The Counter Narrative: Changing the Way We Talk (and think) About Education

Resiliency is often used to describe strong individuals ... those who push through the toughest of obstacles and emerge victorious. For many, it has become a badge that is worn with honor - a symbolic representation that they were able to overcome.  But what if resiliency isn't always necessary? What if, resiliency is the necessary byproduct of functioning in a dysfunctional world? In this episode, I explore this concept as it relates to our students and their families and question whether or not the resiliency they demonstrate should be looked upon in inspiration or if it is an excuse used to justify the ongoing perpetration of oppressive and unjust systems. 

In this episode I chat with three phenomenal guests. T.J. Vari, Connie Hamilton, and Joseph Jones have experience as building and district school leaders. They have authored or co-authored nine books, including their most recent publication with Corwin Press, 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders. T.J. Vari is the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools and District Operations in the Appoquinimink School District in Delaware. He’s also a co-author on 5 books for school leaders, including two Corwin books: Passionate Leadership and 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders. You can find his blogs, podcasts, and other work at theschoolhouse302.com. Connie Hamilton served the field of education as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and district leader. She is the author or co-author of four books including 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders published by Corwin Press. Find out more about Connie’s work at www.conniehamilton.net Joseph Jones is the Superintendent of Schools in the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District. He is the co-author on 5 books for school leaders, including two Corwin books: Passionate Leadership and 7 Mindshifts for School Leaders. Find out more about Joe’s work at theschoolhouse302.com During our conversation, we discussed the reality that often is leading an organization - that we are firefighters. So often we are consumed with the day to day issues that we are unable to recognize and address the root causes that continue to feed into them. It is this reason that these amazing leaders identified 7 mindshifts to help us approach education from a different perspective. Using examples from businesses and organizations from various markets, they challenge leaders to shift their mindsets so that they can improve their outcomes.

America is many things and none of those things are mutually exclusive. Why then, do we often apply that same principal to those who respond differently to patriotic symbolism? In this episode, I explore some of the history behind our nation's anthem and why I struggle with supporting it considering the language it contains. Does that make me Un-American or less patriotic? 

In this episode, I chat with Dan Wolfe, an educational leader who has served in Pasco County, Florida for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held roles as a teacher, instructional coach and administrator. He is currently an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. Dan was selected as Pasco County’s District Teacher of the Year in the 2011-2012 school year and he is a part of the district’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee that recently established Pre-K through Grade 12 SEL standards. For the past two years Dan has written a blog called Becoming The Change which focuses on a different quote each day and how we can best apply it towards becoming the change through our own moral compass and the five areas in SEL. He has recently channeled this passion for writing into a new book, “Becoming the Change - Five Essential Elements to Being Your Best Self.” During his spare time Dan enjoys spending his time reading, listening to podcasts, and going to Disney with his wife and daughter. During our conversation, we discuss the importance of SEL in education - something that was embraced during the pandemic but has seemingly fallen to the wayside as we once again become solely focused on academic outcomes. Dan stresses that these two aspects are not and should not be viewed as separate or even conflicting entities but rather as the interdependent components of our students’ success. We explore the idea that our systems avoid SEL because it is not easily quantifiable and when we are able to do so then the programs we design do not offer the flexibility to address the nuances. Dan even asks if SEL has the clout to draw advocates so that it is truly deemed important. Regardless, we encourage our listeners to continue building community around these practices so that we will see eventual shifts in our field. Ready to hear more? Let’s go. -- Vote for my session, "The Problem with Color Blindness," to be included in SXSW EDU. Click here to vote. 

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. -- Vote for my session, "The Problem with Color Blindness," to be included in SXSW EDU. Click here to vote.   -- We use some phrases in educational conversations so often that they have become almost cliche. Why they are still important to maximizing learning for our students, I fear that they have been reduced to little more than lip service. This is evident as those same conversations, while recognizing the need for such practices, also relies heavily on Discourse I conversation in which the students, their families, and even society is blamed for the lack of progress that we are making. My challenge to those who partake in such discussions is to consider shifting to Discourse II and examining the roles that we play in both the problems and the solutions. Using our recent Back 2 School Bash, I point out how we are attempting to actually move beyond conversation in order to support not just our students but their families and the surrounding community as well. I recognize that no approach will be fool proof but doing something is better than doing nothing.  -- I want to thank you for listening to The Counter Narrative Podcast. If you like what you are hearing, please be sure to like, subscribe, and of course share it with friends and family. I’d also love to hear your thoughts about the show so please leave a comment or two as well. I’m not sure what platform you’re using but the show can be found on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and plenty of other platforms. If the show isn’t on your preferred site, let me know and I’ll be sure to get it up and running. This podcast is also featured on SchoolRubric.com, where you can find educational articles, videos, and interviews with educators from around the globe. Be sure to connect with me and other listeners by following the show on Twitter at @theCNpodcast and joining the show’s Facebook Group.

