Too Dope Teachers and a Mic

It has been a long time coming, mostly because scheduling has been a steep learning curve for Gerardo. In this interview, we compare notes on being state teacher of the year, leading authentically, and tying the mental health needs of our students directly to the work we do in our classrooms.  

This week, we bring you the amazing story of Somali-Muslim-Canadian educator and children's book author Hodo Hussein. She joins us from a lockdown in Canada, where she describes the situation as 'uncertain' and 'indecisive.' During the course of a wonderfully insightful interview, we discuss representation of Muslim educators and communities, creativity, and following one's dreams in hard times. I...

This is a real special episode of the Exit Interview! Asia and Kevin talk with Dr. William A. Smith, professor of Education and Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah. Dr. Smith, who developed some of the most profound research around the concept of Racial Battle Fatigue, shares his research, insights and experiences tracking this phenomenon. In this profound and wide-ranging conversation, Dr. S...

Zaira Najera is a graduating senior at Eagle Valley High School in Gypsum, Colorado. Her family comes from Mexico and she is a first generation American, as well as a first generation college student. She co-founded and currently serve as co-chair for a club called SPICE (Students Promoting Inclusion and Civic Engagement) at EVHS, as well as a member of Youth Celebrate Diversity’s Student Virtual...

Marianna Lucero really didn't have any interest in the arts, or in drama class. But she had a teacher who insisted. As Marianna continued through her education and adult life, she found that she could not cut the arts out of her life. She became a teacher, responsible for teaching ALL the arts at her Southwest Denver elementary school. And as she connected with students, their families, and their...

After months and months of discussion, community listening, planning, and research, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education stands poised to make a decision that could improve the future prospects of countless young people of color in our city. With the support of Ednium, the non-profit alumni collective organized by TeRay Esquibel, Denver could have graduation requirements in Ethnic Studies...

Heavy day yesterday. We reluctantly and ambivalently process the day after former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts in the murder of George Floyd in 2020. We listen to each other, share honest reflections and come to you in all our uncertainty and emotion. We hope you are processing in a healthy way, in a good way, and we understand if you feel you must skip this episode. Mu...

Do you find yourself weary of the "self-care" pronouncements made in education? How many Starbucks gift cards before I feel relaxed, positive and enthusiastic? How many baths before the grinding sense of defeat fades away and I can show up like a Hollywood movie teacher? If I practice mindful breathing until I hyperventilate, am I doing it wrong? And why do I feel uncontrollable hostility to peopl...

One of the understated stories of the 2020 election cycle was the rising tide of youth activism and participation in what was considered a crucial election. Beyond the top of the ticket, a number of state and local resolutions had massive implications for young would-be voters. Across the country, electorates have been considering lowering the voting age. While this is not a new effort, various ci...

Rodney has over 20 years experience as an educator with Richmond Public Schools. He graduated from King William High School in rural Virginia in 1996. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia State University in 2000 and a master’s in educational administration and Supervision from VCU in 2011.  He started teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center in 2015, a school inside Richmon...

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Exit Interview with Asia Lyons and Kevin Adams! This week we hear Shalelia Dillard share her story. It is a similar refrain for Black educators who have experienced institutional alienation and rejection within the education system. We invite you to listen and take in her story of optimism, belief in schooling as an equalizer and in her own brilliance and talents to pro...

This week, Kevin and Gerardo connect with Dr. Apryl Alexander, professor and researcher of Forensic Psychology at the University of Denver. Initially, we hoped to discuss Social/Emotional Learning and Trauma-Informed practice as we prepare for a possible increase in in-person teaching and learning, as well as a potential full return to in-person schooling in the fall. What we got was so much more....

In this emergency episode, Gerardo hosts a roundtable with five Asian American/Pacific Islander-identifying educators from across the United States to discuss the horrific murders of eight Asian and Asian American people in Atlanta a few days ago. Carla, Erika, Tran, John, and Kim share their stories of struggle, triumph, purpose, pain, and invisibility as this threat of violence and death hangs o...

Just the fellas today. This harrowing adventure of schooling during a pandemic is fraught with contradiction, anxiety, frustration, joy, disappointment and doing one's best with what one has. We engage in some real talk around returning to in-person schooling, including our own experiences, as well as across the country. Additionally, we shout-out our financial supporters with nicknames (can you f...

To talk with LaChanda Garrison, the 2021 Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA), is to be taken to school by next-level brilliance, compassion and intellectual and spiritual depth. Her story is unique and fascinating, and reminded us that each person has a unique path and set of experiences. A self-proclaimed "military kid," LaChanda shares her story of racial insecurity and a desire to...

Being a Black educator in the American system of schooling will test the faith of the strongest. In this powerful episode, Doctoral candidate Donna Druery (who has her defense the day after this episode!) shares the long journey through education that ultimately ended with her departure. She shares upsetting experiences, ranging from the hostile to the absurd. An excellent educator once highly rec...

Juliana Urtubey's family came to the United States to escape the Civil War in Colombia. Their transition was aided by existing citizenship, and Juliana has made the most of her opportunity, not only in her own educational attainment, but as a highly skilled and accomplished elementary educator. She brings a different energy, one that is completely consistent with her nickname "Ms. Earth" a moniker...

As a young college student, LaGarrett King knew somethin was up. A student of history who had a profound understanding of himself as a complex human being, he knew that the version and framework of history he was being offered in his program was limiting and myopic. "I didn't have the language" he explains, "but I knew there was more to it." As a teacher, "I was on the traditional track for a Blac...

The systematic attack on Black teachers continues across education, and the great city of Denver is no exception. The ways in which Black and Brown teachers are often scapegoated and experience proxy attacks on the communities from which we come and which we serve. The designation of schools with Black and Brown student populations, and those which employ Black and Brown educators as "low performi...

Analise Harris embodies Black genius, Black ingenuity, and a resilience. Always socially conscious and connected to her community, Analise entered the education system through alternative means after studying sociology in college. Having worked with the NAACP and other advocacy organizations, we in education were bless to have her join our ranks and work with children every day. She was impactful...

It's mid-season, and we got so much on our mind that we just can't recline. This podcast has its roots in brain dumping the things we see, feel, and experience over the course of a year. It's a necessary catharsis, release of anxieties, celebrations, frustrations that is frenetic and healing all at once. Plus Kidz Bop M.O.P.

Ki Gross is clear on many things. They are here to serve Black and Brown children, their families, and communities. They center healing and radical love of Black and Brown babies. They create spaces for all manner of Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA+ folx. We've been excited about Ki's work since we first heard of Woke Kindergarten on the Abolitionist Teaching Network's podcast hosted by Dr. Bettina L. L...

When she came into the teaching game, Sataira Douglas was a highly regarded rising star in teaching. In a profession that struggles to recruit, let alone retain, Black teachers, Sataira was sought after by multiple school districts. The situation decayed quickly. Microaggressions and macroaggressions. Gaslighting. Frozen out by colleagues. Rumors. Blamed for colleagues health problems. Invisible l...

This one is a history-making episode, y'all, and instant classic. We go for an energetic and inspirational ride with Eric Hale, the 2021 Texas Teacher of the Year. The first Black man to earn this award in the history of Texas. We cover a wide range of topics, from serving your community and meeting its needs to raising the achievement of his students who come from historically marginalized commun...

This week we have a fun, insightful, and heartfelt conversation with Julio and Daniell, two queer educators of color in our city. In this honest and direct conversation, they explain the spaces they inhabit, their process of accepting and celebrating themselves, and the daily identity negotiation that comes with working closely with students and their families. Our podcast has not done nearly enou...