Ep. 146: Outdoor Education & Urban Schools

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EQ: How and why  do outdoor education experiences in urban school change the relationships students have with science? 

Guests: Jen Holm & Natalie Rezka, Lincoln High School Science Educators; previously guests on IWL episode

Natalie and Jen have recently applied for AND received a $31,000 grant as part of the OSPI Outdoor Education for All Program! The grant is going to go towards providing Lincoln High School students with outdoor education opportunities that will help to supplement and enhance the learning that is taking place in their classrooms. They share about the barriers facing students in high needs communities and how outdoor education can really shift a young person’s mind.

If you’d like to reach out and support the work at LHS, please contact Natalie Rezka nreszka@tacoma.k12.wa.us

Related Articles:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 145: How Long Form Journalism Can Shape a Community

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Essential Question: What is the role of race and gender in shaping the ways that journalists convey particular stories or pursue "truth" pertaining to charged events?

Guests: 

You may know our guests from other Channel 253 shows or from hearing their voices as cohost of The Walk Home Podcast @NPR station @knkxfm.

Most recently, Kari was a panelist in the NF Live: Adult Civics Happy Hour

In this episode we focus on the evolution of journalism and what it means to sit at the intersection of race and gender in this profession. Mayowa and Kari are candid about their personal experiences and give us insight into their experience creating, recording, and shaping The Walk Home podcast.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Kari: Media literacy–know who owns your local paper and who is shaping the stories; it’s key to our democracy

  • Mayowa: Donate to your local public radio station

  • Hope: If you haven’t, listen to “The Walk Home” (ditto)

Ep. 144: The Year of Charcuterie

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Essential Question: To what extent is 2023 the year of charcuterie? 

In this episode Hope sticks to her beliefs that charcuterie boards are white supremacy, but she concedes that if you take out the whiteness from the experience, then maybe they are okay after all. Listen and laugh at this silly new year episode. 

A Few Related Links:

Cultures that have things on boards/equivalents

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • When life hands you lemons, slice them up and add them to your charcuterie board!

Ep. 143: Goals, Red Cards & Other Superlatives

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EQ: In the game of life, who scored an epic goal and who deserves to be ejected from the game in 2022? 

This final episode of 2022 we give a nod to the World Cup by recounting the year’s triumphs and tribulations in soccer terms. Special thanks to all the listeners who contributed their ideas for who to card, who earned the Golden Boot award, and who was the player of the year.

PS—forgive us for any misused terms. We tried.

Ep. 142: Developing Intercultural Intelligence Part II

We’re back for a Part II of understanding cultural competency–as a reminder our EQ is…

EQ: How might centering cultural competency in our schools/workplace change & improve the health of our communities?

Guest: Shelley Reinhart, Knowledge Workx,  a company specializing in certifying practitioners in inter-cultural  intelligence. 

After our conversation we decided we needed a Part II–to clarify strengths and limitations of each worldview, unpack the implications of the 3 worldviews Shelly laid out and dig more into the intersection of these world views with such systemic things as race, class, and gender.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 141: Developing Intercultural Intelligence Part I

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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:

Ep. 140: On Making Space for Trauma & Grief in DEI Work

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EQ: What is the role of brain science and psychology in creating more inclusive organizations? 

Guest: Noor Awad, a “brain science and psychology” student, a corporate diversity and inclusion specialist, and the founder of Homegrown Palestine @homegrownpalestine

This conversation took surprising turns as we discussed grief, trauma, creating inclusive spaces and how listening to the stories of others is a chance for healing and community building. We hope you will find some encouragement and comfort in this episode.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Noor: to understand generational trauma check out Dr. Gabor Mate

  • Megan: Do the work—get therapy

Ep. 139: No, It's Not Too Late to Talk About Halloween

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EQ: To what extent is the world trying to steal our hallowed peace at this time of year?  

