Education Suspended

Welcome back to Education Suspended! Today we kick off Season 4 with a wonderful interview with Joe Mailander of the Okee Dokee Brothers. The Okee Dokee Brothers’ music focuses on community and harmony; we explore the importance of those two elements in our schools. Joe highlights the need for exploration, curiosity, and slowness in education. He reminds us that sometimes in order to learn we have to empty out first, unlearn, in order to learn again.

Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In this episode we sit down and talk with Dr. Jackie Joseph-Buzek and Lorin Terrell, M.Ed. They share with us their experiences as being parents of neurodiverse students. Jackie and Lorin highlight the joys and struggles that come with navigating the school systems that surround their children. They also talk with us about how those experiences have inspired them to create a charter school, Windmill, that focuses on educational spaces where all students belong. 

Dr. Jackie Joseph-Buzek and Lorin Terrell, M.Ed. are two of the three co-founds of Windmill. Jackie has her doctorate in Education and Human Development and focuses on inclusion research and implementation. Lorin is a licensed marriage and family therapist, who specializes in providing robust mental health services to students in schools.

In today’s episode we have a great conversation with Tracey DeMaria. Tracey helps define sensory integration and regulation, words that are being used more mainstream in education these days. She talks about the need for our system to become more developmentally respectful in regard to the self-regulation expectations we set on students, and reminds us we all need co-regulation. Tracey highlights that classrooms need to keep moving more towards movement and rhythm in order to promote learning in our schools. 

Tracey DeMaria, OTD, OTR is an accomplished occupational therapist with a strong dedication to promoting regulation skills. She obtained a clinical Doctorate in occupational therapy from Misericordia University. With over a decade of experience in the field, Tracey currently serves as an occupational therapist in the Phillipsburg School District and is an adjunct professor in the Occupational Therapy master's program at Moravian University. Tracey is also an accomplished author, with her upcoming book, How to Surf the Waves: A Sensory, Emotional, and Behavioral Regulation Skills Curriculum, set to be released this Fall. A passionate advocate for disability rights and mental health, Tracey remains committed to helping individuals of all ages learn the power of regulation.

In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Dr. Jon Conte. Jon shares his expertise on the impacts of trauma as it pertains to “trauma-informed” and what a truly trauma-informed environment means for those in education. He shares with us that the power of the empathic connection is so strong for students in schools, yet can also create the vulnerability of the empathic strain on the teachers. Jon highlights that providing a space where teachers can openly process their experiences, is vital in combating burnout. 

Dr. Jon Conte is a world renowned expert on mental health issues related to child abuse and trauma. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington and maintains a private practice on Mercer Island, specializing in forensic mental health issues surrounding child abuse and the effect of trauma work on health care professionals. Jon is the editor of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and Trauma, Violence and Abuse: A Review Journal, and is the consulting editor for the Journal of Forensic Social Work. Intro Song: Poet's Row, Young Bones

Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In this episode we are joined by Chris Barfield. Chris is such a great story teller and shares with us how using sports helps the students he and his team work with at their school. He highlights the importance of dosing the stress appropriately to match the developmental level of the students; knowing students show up in different places. Chris also reminds us that we need to remember for many of our students, school has been a place of negative experiences and it’s our job to help rewrite their scripts.

Chris Barfield is the School Leader at Urban Dove Team Charter School in Brooklyn, a network of high schools serving under-credited students through a curriculum centered around sports, youth development, and academics. Prior to joining Urban Dove in 2018, Barfield worked for 11 years as a physical education teacher and coached a variety of sports.

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In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Tu David Phu. Chef Tu shares his personal story about why understanding the connection between schools and food matters. When you have consistent access to food that provides nourishment it’s easy to minimize just how important it is for learning. Chef Tu reminds us that the playing field is not equal and we must advocate for free access to healthy foods for all students at school.

Top Chef Alumnus, Tu David Phu, is a Vietnamese-American, SF Chronicle Rising Star Chef, Author, and an Emmy-nominated filmmaker from Oakland. His extensive resume reflects a wide range of exciting experiences ranging from cooking with incarcerated men in San Quentin prison; to cutting his culinary teeth in the kitchens of some of the nation’s top restaurants.

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Welcome to season three of Education Suspended! We kick off the season with Justin Toomer. Justin dives into the role curriculum should play in opening doors and uncovering new content. He highlights the reality that the better school experience students have, the more likely they are to consider becoming educators. And, Justin reminds us to use data in a way that doesn’t just tell the story that has already been written for so many of our students. 