In this episode, I chat with Vernon Wright, an entrepreneur, speaker, life coach, consultant, and leader. He has over 18 years of experience in education working in large, urban school districts and has previously served in the roles of teacher, teacher leader, campus leadership team member, and district-level support. Vernon has shared his experiences as a speaker numerous times over the years at the campus, district, regional, state levels, and beyond garnering acclaim and accolades from recognized industry leaders and colleagues. He has even impacted educators on a global scale with his message reaching people from afar in collaboration with Microsoft EDU and CUE Inc. Vernon has brought his unique style and combination of insight, storytelling, experience, humor, authenticity, and epiphanies to audiences for years.  He knows that real change begins when we first start with authenticity and altruism within ourselves and then commit to creating a vision for future impact. Vernon has an established presence on Twitter and other social media (@TheWrightLeader across all platforms), and he unabashedly stands as a voice for the people with zero apologies (ZeroApologyZone.com). You can connect with Vernon’s previous speaking and podcast appearances at TheWrightSpeaker.com where you can get a first-hand look at his style. He is committed to a life of inspiring and elevating others. He does this with a relentless focus on informing minds and touching hearts around the globe. During our conversation, Vernon inspires us with a number of gems so be ready to get your notebooks ready. If you’re in the car, listen, take some mental notes, and then come on back. For example, we discussed the importance of stepping outside of our comfort zones and sharing the knowledge, skills, and experiences that we have with our colleagues. While something may be common knowledge for you, it just could be someone else’s breakthrough. We jumped into leadership and the importance of inspiring your people. After all, how can we expect great results if they are not galvanized to do great things? We even touched on trauma and recognized that just because we may find ourselves broken, there is no need for us to remain so. See … lots of nuggets in this episode. Ready to hear them in their entirety and get fired up by this amazing educational leader? Let’s go!

What happens when you are torn between leaving a company and serving your community? Listen as I share my decision to walk away after 10 years of working at the same company. 

In this episode, I chat with Jed Stefanowicz, a Digital Learning Coach in Walpole, Massachusetts who provides job-embedded professional development and instructional coaching for academic technology. Through conferences, workshops, and coaching, Jed aims to engage and build staff/student digital learning capacity, keeping the focus on practice over product. As a 25 year elementary educator, speaker, blogger, and current Massachusetts Teach Plus Policy Fellow, Jed shares his passion for effective tech integration to transform teaching and learning, creating engaging and equitable digital learning environments and experiences that activate, innovate, and motivate digital learning. He is the Author of Take AIM at Digital Learning: Activate, Innovate, Motivate. Be sure to check out this MassCUE level 4 educator’s blog and his band, Little Jed and the Phat Daddies. During our conversation, we addressed some of the myths that have surfaced in education during the pandemic. Will tech replace teaching? How much learning loss have students experienced? We acknowledge that educators are in the process of rediscovering a job that they once loved and the challenges surrounding that journey. To assist with that, Jed points out the need for building a culture that encourages the development of combustible classrooms … yes combustible. We even talk about not only thinking inside and outside of the proverbial box but how we can also rebuild and recycle it. Ready to learn more from this tech guru who can solve a Rubik's cube? Let’s go! Order his book Take AIM At Digital Learning Read his blog

What is your story? Have you shared it? What is a lesson that you learned? Have you shared it? What we often consider normal just may be someone else's breakthrough. It is our duty to put out this information so that we can continue improving our field. 

In this episode, I chat with Rabia Khokar, an elementary teacher in Toronto and an education and equity consultant at Rabia Teaches. She is also a PhD student at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education. Her research interests include equitable education, curriculum, and children’s literature. Rabia is passionate about ensuring schools are inclusive spaces where all students with their multiple and intersectional identities are reflected, represented, included and seen through an asset based lens. She is the recepient of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario’s 2021 Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award and the 2022 Professional Learning and Curriculum Development Award.  Rabia enjoys sharing her teaching and learning on her twitter platform @Rabia_Khokhar1 and her website www.rabiakhokhar.com. During our conversation, we talk about the contrast between lived experiences and expected realities. Oftentimes we, especially marginalized populations, are forced to comply with preconceived notions of who we are and can face harsh backlash when we push back against those prejudices. Singular stories do not always capture the entirety of our existence and yet they continue to persist because of their presence within so much of the media that is consumed. What if, instead of relying on these portrayals of those who are different from us, we spent time building affinity across differences? What if we developed spaces not only to amplify our voices but those of others who are sharing similar experiences? Ready to hear more from this powerful educator and influencer? Let’s go.