We believe that becoming self-aware is a critical component of understanding where one stands when it comes to participating in conversations about race in the United States. Kalinda and Michelle share how self-awareness has allowed them to make an intentional choice about how to engage (or not) in conversations about race. This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. In this episode we focus on the question, “How does self-awareness intersect with our call to respond to the racial reckoning in the U.S.?” “Antiracist teaching is not just acknowledging that racism exists but about consciously committing to the struggle for racial justice”  Bettina Love “But, at the end of the day, White teachers need to want to address how they contribute to structural racism. They need to join the fight for education justice, racial justice, housing justice, immigration justice, food justice, queer and trans justice, labor justice, and, above all, the fight for humanity.” (Bettina Love) → turning toward suffering

COVID-19 turned the 2019-2020 school year upside down, yet educators prevailed and continued to deliver instruction despite the difficult circumstances. Kalinda and Michelle share how the grappled with the new normal and continued to teach. This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. In this episode we focus on the question, “Who are we as educators during COVID-19? We know who we were, but who are we now and who are we hoping to become?” “We’re all going to come out of COVID-19 changed. Either we let COVID-19 decide for us or we use reflection and self-awareness to decide who we will be when this is over.” Arthur Jenkins, counselor at community college in CA.

DESCRIPTION: What is self-awareness and how does one become more self-aware as an educator? Kalinda and Michelle share their experiences of acknowledging their strengths and values and infusing them into the workplace. This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. “If you don't understand yourself you don't understand anybody else.” Nikki Giovanni

Can we learn to be reflective even when it’s uncomfortable? During this conversation, Kalinda and Michelle share stories of race intersecting with their work as educators. They highlight how reflective practice helped them move through understanding race to change their teaching and advocacy practices.  After listening to this episode, we invite listeners to think about the following questions: How is racism working within the system of my school or college or class?; How does my race influence the choices I make in preparing for class, interacting in class, and grading student work?; How do I recognize and advocate for antiracist practices in my school? -"The more reflective you are the more effective you are.” Hall & Simeral, 2015; Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom -“We never gave up. We didn’t get lost in a sea of despair. We kept the faith. We kept pushing and pulling. We kept marching. And we made some progress.” – John Lewis This episode is dedicated to John Lewis in memory of his unyielding faith that through action change will come.

DESCRIPTION: Kalinda and Michelle take a moment to talk about how to use the reflective practice model in the midst of COVID-19. We discuss overcoming barriers to instruction that occurred when schools and colleges moved to remote instruction. This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. -”The more reflective you are the more effective you are.” Hall & Simeral, 2015; Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom

DESCRIPTION: Michelle and Kalinda discuss what it means to be educators who are committed to reflective practice. After explaining the meaning of reflective practice, we discuss the question, “How can teachers use reflective practice to show up authentically in the classroom?” This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. -"The more reflective you are the more effective you are.” Hall & Simeral, 2015; Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom

DESCRIPTION: Kalinda and Michelle have a candid conversation about authenticity in the midst of the recent racial reckoning in the United States by discussing the question, “As an educator in the midst of the racial reckoning in the United States, how do you remain authentic to your beliefs & continue to grow?” Michelle focuses on the importance of shielding your gifts from exploitation, and Kalinda weighs in on speaking up when POC’s voices are absent from a crucial conversation. This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. “Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.” -Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Case for Reparations

DESCRIPTION: Michelle and Kalinda explore what it means to be authentic educators in the midst of the rapid changes occurring because of COVID-19. We focus on the question, “As an educator in the midst of COVID-19, how do you remain authentic to your beliefs & continue to grow?” This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system. -“If we give our children (and ourselves) sound self-love, they will be able to deal with whatever life puts before them (and us).”― bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

In this episode Kalinda and Michelle dive into what it means to be authentic educators by focusing on the question, “As an educator, how do you remain authentic to your beliefs and continue to grow?” This episode is part of Educators for Impact’s Enduring Essentials series, which is an ongoing conversation that focuses on sharing concepts, ideas, and sometimes advice for teachers, principals, counselors, and other stakeholders in the education system.  -“If we give our children (and ourselves) sound self-love, they will be able to deal with whatever life puts before them (and us).”― bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

 Kalinda and Michelle met at a community high school almost 20 years ago. One was an outgoing, charismatic student and the other a no-nonsense science teacher with a reputation for holding students to the highest expectations. Over the years, Michelle transitioned from student to teacher and Kalinda transitioned from high school teacher to professor.  They kept in touch and developed a friendship that is grounded in a deep commitment to each other's growth, the experiences of educators, and transformation in education. In this episode, they discuss examples of people and experiences that had a deep impact on their lives. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Earl Lemons.