Today’s episode a mix of fun and shade. We bring back one of our favorite segments, Timeless or Terrible. Surprisingly, we’ve never discussed Halloween on the show so we decided to tackle this wacky, short season. We talk about how folks should be intentional about having a fun costume that isn’t race-ish or glorifying a serial killer. We also discuss some local news such as a recent transrights protest in Tacoma and the Paul Pelosi attack.

Related Links:

Do Your Fudging  Homework:

  • Hope: keep an eye out for bots & help orgs/people you love; promote good work on itunes, etc.

  • Megan: outshout the haters; post positives

Ep. 138: If We Want Equity, We Have to Put It in Contracts

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EQ: To what extent would re-writing seniority clauses in teacher union contracts promote retention of educators of color and better serve our students?

In this episode of IWL, we are joined by Chris Stewart, the Chief Executive Officer of brightbeam, to discuss the recent change in the Minneapolis Teacher Union contracts. Chris was part of the first campaign to protect Black teachers (and other teachers of color) back in the early 2000s when he was on the school board. We discuss what this current provision in the contract means, including implications for other school districts. More importantly, we learn key contextual information behind this provision and how Black educators are fighting for their right to stay and teach the diverse body of students in the Minneapolis school district. 

To learn about Chris’ work check out his website Citizen Stewart and follow him on Twitter @citizenstewart 

Related Links:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope/Megan: Follow @citizenstewart for some thought provoking tweets

  • Chris:

    • Support the local NAACP chapter fighting for Black educators

    • Write to the union president Greta Callahan and tell her you support the protection for educators of color

    • Find a group of friends to learn more about the situation facing Minneapolis educators of color. Read together, discuss and consider how it relates to your local context.

Ep. 137: Hiking the Wonderland Trail--Turning Your Bucket List into Real Goals

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EQ: Why do white women sign up for rigorous outdoor activities to eat/pray/love/wild it up? 

In this episode, Megan shares her recent accomplishment, hiking The Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile jaunt around Mount Rainier. She opens up about the factors that led to this adventure, how she prepared for this rigorous hike and the highlights from her journey. Additionally, Hope and Megan highlight the importance of turning teams into actually achievable goals. There will be no perfect time. Do something you want to do–something that will bring you joy. Do it now and don’t wait.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Hope: Shout out to all the GCC ASCD leaders 

  • Megan: Get outside. Stop putting off some dream. Just make it a goal and take the steps to do it.

Ep. 136: Nerd Farm Crossover: WTF Did I Just Watch

There’s no essential question here, folks. But you will love this episode. Nate Bowling, Hope Teague-Bowling, and Megan Holyoke join forces to talk about Running with the Devil: the Wild World of John McAffee, a new Netflix documentary film and Untold: the Girlfriend that Didn’t Exist, a series about the catfishing of Manti Te’o, then linebacker at Notre Dame.

Going Further

Ep. 135: Kent Educators on Strike

EQ: Why are Kent Educators on strike?

Guests: 

This episode was recorded on Sept 4, seven school days into the Kent School District Strike. Nathan and Byron lay out the reasons for the strike, including the union demands (which frankly are quite reasonable). Principal demands “KEA’s principal demands are: increased support for student mental health; reduced class sizes and caseloads for educators working with students receiving special education services; and a competitive salary with neighboring districts.” We discuss why Kent didn’t go on strike in 2018 when so many other districts resorted to withholding their labor. We compare the current strike to the 2009 resistance. Finally, learn how you can support KEA educators.

Related Sources:

What Can You Do To Support:

  • Please amplify the message of the educators! 

  • Email the school board and superintendent!

Ep. 134: Back to Life, Back to Reality

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EQ: What concerns, questions, ideas, or fears do you have for the upcoming school year?

In this episode of IWL, Hope and Megan recount the last few years in education. From ”we think the pandemic is over but wait, surprise it’s not” to ”we’re back to normal” to ”Pandemic is over now…maybe, we think.” They’ both excited and nervous about the return to school this year. There are a wide range of contextual factors shaping the upcoming school year. Their discussion centered on how teachers might “protect your peace” this school year. 