Justin Toomer is a Senior Consultant at Education Elements. He is driven by the science of learning, the art of teaching, and pushing others to think differently. He was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and is a first-generation college graduate from Williams College. Based upon the transformational impact his experience afforded him, Justin entered the field of education with an intention to increase the opportunities for all students to access a quality and equitable education. He brings his student-centered approaches, understanding of equitable school systems, and relationship-driven mindset to the educational settings he’s in partnership with around the country.

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In our last episode of Season Two we connect with William Tucker, who challenges all of us to stop, and ask ourselves, why do we educate? William focuses on shifting our archaic system away from memorization and aims to provide students an educational system that promotes understanding. He specifically specializes in literacy and shares why equipping students with a solid foundation of literacy and comprehension is vitally important to all future disciplines.

William Tucker is the Co-Founder of Charity United, a U.S.-based charity that provides humanitarian aid to children and civilians in need, and helps ensure children receive food, clothing, shelter, and education. He discovered, through on-the-ground experiences, a significant problem that kids often face while living in the slums is a lack of educational opportunities. In collaboration with charities and volunteers in India, Africa, and Latin America, Charity United provides educational tools to children with the aim of giving all children an equal opportunity for a promising future.

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In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Malika Ali, the Chief Innovation Officer at the Highlander Institute. Malika’s transgenerational story is rooted in the pursuit of education, and she shares with us how the passion of past generations drives her own desire to empower students. She connects that curriculums need to provide both, windows and mirrors, for students so they can see themselves and better understand how they fit into the world. Malika highlights the importance of letting students “drive more” and the need to create relevant learning environments around them.

Malika is passionate about community-driven change management to scale and sustain culturally responsive education driven by a liberatory data approach. As the Chief Innovation Officer at the Highlander Institute, she leads program visioning articulated through a comprehensive model for school change. She was a Rhode Island District Teacher of the Year, served on Governor Raimondo’s STEAM and Equity in Educator Preparation Committee, and was named one of the nation’s top emerging and inspirational Black leaders in education innovation by Learn Launch. Malika holds an M.Ed. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Public Health from Brown University. As a daughter of strong and brilliant Eritrean refugees, Malika has spent her life critiquing the systems that perpetuate educational inequity, and she is proud to be a part of the struggle to ensure that all children have access to, and can take advantage of, an empowering education.

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In this episode we sit down and dialog with Tiffani Lennon, the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida. Tiffani highlights how important it is to stand together to change systems and fight for equality. She also shares the impact that living in areas that do not emulate belonging and safety have on our students. Tiffany says that letting teachers be teachers is so important and holds such power.

Tiffani Lennon, is Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida. Prior to this position, she served as executive director of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, a state-wide advocacy organization that advances an anti-poverty movement through research, legal and legislative advocacy. Tiffani also held leadership positions at the University of Denver including chair and faculty in the Law and Society and Community-Based Research programs. Tiffani developed and led internationalization efforts where she served as a visiting lecturer in southeast Asia and southern Africa, teaching in the areas of law and economic development. Before her academic career, Tiffani was a community-based lawyer and helped to frame strategic litigation to systematically address rights violations.

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In today’s episode we connect with my favorite guest, ever. My mom. (Yes, I’m biased). Oma, began teaching in 1958 and she sits down with us and shares some of her biggest lessons learned as an educator. She talks about the importance of having a holistic lens and reflects on how she leaned into her teaching community for creativity and inspiration.

Joanne Pfeiffer, also known as Oma, is a retired college professor. Joanne has her Masters in Education, from Marquette University, and taught at Grandview College, in Des Moines, Iowa, for over 40 years. She is currently a Healing Touch Practitioner, working in Hospice facilities. Besides all this, her greatest accomplishment is raising Pfeiffer, and not messing her up too bad, kidding...but seriously.

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In this episode we have an amazing conversation with Barak Ben-Amots, the Educational Director at Flying Pig Farm. Barak highlights the importance of helping our students and educators reconnect with the land in an attempt to help them reconnect with themselves. He shares some phenomenal examples of how getting students outside promotes learning and regulation. As an educator, he truly understands that no one grows alone, and by getting kids access to nature he has uncovered a new found joy in teaching.

Barak Ben-Amots serves students of all ages in Manitou Springs, Colorado, as Educational Director of Flying Pig Farm. He works to facilitate learning and growing opportunities that recall and reclaim relationships with food and natural systems. Barak seeks to foster resilience in students, educators, classes, and entire schools through his hands-on, relationship based lessons.

