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

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Finding Your Blind Spots Reflection Part 4 of 4 In this final segment in which me and my team review Hedreich Nichols' book, "Finding Your Blind Spots," we close out with chapters 7 & 8. In these last chapters, she talks about representation and avoiding missteps. Join me as I reflect on how diversity shows up in our spaces and how I once shared a lesson with my students exploring how we are often more alike than we are different as well as ensuring that our attempts for inclusion and belonging do not stem from biased perspectives.

Sofia Gonzalez is a nationally recognized educator of the year, nonprofit leader for organization Project 214, podcast host, and education activist from the Chicagoland area. She is a sought-after public speaker regarding the state of education who is known for her cutting-edge presentations and dynamic illustrations with a passion that’s infectious. A High School teacher, 15-year veteran, teacher leader, and alum in a variety of spaces like Fulbright, Latinos for Education, Urban Leaders Fellowship, and currently School Ambassador fellow with the US Department of Education, Sofia's passion and energy towards education equity remains a leading voice for the 21st-century classroom and beyond.

"Finding Your Blind Spots": A Series Part 3 of 4 In this segment, I reflect on chapters 5 and 6.

In this episode, I chat with Barbara Gruener, a passionate and connected educator embarking on her 40th year in this field and who is blessed to have grown alongside thousands of children and adults of all ages and stages. This nationally-recognized and sought-after speaker and coach holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and two MS degrees from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, but more importantly, she gets to hold and dynamically shape the hearts of the people whom she has the delight to teach, mentor, coach and love. Barbara truly thrives on connecting by heart and unwrapping the present as she works with intention to help school stakeholders and leaders create a climate of acceptance, belonging, compassion and love. She is the author of two Mom’s Choice Gold Award-winning books and the proud mom to three amazing adult children. Barbara grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Wisconsin, but today she and her husband John call Friendswood, Texas, home. During our conversation, we talked about the role that choice plays in education. Barbara points out that choice is often discussed but done so through the lens of student voice. And while this is important, she acknowledges, it is also limiting. Barbara shared how providing choice communicates trust, a necessary foundation for building strong, healthy relationships. By telling students that we trust their ability to make good choices and that we are available to guide them through inevitable poor choices, we are building relationships. Barbara also suggested that providing choice improves the mental health for our students thereby enhancing our approaches to SEL in our schools. When students feel that they do not have options, their stress levels rise and this leads to a basic physiological response - fight, flight, or freeze. Yes, student choice is important in our classes but it's so much more than amplifying voice.  Ready to hear more? Let’s go.

Reflections on "Finding Your Blindspots" Part 2 of 4 This week I am reflecting on chapters 3 and 4 of Hedreich Nichols' book, "Finding Your Blindspots," and examine how the seemingly innocent labels that we use in everyday conversation can have serious impacts on our perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and actions towards others. In fact, they can exacerbate the otherness that exists for marginalized groups. I also explore how bias shapes our understanding of the world, both current and past, and how a simple question can encourage the consideration of other perspectives providing a more comprehensive and holistic narrative.

In this episode, I chat with Melody McAllister, a wife, mother of five, educator, and author. She and her family relocated to Anchorage, Alaska from the Dallas, Texas area in 2019.  McAllister is the 2017 Garland NAACP Educator of the Year and author of the “I’m Sorry Story”, a children's book about taking responsibility for mistakes and making sincere apologies. She is a classroom teacher, the community facilitator for several, large educational communities, and is a consultant for edtech companies and small business owners looking to enhance their social media presence. McAllister has spoken at ISTE and ASTE about equity issues in education, and writes about her life journey in her blog HeGaveMeAMelody.com She also guest blogs regularly at alicekeeler.com, edumatchpublishing.com, and spacesedu.com.  McAllister has been dubbed “Stream Queen” for her regular LIVE streaming broadcasts. You can watch and follow her LIVE streams on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube where she has a weekly book chat with other authors. She also hosts the Growth Over Grades Podcast sponsored by SpacesEDU.  During our conversation, we talked about the importance of restorative spaces. Melody points out that, as humans, we make mistakes and will often end up harming the relationships we have built with others. It is vital for us to learn how to navigate those spaces and engage in intentional work to rebuild connections. This is a challenging process and it is our job, as educators, to guide our students through this learning. What Melody does not condone, however, are forced apologies and other similar approaches that rob students of their accountability.  Ready to hear more? Let’s go.  Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mjmcalliwrites Website: https://www.mjmcalliwrites.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melodymcallister Socials: https://twitter.com/mjmcalliwrites or https://twitter.com/MelodyMcAllist7 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmcalliwrites/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-mcallister-47695875/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelodyMcAllister Certified Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mjmcalliwrites

My staff have started to read "Finding Your Blindspots" by Hedreich Nichols and we are diving deep into this practical text as we engage in reflective dialogue around our own biases. This series will aim to capture my own perspectives as we navigate the eight principles outlined in this Solution Tree best-seller. These first two chapters focused on examining your own biases and confronting the inevitable shame and guilt felt during this process. Hedreich suggests using a tool such as the Harvard Implicit Bias Assessment and sitting with the results regardless of how surprising they may be. The second chapter focuses on confronting that guilt and shame without allowing it to drive you into a safe space or become confrontational - both practices that prevent the roots of the bias from being addressed. Be sure to tune in again on September 29th for a recap of the next two chapters. In the meantime, be sure to pick your own copy so that you can follow along this journey of self-discovery.

In this episode, I chat with Mike Rutherford, the founder and CEO of gotLearning. He has been a teacher, instructional technology coach, school district EdTech director, founder of the K12 group at Blackboard, Vice President of Business Development at Just ASK Publications & Professional Development, all before returning to the classroom as a 6th grade humanities teacher at International School Bangkok in Thailand where he built version 1 of gotLearning in his classroom. During our conversation, we talked about the need for streamlining feedback to our students. In an age where information is consistently streaming in, we, as educators, need to be able to replicate that in our classrooms. After all, if companies can build systems to improve individual experiences, why can’t we do similar work in the K12 space? Mike points out that such shifts in practice not only benefit the students but also improve educator experiences as well. He compared teaching to running 5 to 6 hour long meetings with 30 clients everyday. Even the best CEO would burnout under those circumstances.  Ready to hear how an entrepreneur is shifting the eduworld? Let’s go!

In this insightful podcast episode, I delve into a profound perspective on the tradition of "The Crucible" – as a tool wielded by marginalized students to navigate the complexities of their educational experiences and gauge the potential of their relationships with teachers. Join me as I explore how this unique ritual takes on new meaning when seen through the lens of empowerment and advocacy. "The Crucible" has historically been viewed as a platform for intellectual challenge, where students test their educators' convictions. However, when marginalized students step into this arena, it becomes an instrument of self-discovery, representation, and equity. In this episode, we embark on a journey to understand how this ritual becomes a transformative force for those who often find themselves on the periphery of traditional educational narratives.