Our Classroom

Every lesson teaches something. The question is: What are students learning beyond the standards? In this episode of Our Classroom , Lorena Germán sits down with educator and school leader Suzanne Adinolfi to explore the hidden curriculum—the unspoken messages students receive about identity, belonging, voice, and power. Together, they discuss why meaningful learning extends beyond academic s...

What if some of the most important lessons about belonging happen outside the classroom? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán sits down with educator, school social worker, author, and parent Jalpa Vaidya Patel to discuss how schools and families can intentionally create spaces where children feel seen, valued, and connected. Drawing from her work helping transform recess into a cultu...

What does meaningful school change actually look like? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Lucy Canzoneri-Golden, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Coral Reef Montessori Academy Charter School , to discuss what happens when a school commits to culture, belonging, and student-centered learning over the long haul. Rather than treating equity and inclusion as isolated ini...

What if picture books were some of the most powerful tools available to educators—not just for teaching reading, but for helping students understand themselves? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán sits down with literacy consultant and author Sarah Cordova to discuss the role picture books can play in shaping student identity, developing writers, and creating more inclusive classroom...

Libraries shouldn't be a luxury. In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on a social media post from an educator who challenged the reality that many students still attend schools without fully functioning libraries. What happens when we say literacy matters but fail to provide access to books? This episode explores: - Why libraries are an equity issue - The connection between li...

What happens when schools see refugee students through a lens of deficit instead of possibility? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Yacoub Aljaffery, author of Narratives of Success and Resilience of Students from Refugee Backgrounds in U.S. Schools: From Invisible to Valuable , to discuss what educators need to understand about refugee students, multilingual learn...

ELA isn’t dead. It just needs to be revived, reimagined, and remembered differently. In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán reflects on why imagination, joy, speculative thinking, and culturally relevant literacy practices matter now more than ever in ELA classrooms. This conversation explores: How ELA became overly compliance-driven Why imagination is rigorous academic work The role of...

Episode Summary What happens when schools misunderstand culture as misbehavior? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán reflects on powerful conversations with a Dominican mother advocating for her son after repeated school experiences rooted in misunderstanding, bias, and cultural disconnects. This conversation explores the important distinction between cultural competence and cultural...

Episode Summary What does it mean to cultivate hope in a moment like this? In this reflective episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán explores the idea that hope is not denial, optimism, or pretending things are okay—it’s intentional, courageous work. Inspired by the upcoming Cultivate Hope 2026 gathering hosted by The Flourish Collective, this conversation reflects on the Harlem Renaissance, th...

Pushback doesn’t show up as a theory—it shows up in real moments. In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán breaks down what pushback actually looks like in schools and professional spaces—from parent emails and staff meetings to student questions and social media comments. More importantly, he walks through what it looks like to respond with clarity instead of reaction. This episode moves...

What happens when students stop worrying about grammar? For many teachers, the answer is surprising: their writing becomes more powerful, more authentic, and more alive. So why does that change when we shift the focus back to correctness? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán sits down with Patty McGee , author of Not Your Granny's Grammar, to unpack a real question from a member of th...

Episode Summary What does it mean to stand for justice—not just with your voice, but with your refusal? In this episode of Our Classroom , Roberto Germán sits down with author Christy Mihaly to explore the life of Pablo Casals, a world-renowned cellist who used both music and silence as acts of protest. Through her new book, Music and Silence: The Passion and Protest of Pablo Casals , Christy brin...

Episode Summary What if much of what schools label as “misbehavior” is actually a misunderstanding of culture? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with Dr. Daniel Russell to unpack how student behavior is often interpreted through a dominant-culture lens—and why that leads to disproportionate discipline for underserved students. Together, they explore how behaviors rooted in...

Pushback is part of the work—but how we respond to it matters. In Part 2 of the Leading When It’s Loud series, Roberto Germán explores five common mistakes educators make when facing criticism, tension, or public reaction. From reacting too quickly to trying to “win” the argument, this episode unpacks the habits that can escalate conflict and drain our energy. This conversation is not about avoidi...

What happens when thoughtful, intentional content is met with noise, criticism, or misunderstanding? In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on a recent moment of pushback and reframes it as an opportunity for leadership. Instead of reacting defensively, this conversation explores what it means to lead with curiosity—especially when discussions around curriculum, culture, and ter...

Students today are encountering global events in real time. News about protests, war, political instability, and humanitarian crises travels quickly through social media, and many young people are trying to make sense of it all without much context. In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán explores how educators can approach conversations about global unrest with care and clarity. Instead...

Bad Bunny’s halftime show gave us culture, joy, and conversation, but it also gave us curriculum. In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán breaks down the symbolism behind the performance and explores how it can be used in classrooms as a powerful teaching text. From the sugar cane field imagery to the Puerto Rican flag, from honoring his mother’s maiden name to featuring Ricky Martin and...

Anger is often treated as something dangerous, especially when it comes from the margins. In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on anger not as a problem to eliminate, but as information worth listening to. Drawing connections between poetry, education, and the present moment, this conversation explores how anger is policed, silenced, and misunderstood, and how it can become a...

When we label student behavior as “misbehavior,” whose norms are we actually using — and who gets left out of that definition? In this episode of Our Classroom, Lorena Germán joins to help us explore how behavior, SEL, race, and power intersect, and what becomes possible when educators move from managing behavior to understanding it through an antiracist lens. An Invitation Teach in Truth. Lead wi...

Recorded from Panama City on the day of arrival, this episode of Our Classroom is a quiet, journal-style reflection on what it means to teach while still orienting—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Host Roberto Germán explores the idea of arrival as both a physical and professional experience. Through travel, observation, and humility, he draws parallels between navigating a new place and na...

In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán reflects on what it means to teach in truth when the ground beneath education feels unstable. Sparked by a powerful question raised during a Teaching in Truth masterclass, this conversation explores fear, uncertainty, and responsibility in today’s classrooms—particularly for immigrant families and communities of color. Rather than offering quic...

  In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán explores how emotion and identity serve as the gateway to authentic literacy engagement . Drawing from his presentation Reading with Purpose, Writing with Passion, Roberto invites educators to rethink what truly keeps students — especially reluctant and multilingual writers — from fully engaging with reading and writing. Through student...

In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán explores what it means to boldly serve boys of color—not just academically, but emotionally, culturally, and holistically. Drawing from Roberto’s live session at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado, this conversation centers identity, storytelling, emotional literacy, and high expectations ro...

In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán shares a powerful testimony from community member Justin Luttrull about a moment that unfolded in a breakout session at Calvin University. A professor teaching about book bans and the difference between harmful books and books that expose harm cited the work of Lorena Germán — and mentioned that he listens to Roberto’s podcast. This unexpected story...

A librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library went viral after giving one of the funniest and most thoughtful explanations of internet slang ever recorded. But beyond the humor lies a deeper message about curiosity, culture, and why libraries still matter. In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán reflects on what this viral moment teaches us about learning in public, bridging generati...