By working with seeds, animals, plants, and soil, we learn that we are not alone at all, but rather held compassionately by the family that is our ecosystem, providing us with nutrition, oxygen, and connection that we can always draw upon.

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Today we connect with our friend Megan Bartlett, who is truly trying to change the game for our student athletes. Megan highlights why sports are so important and the power that comes when our students are given the opportunity to play. Sports can bring a strong sense of belonging and promote regulation and learning in so many ways. Megan also emphasizes that we must be aware that accessing sport is not equal and shares how her organization is working to level the playing field.

Megan Bartlett is the founder of The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport. She has spent more than 15 years supporting organizations that use sport to promote youth development and giving coaches the tools they need to help kids heal.  She is the author of A Kids Book about Trauma and co-author of Re-Designing Youth Sports: Change the Game. Megan has a BA from Wesleyan University, and a MA from Tufts University.

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In today’s episode we have a great conversation with Alicia García, the Founder of Circle Corps. Alicia talks openly about the collective healing that needs to take place systemically for our adults in education and encourages all of us to disrupt the patterns that continue to exist. As a restorative justice practitioner, she highlights how utilizing a restorative framework helps create learning environments that increase engagement and give voice and control back to the students.

Alicia García is a relationship-driven equity architect and restorative educator with nearly a decade of experience in Restorative Practices in education. Since 2016, she has led over 300 professional development sessions in Restorative Practices. In 2020, she founded Circle Corps, which is a collective of innovative restorative practitioners, committed to the culmination of Restorative Practices and Liberatory Design. She maintains a steadfast commitment to community outreach and engagement through the restorative approach and is fueled by the undeniable impact achieved through these efforts.

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Today we connect with Jase Williams, the Principal of Henry Hill School in New Zealand. Jase begins the episode by honoring his Māori culture and acknowledging his ancestors that are a part of him and his journey. He highlights four specific things he did to change his classrooms and school and says that for us to change this archaic system of education, we must step away from the system and move outside the box. Jase talks about the importance of helping all students find their identity and the importance of understanding the neuroscience behind the why.

Jase Williams is the Principal of Henry Hill School - a decile 1A (Lowest socio economic rating in NZ schools) Primary School in Napier, Hawke's Bay. In 2021 he and his school were the winners of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards - Wellbeing category. Jace is the only Māori male certified trainer in the Neurosequential Model in Education.  He facilitates Men's and Women's Hui (meeting) as a place of healing for families in the community, which are focused on mental health and wellbeing from a 'keeping it real' perspective and grounded in neuroscience.

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 In today’s episode we connect with Jen Jackson, the Principal at AUL Denver. Jen brings so much insightfulness to our discussion and provides concrete examples of what it looks like to change the system to support our teachers. She reminds us how important joy is for learning and why we must have a deep well of grace to be successful. Jen also challenges all of us to move into advocacy, not just for the students we serve, but for all kids.

Jennifer Jackson has been in education for 25 years and is currently the principal of AUL Denver. She has taught at the elementary and middle school level and worked in school leadership in Elementary and High school. Ms Jackson has a Masters Degree in Special Education from The George Washington University and has certificates from Harvard, John’s Hopkins, and University of Denver. She helped found the first Innovation School Zone in Denver Public schools. Ms Jackson is committed to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline.

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In today’s episode we sit down and connect with Stephanie Brown. She sets us up with great takeaways as we move into a new school year. Stephanie talks about why focusing on teachers matters and how that in turn impacts our students. As a counselor, turned principal, turned district leader, she comes from a strong relational lens, and uses strategies as a leader that she used as a teacher.

Stephanie has a Master's Degree in Counseling, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership, a Certificate in Mental Health, and a Certificate in Life Coaching. She practiced as an elementary school principal for 3 years, a school counselor for a decade and had the opportunity to teach English in Mexico. Her goal is to provide an environment that is healthy, safe, respectful, relational, engaged, developmentally supportive, brain-friendly, and challenging for both the children and the adults.

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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Today we sit down with Jack Ludlam, an amazing photographer who shares his story with us. Jack’s experience as a student is one that is so familiar for so many students, they want to go North when the system is trying to push them in a different direction. He reminds us that imagery is part of learning, we’ve been using it for millenia to show our experiences and emotions. Jack gives us different examples for how we can use photography to continue to help our students tell their stories and encourage learning.

