Nina and Celeste are back for season 2. In this episode, we talk about where we’ve been, where we’re at now, and what we need from this season to sustain ourselves as teachers in unprecedented times. We’ll talk about what we’ve chosen as the theme of this season and why. Take a listen...

Celeste and Nina reconnect to debrief what we’ve learned, what we’ve changed, what we’ve struggled with, and how we want to move forward.

During the pandemic, the United States was dealing with the health crises of Covid-19 and rampant white supremacy. Historic inequalities in this country only came into starker relief during the pandemic, and Andrea Ortiz was right there in the thick of it supporting youth organizers who, even in a pandemic, relentlessly challenged oppressive systems in schools and throughout Chicago. Andrea is a community organizer from the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council here in Chicago. We learned so much from her about building youth power and letting students and their voices guide our classrooms and communities. So take a listen and learn how to love our youth harder with Andrea Ortiz…

Slow down with Corey Winchester, a high school history teacher from Evanston Township High School. Corey helps us pause, reflect, and listen deeply to ancestors, mentors, colleagues and students. He models for us what it means to mindfully build loving and critical spaces for our students while never forgetting where we came from and who continues to influence us as educators. Just as Corey talks about being indebted to his teachers, we are indebted to Corey for taking the time and slowing us down to carefully consider the students we teach and ensuring they’re seen and centered in our curricular choices. Slow down, reflect, and take a listen…

We’re talking with Jessica Suarez-Nieto, an elementary teacher in Chicago. You’ll hear her challenge us to think about our work in a more collective sense, building strong relationships with our students and between our students. Jessica is wise and has sharp ideas of how to pose problems to our students so they address social ills and think about how to build a different world together. Jessica challenges us to think about how to transform schools to be safe places to foster student agency and collectivized learning. Take a listen…

In this conversation, Nina and Celeste talk about this podcast and project in its infancy. You might hear us call the podcast “Transformative Teacher Talk,” a title we were considering, and you’ll hear us talk about our hopes and dreams for this shared work.