Jim Questions Everything

Torin Ellis is the kind of person who shows up strong and then just get stronger. From the outset, this conversation forces me to question my understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by exploring the notion of Belonging. Torin guides me through a shift in mindset and in language as we talk about the power dynamics in organizations today, the core principles that D&I work require, and the healthy skepticism that's required when dealing with platitudes...ones that come in the form of phrasing such as "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" or in the form of federal holidays like Juneteenth. Along the way, I'm forced to consider my own viewpoints and language and the extent to which I'm working on what Torin believes is the true ROI of D&I: Humanity. Learn more about Torin's work at http://torinellis.com/ and follow him on Twitter at http://torinellis.com/. You'll find the time spent in his world bringing all kinds of ROI into yours. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corinne Goodwin uses many adjectives to describe herself including: Spouse, Father, Woman, Advocate, Friend, and Business Owner.  And, lucky for us, she can also describe herself as a guest on this podcast. We cover a lot of territory in this discussion, from the very real factors that drive advocacy - including housing insecurity, family rejection, and loss of life. And we also talk about the personal stories, challenges, and growth opportunities that center around transgender awareness and acceptance. Language is a powerful thing in general and particularly in relation to identity, something we explore deeply. We explore what it means to be an ally and Corinne, every the advocate, challenges me to not only reflect on the use of language, but commit to a course of action. As Executive Director and founder of Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, Corinne focuses many of her volunteer efforts on empowering transgender and gender non-conforming people. Corinne also works with organizations across central Pennsylvania to advance their causes and improve their processes. Professionally, after a career as a Senior Executive for companies in the Retail and Telecommunications industries, Corinne now operates a consulting business that develops training programs for companies that operate in the US, the Caribbean and Europe. Learn more about her advocacy at https://www.patransequity.org/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Tracy Daniel-Hardy leads with compassion in he work and in her life. A education leader in Gulfport, Mississippi, Tracy shares her perspective about having compassion even in the face of the many "isms" she has faced throughout her career. As an African American woman interested in business and education, Dr. Daniel-Hardy has experienced her share of racism and sexism, but through it all she continues to find hope in the voices of generations that follow her. Bolstered by the compassion and insight of Dr. Daniel-Hardy Jim questions his use of language and the extent to which he should use his own voice when calling out "isms" that surround him and the people he cares about. This episodes addresses the heavy burden that people of color have to carry and underscores the power of voice, the importance of experience, and the imperative that is our responsibility to act. Learn more about Dr. Tracy Daniel-Hardy and her new book, Women Who Lead in Technology, via her website: https://www.drtracydanielhardy.com/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Jim Questions Everything, we do a deep dive into racism and the anti-racist movement in education. For all the talk of learning loss, our guest, Rahman Branch, reminds us that kids are learning an awful lot about race. Specifically, they are learning from the ways the adults around them respond to racism in our world. We explore the implications for education but also how patterns of racism find their way into every facet of our personal and professional lives. Together, Rahman and Jim serve up really important questions. While they may not find all the answers during this conversation, they absolutely find meaning in looking for them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Jim Questions Everything, I talk with Patty McLain, an educator and instructional coach in Northeast Pennsylvania. We talk about trauma during this episode and look at how both shared and individual trauma impacts teaching and learning. We explore the unmet needs felt throughout education, and the importance of meeting students and teachers where they are when it comes to addressing key social emotional issues.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we come by setting expectations for students? To what extent are the expectations we set grounded in their circumstances versus our own upbringing? We address these questions and more during a conversation with Kayla Sims, Social Worker and School Counselor at Mountain Education Charter High School in Georgia. Kayla works with students taking a non-traditional path towards earning a high school diploma, but that doesn't mean the expectations start and stop there. In fact, the host of this podcast is learning that the framework each of uses to set expectations includes a mix of assumptions we make about kids and unconscious biases we bring with us. Being more aware of how we come by expectations is an important step to aligning them to what kids need most. That doesn't mean setting low expectations, but it does mean setting them with full awareness of what's surrounding kids, and self-awareness about the lens through which we view them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kayla Sims is a non-traditional teacher working in a non-traditional school. During our talk, I learned the importance of acknowledging the difference between 'alternative' and non-traditional while also talking about the perceptions that surround students in poor, rural communities. Especially those taking an unconventional path towards high school graduation. What I also learned is that those perceptions are tethered to expectations, and that educators like Kayla, who is a social worker and school counselor at Mountain Education Charter High School in Georgia, are working to reset expectations for everyone, including their students. Expectations have the power to help students achieve their goals - it's important to maintain high expectations for students. But I also learned that expectations are sometimes connected to a history of disillusionment or a legacy of poverty, and that the wrong expectations about what young people are capable of have a way of undermining their chances. I expect you'll find this discussion as fascinating as illuminating as I did.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When someone mispronounces our names, for some it’s an inconvenience and for others it’s an affront to our identity. This interlude reflects on a portion of my podcast with Samantha Reichard, where we talk about the implications of mispronouncing names. I’ve experienced this many times, but never viewed it as more than an inconvenience. But the same cannot be assumed for everyone, especially if you’re a young black woman. Because when it comes to our individual and shared identifies, a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teachers just might be the world's foremost expert on asking questions, but in this first-ever episode of Jim Questions Everything, we get to hear Samantha Reichard, veteran teacher and Real Time Teaching Coach in Charlotte, NC, answer questions about why she became a teacher, how failure helped share her career, and what it takes to be an effective educator in today's world. Samantha Reichard serves as Lead Real Time Teacher Coach for Center City 1 Learning Community in Charlotte, NC. After graduating from the State University of New York at Fredonia, Samantha began her teaching career at East Union Middle School in Union County, NC as an eighth-grade English language arts teacher. After two years, she moved to Charlotte, NC and served as a sixth- and seventh-grade language arts teacher for five years before becoming a multi-classroom leader and real-time teacher coach. Following that, she worked on expanding the model of Multi-Classroom Leader and Real-Time Teacher Coaching (RTTC) for four years at Ranson IB Middle School. This led her to transition into her current role working in an RTTC Train-the-Trainer model with the Center City 1 Learning Community in Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, where she serves as a resource for 29 inner-city and Title I schools. During our discussion, Samantha takes us back to her days as a middle school student struggling to catch up with her peers and explains how her challenges led her to become a collector of other people by surrounding herself with those she could help in dealing with their own academic issues. What began as a kindness to her fellow students has developed into a lifelong love of teaching. As we learn about Samantha's journey, we learn about our own biases and assumptions that tend to keep us back, and we also learn way our foundations can change, even if our destiny seems foretold. Towards the end of this episode, Samantha asks Jim, in turn, about his decision to use his own voice to dismantle biases while also acknowledging the privileges he is only just now fully recognizing. Not bad for a first episode. Thanks for tuning in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A quick hello and welcome to listeners who are readying to Question Everything about education, leadership, culture, and family. We're going to be asking education leaders, CEOs, political and cultural experts, along with regular folks about what it takes to make sense of the world. If ever there was a time to question everything, it's now. -- See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.