Photography came into Jack’s life very organically.  On occasion, the bow or the fishing rod in his hand would be replaced by a camera usually taken without permission from his mother who would only realize that he had taken her camera when he would ask for the film to be developed at the local Walgreens. After obsessing over Richard Avedon’s body of work “In The American West” Jack knew he wanted to create work that stripped all distraction from the subject matter. These people and their processes are irreplaceable. The rust, the scratches, the wear, and tear, those are what tell stories.

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We are back!! In today’s episode we sit down with Pi'ikea Kalakau-Baarde, who is the Program Manager for a community facing, grant funded program focusing on getting public school students in Hawai’i college and community ready. At the time of the interview she was a non-classroom inclusive practices resource teacher who served schools along O'ahu's Leeward Coast. Pi'ikea connects culture, identity, and the importance of belonging. She reminds us that as leaders we must be okay with sitting in our uncomfortableness. And as we start thinking about our upcoming school year, she challenges us to identify what our good trouble will be.

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In today’s episode we sit down with Jaci McCormack, the Chief Executive Officer of Rise Above. Jaci shares with us her own personal story as a student and how it inspired her to create a non-profit that gives Native youth the opportunity to write their own futures. She identifies that it’s so hard to teach students when we don’t know where they come from and that we must remember that some students show up to school who are just surviving. Jaci reminds us that we must focus on creating relationships and meeting kids where they are at.

Jaci McCormack is a Nez Perce Tribal member who grew up on the Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho. In 2015, Jaci founded Rise Above, a non-profit organization that gives Native youth the leadership skills and mentorship to overcome their circumstances and write their own futures. She leads the organization in its mission to empower youth through a variety of programs including sports, education, financial literacy, prevention skills and mentorship, using prevention strategies that will spark change in people’s lives. Rise Above cares deeply about changing the narratives that surround Native youth. By investing in prevention and intervention programs, Native youth can ignite ripple effects that change the course of history for themselves and their communities.

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In this episode we connect with Rachel Parker, an Assistant Principal from Colorado. She dives into the vulnerabilities that exist for students and teachers by working within a system that has siloed the SEL and academic world. Rachel reminds us that the inequity that exists in education is trauma, and so many families have been without a voice for years. She shares so many stories with us from her experiences and encourages all of us to use our authentic self in our area of practice.

Rachel Parker is currently an Assistant Principal in Littleton, Colorado, where she is carrying the lessons she learned from her 14 years spent at Prairie View High School, a diverse comprehensive high school outside of Denver, CO. Rachel taught for nine years at Prairie View High School before moving into an Assistant Principal role for two years. In 2011, Rachel received the Hispanic Advisory Award from School District 27J for her work with the community. Through all of her roles, students’ social-emotional needs have always been the focus of her work.

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In this episode we connect with Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen. Ulcca reminds us that if we want to look forward and change this system, we must start by first looking back and understanding how we got here. She shares her knowledge about the history of our educational system and we explore how that history has left so many students with the belief that they are not smart. Ulcca also highlights that we must focus on our sphere of influence and not be afraid to make changes in the systems we directly work in.

Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen is Chief Program Officer at Grantmakers for Education and author of The Future of Smart. Ulcca has been an educator for more than twenty years, committed to transforming American education in ways that ensure that all students have access to learning experiences that help them achieve their unique potential by meeting their developmental and learning needs. She is the child of two immigrants from Tanzania who began school as an English language learner. Her experiences fuel her desire to interrogate and advocate for an expanded vision of what it means to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education.

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In today’s episode we connect with Carrie Mueller, the State Director for Best Buddies Iowa, as well as Gavin and Natasha, a Best Buddies pair. Carrie highlights why inclusion matters in schools and reminds us that everyone needs a friend. Gavin and Natasha share how Best Buddies has changed their lives and how focusing on fostering relationships has the potential to truly change the world.

Carrie Mueller is originally from Iowa and resides in Des Moines with her family and bestest cat in the whole wide world, Mr. Jinx. She's been involved in the nonprofit industry for the previous 8 years. She started as a Legislative Campaign Manager, then specialized in events and community outreach. Most recently she serves as State Director for Best Buddies Iowa supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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In today’s episode we sit down with Dr. Stuart Ablon. Dr. Ablon highlights the importance of empathy when trying to understand where behaviors are coming from. When the system is exhausted and stressed, a vulnerability exists to shift into highly punitive and compliant based consequences. Dr. Ablon teaches us that the issue many of us are facing with our students is that there is a large gap between the skills they are showing up with versus the expectations they are required to meet.

