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

In this episode, I chat with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, a 14-year veteran urban educator and the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC., an independent educational consulting firm that provides professional development and consulting services to K-12 school districts, educators, colleges & universities and educational non-profit organizations. He is also the author of two books: "Shaping the Teach...

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 educator for 15 years, a current school principal, and an educational consultant. This episo...

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 educator for 15 years, a current school principal, and an educational consultant. In this episode,...

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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 educator for 15 years, a current school principal, and an educational consultant. In this episode,...

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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 educator for 15 years, a current school principal, and an educational consultant. ----------------...

Years ago, producer Chana Joffe-Walt started reporting on one school in New York. She thought the story was about segregation and inequality in public schools. But the more she looked into it, the more she realized she was witnessing something else. She was seeing the inordinate power of white parents at this school. This episode shares three themes that presented themselves to me as I listened to...

In this episode, I chat with Casey Jakubowsi, an educational researcher out of New York. Although he was born in Buffalo, New York, Casey and his parents moved throughout the state because of his father’s work. Casey received undergraduate degrees from Fredonia State University, Binghamton State University, and University of Buffalo before completing his doctoral degree at Suny Albany where he stu...

Despite being told that it's not always necessary to ask for permission, I often found myself granting permissions for what I thought was clearly established expectations. For that reason, I decided to begin our school year with my five Principal Permissions.  1. Permission to learn and grow. 2. Permission to take risks. 3. Permission to fail. 4. Permission to love. 5. Permission to have fun....

In this episode, I chat with Jennifer Appel, an educator, author, coach, speaker, co-founder of Award Winning Culture, and Chief Heart Officer for the Teach Better Team.  She is also the author of “Award Winning Dog.” Jennifer is driven to create an environment where all students are able to learn and become passionate about serving others.  Through her leadership, her school was awarded...

In this word of chaos, it is easy to become overwhelmed. It is easy to look around at all that needs to be done and be tempted to give up or burn yourself out by tackling so much that nothing gets accomplished. I know because this is how I felt not too long ago. As I listened to stories of racial tensions across the country, as I received conflicting guidelines about how to keep me and my family s...

In this episode, I chat with Suzanne Dailey, a proud instructional coach in the Central Bucks School District, the 3rd largest in Pennsylvania. Here she has the honor and joy of working with elementary teachers and students in 15 buildings. Suzanne is Nationally Board Certified, a Fellow of the National Writing Project, and has a Masters Degree in Reading. She is dedicated to nurturing and develop...

It appears that our time has come and gone. For a brief moment, educators were recognized for the myriad of tasks that we complete on a daily basis. We were thanked for not just providing an education but serving as counselors, nurses, parents, and so much more. This is, of course, until we bucked back against the system. In an attempt to get the country reopened and revitalizing the economy, ther...

In this episode I chat with Joshua Buckley who is a high school social studies teacher in Mesa, AZ and also serves as the president of his local teachers’ union. He is married to an awesome principal and has two children, one who is about to start their sophomore year in college and the other getting ready to tackle remote learning as a 4th grader. When not talking about government and economics w...

One thing that struggling schools cite as their most frustrating obstacle is the lack of parental involvement. Schools consistently suggest that parents must not care about their students' academic success because they do not make the time to be involved by attending events or meetings. There even exists research and statistics touting that the lack of progress in schools is due, in large part, to...

In this episode, I chat with Lisa Gaede, an educator who is excited to begin her 30th year in education as a Speech and Language Pathologist in an elementary school. Although she was born and raised in Winona, MN, she currently lives with her family in a small town in Wisconsin where she commutes an hour, each way, to work everyday. Lisa is remarried to Paul, has 1 son and 4 stepsons. When she is...

With so many conversations surrounding the issue of racism, there is a lack of actionable advice on how to actively address racism. Listen as I share 5 practical tips to combat racism.  1. Be a Partner 2. Be A Student 3. Be Honest 4. Be A Role Model 5. Be Resilient

In this episode, I chat with Jeffrey Millner, the assistant principal of Thomas Dell High School in Virginia. He has served as an educator for 22 years as both a teacher for exceptional students and as an administrator in both rural and urban settings. A lover of sports, Jeffrey coached softball and baseball and even received the Most Improved Player Award while playing 1st base at St. Paul’s Coll...

Pandemics and protests? The world in which we are living is vastly different then what it was a few short months ago. Some educators are now faced with closing out the school year while simultaneously helping their students navigate the chaos surrounding them.  It is no surprise that so many feel lost and are seeking advice on how to best address the situation with their students as well as p...

Tara Desiderio is a K-5 Principal at Wescosville Elementary School in the East Penn School District in Pennsylvania. She has served as an educator for more than 20 years with 12 of those in administration. Tara strives on building strong positive relationships with students and adults and finds joy in helping them do the same. In this episode we focus on the power of building strong positive relat...

Serenity, Courage, Wisdom. Three simple yet powerful words.  Reflecting on an experience in which I took my daughter for her high school graduation item pick-up, I recount how these three words helped to shape my message to her.  This episode is for all of you who are struggling.  It is okay not to be okay. It is not okay to give up.

In this episode, I chat with Elijah Carbajal, an innovative educator who believes in challenging the norms by creative authentic learning environments by immersing his students in the content. Imagine finding gold doubloons and secret messages from Blackbeard and the excitement of his actual arrival. This is just a taste of how this educator is helping to change the narrative for education. ...

Did you know that our brains are hardwired to consistently scan our environments for changes? When we notice something, whether consciously or not, that is a perceived threat, our brains immediately begin releasing chemicals to modify our physical state in preparation to respond. This episode will discuss those changes, how they impact our students' abilities to learn, why some are more susceptibl...

Heather Shaw has been an educator for over 20 years serving as both a teacher and a Vice Principal. She is currently teaching English and AP Language.  Heather is also the mother to 4 boys, the youngest of whom is a senior in high school.    In this episode we discuss our diverse learner population and the importance of providing them with opportunities to showcase their learning th...