Episode 68: Interview with Cristobal Saldana

Welcome to the Counter Narrative Podcast, a show designed to change the way we talk, and think, about education. By sharing stories of successes and triumphs, we aim to challenge the dominant narrative that often negatively portrays our disenfranchised populations.

I’m your host, Charles Williams. An urban educator for more than 15 years, a current school principal in Chicago, an educational consultant, an equity advocate, and the co-host of Inside The Principal’s Office.

Let’s get started.

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In this episode, I chat with Dr. Cristóbal T. Saldaña who serves as an assistant principal at Los Fresnos High School in deep south Texas. This is his twentieth year in education. He is passionate about student success and mentoring budding leaders. He recently launched the Building Leaders Podcast and is the author of One Step Edu, his blog.

During our conversation, we talked about encouraging students to notice the voices that are missing, to explore the reason behind the silence, and how those practices can, and do, impact them today. Cris pointed out that many educators are afraid to teach these other perspectives because they do not want to get in trouble or get it wrong but suggests that developing a safe space not only for your students but with your administrator will foster these conversations. He also reminds us that we should continue to harvest the power of connections that we have built through technology and allow our students to connect with others from around the world.

Want to know more? Let’s go.

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