Dr. Ablon is the Founder and Director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the author of three books, including Changeable, Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach, and The School Discipline Fix. One of the world’s top-rated thought-leaders and keynote speakers, Dr. Ablon teaches educators, parents, clinicians, managers, and leaders a very different approach to understanding and addressing challenging behavior of all types and in all people. Dr. Ablon has helped hundreds of organizations throughout the world implement the Collaborative Problem Solving approach.

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Welcome to Season 2 of Education Suspended! In our first episode of the new season we sit down and talk with the students of AUL Denver. They share their experiences and stories as students and highlight how important a personalized approach is to education. The students address what they would change about our educational system to make it truly equitable and have a consistent theme about the power of relationships in the learning environment.

A huge thank you to Jen Jackson, the principal of AUL Denver for allowing us to come into your school! To the student’s we interviewed, we are so grateful for your stories. And to the teachers of AUL, we hope you know how amazing you are! AUL Denver is a Denver Public Schools charter high school. To learn more about their amazing work visit them at auldenver.org.

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In our final episode of Season One we connect with Karynecia Conner. We explore the world of Urban Education and discuss how important it is to develop an appreciation for the dynamic wealth of knowledge students bring into the classroom. Karynecia shares with us different activities she uses when teaching teachers and challenges us to start becoming uncomfortable and acknowledge we are all on a learning curve.

Karynecia Conner, is a Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction candidate specializing in Urban Education and policy reform cognate at Baylor University. She is passionate about research and engaging preservice teachers in Culturally relevant pedagogy. Karynecia is the curricular designer of a preservice teacher education course entitled, social issues in education laboratory and a team lead of Instructors teaching the course.

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In this episode we have a great conversation with April Prescott about the benefits of mindfulness in the learning environment. April highlights how mindfulness promotes a contemplative lens and a sense of curiosity, both which are so important in the learning process. She shares that while strategic “mindful moments” during the day are helpful, a true mindful classroom is one that doesn’t have planned moments and functions in the moments as they come. We also dive into the question “what does it really mean to educate a child?”

April is the Inclusive Education Coordinator at Aboriginal Head Start in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She joined Head Start after 10 years of teaching preschool for children who experience hearing loss. In addition to her advocacy work at Head Start, April is a Yoga Teacher and is a guest instructor for Peaceful World Yoga in Colorado, focusing on bringing trauma-informed practice to yoga teaching. April also enjoys her work as a guest lecturer at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education where she educates pre-service teachers on the importance of a trauma-informed lens in the classroom.

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In today’s episode we connect with Dr. Sarah Bexell. Sarah teaches us about Humane Education and how it can promote equity in education and create safety within our relationships with humans, animals, and the environment. We explore the role attachment to place has on students and how it influences us. We also highlight how attachment to place can strengthen attunement and in turn promote learning. Sarah shares that teaching students to understand the need for individual personal care for all living things can have significant influences on their social and emotional growth.

Sarah M. Bexell, PhD is the Director of Humane Education with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection and Clinical Associate Professor with the Graduate School of Social Work, both at the University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA. Bexell is also a faculty member teaching Animal Protection for the Institute for Humane Education-Antioch University New England and Senior Advisor to the Education Department of the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Pandas, China. She teaches and does research in the areas of environmental and social sustainability and animal protection.

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In this episode we connect with Chris Joffe. Since Covid-19, our schools have seen an increase in risk assessments and we talk about what needs to be the focus as we continue to plan for our recovery. Chris highlights why working the whole community is so powerful. Themes of connection and relationships are paramount to him and his company as they train schools from that perspective and he explains why that matters. We also dive into the idea of having “connection assessments” instead of “risk assessments.

Chris Joffe is the founder and CEO of Joffe Emergency services, a safety consulting company that leads the nation’s schools, businesses, and events in lifesaving and disaster preparedness. Through his commitment to that mission and his leadership, Joffe Emergency Services has become the leader in school safety programs. Chris began his profession in Emergency Medical Services and studied paramedicine at UCLA and technology, business and integrated design at the University of Southern California (USC). Chris has helped protect millions of lives since 2007 based on the simple belief that people have the power to save lives through education and training.

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In this episode we sit down with poet, Lindsay Young, and explore all the ways poetry can come alive in the classroom and the benefits it brings. Lindsay highlights how poetry is an amazing creative outlet for students. It can support students in working through their emotions and stories by attaching them to words and providing a space for reflection. We also connect how this medium can enhance the learning environment and provide ways teachers can begin using this medium in their classroom.

