Black Teacher Matters

Follow Black Teacher Matters
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Abdel Shakur is a writer and teacher concerned with telling the stories of Black teachers. A Catalyst Chicago Classroom Story Slam winner and 14 year veteran in the classroom, Abdel and his guests reflect on an essential question: Why are Black teachers s


    • Oct 23, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 39m AVG DURATION
    • 7 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Black Teacher Matters with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Black Teacher Matters

    Episode 6: Ross Gay, Nandi Comer, and Playing Games With Students

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2021 46:17


    This is the final episode of Black Teacher matters! It's all about making space for joy in a classroom by playing games and gathering to cultivate imagination. I tell a story about the games I'm playing in my class that help rehumanize the space. Ross talks about letting go of shame as a pedagogical tool and Nandi Comer gives the inside scoop on what it's like to be a student in Ross' class. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Episode 5: Ross Gay, Visionary Elbows, and The Amazing Aunt Butter

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2021 50:25


    This episode is all about the Black teachers, in school, on the court, and at home who make space for us to become our most complete selves. I tell a story about hooping with a kid who shares my name, even if he isn't convinced. Ross talks about why he makes his classroom a place for people to get together so they can get together, a coach who confronted his dad, and the teaching genius of his Aunt Butter. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Episode 4: Bill Jeter and Black Teacher Moves

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2021 40:51


    You can't play your position if you don't know the game. Chess is just one of the legacies I pass down to students. I tell a story about how chess saved my first year of teaching. I also talk to Bill Jeter, who is not only my uncle, but an incredible artist and teacher in his own right about the importance of Black teachers in his life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Episode 3: Crystal Wilkinson, Making Space, and the Innocence of Black Girls

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2021 49:31


    It's rare that Black girls get a chance at innocence in academic spaces. I tell a story about confronting my own Whiteness to create space for a young woman to engage the questions that really mattered to her. I also sit down with one of my most influential teachers, Crystal Wilkinson, author of The Birds of Opulence. We talk about the life of a Black teachers and how she creates space for students to take control of their own learning. She also helps me come to terms with some petty nonsense I did to her way back when. What do you think about what you heard? Leave me a message here: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Episode 2: Alexs Pate, Innocence, and Getting to the Good

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2020 43:12


    Way back in my first year of teaching in 2008, I was having standoffs over handshakes, Barack Obama was just the president-elect, and I swear I saw a boy take innocent flight in my class one day. I also sit down with the novelist and education leader, Alexs Pate, to talk about his newest book, The Innocent Classroom: Dismantling Racial Bias to Support Students of Color, his theory of innocence and how it relates to the power of Black teachers. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Black Teacher Matters Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2020 2:08


    Black Teacher Matters is a podcast about stories, my own as a mixed Black man in education, and the stories of the Black teachers who shaped me in some kind of way. This podcast is about exploring the narratives I've developed for myself as a mixed Black man who works to help young people educate themselves. This podcast is about finding out what I've done and why I'm doing it and how we can keep more Black folks in this role. Each episode you'll hear a story from me and then I'll introduce you to someone significant in my educational life. I hope you enjoy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Episode 1: Origin story of a Black teacher

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2020 42:28


    Before I became a teacher, I was a kid with a book stealing habit, labeled as having a cavalier attitude towards education. All of that changed when I stepped into Mr. Miller's AP English class, Patterns in Black Literature. I tell my story and talk with Mr. Miller about the legacy and importance of Black teachers. *Note: Some names have been changed for the sake of privacy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/abdel-shakur6/message

    Claim Black Teacher Matters

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel