You can find Kelly on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for #readlessbasic book club

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for #readlessbasic book club

Ep. 69: Working Toward Liberation--An Interview with shea martin

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Note to listeners: This episode was recorded prior to the corona outbreak in the US so you will not hear any discussion of its impact on this particular topic.

EQ: What does it look like to center anti-racist work and marginalized populations within a k-12 classroom?

Guest: shea martin, “lit teacher, researcher, and community organizer who dreams and works toward liberation with teachers and students across the country.” They also play the jazz vibraphone.

We begin our interview by defining the importance of brunch and setting parameters for a “brunch window” and the necessity of planning for a nap. Then, shea shares experiences growing up in the DC metro area where many teachers of color encouraged academic excellence and called out the hidden potential. However, shea identifies significant experiences that push them out of the classroom and reiterated the fact that many educators often unconsciously project bias without considering its impact on students. Throughout our discussion we circle back to several key ideas but specifically that “identity is elastic and fluid.” If we internalize this idea and adjust our curriculum to reflect this, we are more likely to actually achieve our goal of inclusive and affirming classrooms. shea leaves us with some practical advice: 

  • If you are curating a more “diverse” classroom library, be sure to include books that counter the narrative of oppression of people of color. Your books should also reflect the brilliance of black and brown people.

  • You will not be able to teach or represent every perspective, but you can be transparent with your students about who or what is being left out (and why).

  • If you’re trying to do transformative work (such as disrupting white supremacy) you must be prepared. Students need routines and parameters for safe discussions. You, the teacher, need to be extra prepared.

  • Consider the ways you can incorporate LGBTQ authors, characters, and stories.

  • Go read Juliet Takes A Breath. 

Check out shea’s writing and other interviews:

Champagne 🥂 & Real Pain 👎🏻

🥂 Val Brown & Clear the Air Crew; Disrupt Text Ladies; Cody Miller & Josh Thompson, Liz Kleinrock, Lizzie Fortin

🥂 POC at BCCS crew and all our AMAZING STUDENTS; Queering the Classroom 

👎🏻 Well-meaning white people who don’t want to do the work; people that don’t wash their hands!  

👎🏻 Educators who consistently get names and pronouns wrong.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Annie: Read 1 Teacher in 10 by Kevin Jennings. I think I’ve recommended this before, but it’s really helpful for understanding the experiences of queer educators. 

  • Hope: Read the post from Crawling Out of the Classroom “If I can’t opt my kid out of the homophobia she will experience, you shouldn’t be able to opt your kid out of reading books with LGBTQ characters.”

  • shea: Go out and listen to Brittany Howard’s album Jamie

You can find shea on twitter at @sheathescholar or through email: writeshea@gmail.com

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Ep. 68: Throw Out the White Canon #DisruptText Part II w/ Lorena German

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Note to listeners: This episode was recorded in mid-February as a part II to episode 65 “Throw Out the White Cannon #DisruptTexts

Shortly after this recording, Lorena German was featured in The New York Times “Bringing A New Vibe to the Classroom.”

EQ: What does it mean to teach in multicultural and multilingual classrooms and communities in 2020?

Guest: Lorena German, classroom educator and Chair of the National Council of English Teacher’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English and co-founder of #DisruptTexts

In this episode, Lorena explains the origins of The Multicultural Classroom and its mission: “we aim to address the national issue of effectively teaching in multicultural and multi-lingual classrooms and communities. We believe that a culturally sustaining pedagogy can be practiced through targeted professional development.” Lorena also digs into her work on the NCTE Committee Against Racism & Bias and how it’s helped her advance her vision of effective and compassionate teaching in multicultural/multilingual classrooms. She talks about her role in co-founding #DisruptTexts with Julia Torres and Tricia Ebarvia and future projects she’s looking forward to. Read her post “Disrupting Shakespeare”.

Champagne 🥂 & Real Pain 👎🏻

🥂 Ibram X. Kendi

🥂 The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

🥂 Black educators on Twitter (i.e. Kelly Wickham Hurst)

👎🏻 Revisionist history and people beating the drum about white history

Do Your Fudging HW:

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