Lindsay Young is a poet from Long Island, New York. Lindsay was crowned a 2018 NUPIC (National Underground Poetry Individual Competition) Co-Champion. She is the author of “Salt to Taste” and “In Your Absence”, which was the winner of the 3rd Annual Backbone Press Chapbook Competition in 2021. She currently works as a freelance poet and workshop facilitator, and is getting her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.

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Today we connect with Dr. Matt Dewar and dive into why social emotional learning is necessary to create an optimal learning environment. Matt highlights how breathwork can help teachers prompt regulation in their classrooms. Our brains are always learning and changing, due to neuroplasticity, and ensuring they are at a place learning can happen is virtually important. We also explore why it feels that schools and districts are always in problem solving mode.

Dr. Dewar teaches educators how to Transform Stress into Strength™ through research-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence protocols. Motivated by his own personal struggle with anxiety as a young adult and informed by almost two decades of teaching mindfulness and emotional intelligence in schools, Matt's message is simple: Through increased awareness, knowledge, and skill, you have the ability to transform stress and adversity into emotional strength and resilience. He is also the author of The Mindful Breathing Workbook for Teens (2021) and Education and Well-Being: An Ontological Inquiry (2016).

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Join us as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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In today’s episode, we connect with Nelba and explore elements that are necessary for healing. The last year and a half our schools have been themed with grief and loss. Nelba shares her insights and connects the important role educators play in helping students find a safe place to heal.

Nelba Márquez-Greene is a Marriage and Family Therapist and the founder of The Ana Grace Project. She founded The Ana Grace Project in 2013 as a response to the school shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., in 2012, which took the life of her daughter, Ana Grace Márquez-Greene. The Ana Grace Project is dedicated to promoting love, community, and connection for every child and family through three lead initiatives: partner schools, professional development, and music and the arts.

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In this episode, we dive into why teaching the science behind brain breaks, calm corners, etc. matters with Ignacio Rodriguez Jr. He shares his own personal journey and how that impacts the work he does today and inspires him to create a strong sense of community within his classroom, school, and community. Ignacio also highlights the importance of paying attention to words we use to describe students and behaviors.

Ignacio Rodriguez Jr. is an Austin, Texas native who has devoted the past five years to a career in education within the Austin Independent School District. He is the lead educator in the Social Behavioral Skills classroom at Walnut Creek Elementary.

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In this interview we sit down with Dr. Helen E. Lees and explore the role silence can play in education to enhance the learning environment and give agency back to our students. Our schools and classrooms are so loud, and bringing moments of prescriptive silence has such capacity to create an optimal educational setting.

Dr. Helen E. Lees is a British writer, educator, independent scholar, journalist and artist whose work explores topics such as alternative education, silence and sexuality. She is an associate research fellow at York St John University in England. Her books include Education Without Schools: Discovering Alternatives and Silence in Schools.

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Music For Your Mental Health (MFYMH) is a unique program guided by Grammy-nominated music producers and therapists, fostering the creation of music as a therapeutic tool for youths 4 to 18. This episode explores the connection music brings to us and how it can flex and bend to meet us who we are today.

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Join us for as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

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As the Director of Education at the Homeless Families Foundation, Dr. Jermaine Kennedy is responsible for developing positive youth enrichment programming for marginalized and vulnerable youth. He also cultivates partnerships with community leaders, organizations, and agencies to share community knowledge and current needs in the nonprofit sector to educate young people and provide stability for families.

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RE/SCRIPTED came to be when Dr. Stephanie McCall and Caitlin found the opportunity to try something new and enact the ideas they conjured together many years ago. Stephanie and Caitlin met at Teachers College, Columbia University, and discovered they had many shared investments in gender-specific education and a shared urgency for more critical and feminist thinking in curricular spaces. Each had many years of teaching, learning and leading in single-sex schools, pro-girl non-profits, health and sexuality programming, and non-profit community education. Inspired by their deep networks of feminist accomplices and mentors, they decided to build this feminist education consulting practice. RE/SCRIPTED has long been in the making.

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BeRhythmic Practices: Luke Graner

Luke is the founder of Be Rhythmic, a program and philosophy focused on creating and teaching simple, engaging, rhythmic practices and regulation strategies. We may not all be musically gifted, but Luke believes we can all learn to Be Rhythmic. He has created an ever expanding series of rhythm patterns and interactive activities to help promote regulation and learning through repetition, movement and expression for children, teens, adults, parents, and educators. 

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BeRhythmic Practices: Luke Graner