Previous Back to School Episodes:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Ep. 133: Tiktok Ya Don't Stop

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EQ: To what extent would we miss out on trivial nonsense if we didn’t have Tiktok Summers?

In this episode, Hope and Megan catch up with the O.G. white lady, Annie Jansen. After an update of her journey to being an electrician, they take on the ins and outs of Tiktok. We’re sure you’ll learn a little about who to follow, how to prevent echo chambers, and some of the weird nonsense on the tok.

Referenced in the show:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Expand your Tiktok bubble

Ep. 132: Spin the Bottle Elections

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EQ: Do the results coming in from the primary elections inform what is to come in November or are politics in the United States a cluster and nothing makes sense any more ever? And what, if anything, can we learn from what happened?

Aug 2  was the primary elections, gearing up for the Mid-Term elections in November. Some interesting, disheartening, and hopeful things took place. Today, Hope and Megan focus on what happened through the lens of why and how we can use that to propel us forward into November in order to see the results that we want.

Related Links:

Your Fudging Homework:

  • Find 1-2 people who aren’t registered or don’t usually vote—bring them along

Ep. 131: How to Cope with Living Through History

EQ: How do you best teach (learn)  about the past in order to serve the present while at the same time understanding the present in terms of the past?

Today’s special guest is the one and only Nate Bowling from Nerd Farm Podcast.

In today’s episode, Hope and Nate discuss their recent trip to Munich and the takeaways from their experience. First, despite being years away from WWII and the effort to convert specific Third Reich sites, it is still on a journey to reconcile its role as the center of Naziism AND its identity as a metropolitan/thriving city. The conversation shifts to parallels in United States history, what makes our story here unique, and why we often can’t acknowledge the  good/bad of our past at the same time.

Related Links

Ep. 130: A Book Challenge in our Backyard

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EQ: How has anti-LGBTQ sentiment seeped in local school boards?

Hope is joined by guest Gavin Downing, a teacher-library in the Kent School district who recently experience a very intense effort by some community members to ban a young adult book, Jack of Hearts and Other Parts by L.C. Rosen. In this episode, we dig into the timeline of events, discuss the recent rise in book bans and how we can all be more proactive in our support of students’ rights to read diverse perspectives and experiences.

Related Links:

Do Your Fudging HW:

  • We can’t do this alone–reach out to SD, let them know/policies for district; shore them up BEFORE the challenge comes in; school board; public library

  • How folks can support you/prevent the banning of books in KSD or in their local districts

Ep. 129: Wheel of Nonsense

EQ: How do we  manage life’s wheel of nonsense?  

After a bit of a hiatus we’re happy to welcome Megan back to the show for today’s episode. It is a hodgepodge of topics chosen by the “wheel of nonsense”. We felt there was so much going on yet with summer looming we should temper the serious with the nonsensical. Enjoy!

Related sources:

Ep. 128: An Interview w/ The Writing Hippo aka Author Jesse Q. Sutanto

This is our third podcast in our authors of color series. Today, we are continuing to answer our essential question.

EQ: How has the commitment to authenticity and intersectionality by  authors of color changed the writing landscape?

Jesse Q Sutanto is the author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University. The film rights to her women’s fiction, Dial A for Aunties came out last year and was purchased by Netflix. Jesse lives in Indonesia with her husband, her two daughters, and her ridiculously large extended family, many of whom live just down the road.

Sutanto shares how her experiences growing up in urban places like Jakarta and Singapore shape your own experiences/your writing including several pivotal moments that shaped her identity as a writer. We dig into her passion to disrupt stereotypes about female protagonists and Asian representation in literature. We also discuss how her work spans a range of target audience and why she’s exploring different genres. 

For more Sutanto Conversations check out:

Check out her other writing:

Ep. 127: On the Alito Leak and the Threat to Roe

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