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Black Teacher Matters

Black Teacher Matters

By Abdel Shakur

Abdel Shakur is a writer and teacher concerned with telling the stories of Black teachers. A Catalyst Chicago Classroom Story Slam winner and a 15 year veteran in the classroom, Abdel and his guests reflect on the power of Black folks engaged in the teaching art.

Holler at me @misstraknowitall
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Episode 1: Origin story of a Black teacher

Black Teacher MattersNov 29, 2020

00:00
42:49
Justin Fields, Pushouts, and Coaching Without Comfort

Justin Fields, Pushouts, and Coaching Without Comfort

Justin Fields gets a coach who won't allow comfort to get in the way of teaching.

Mar 21, 202405:09
Black Teacher Shorts: Sunni Ali on keeping it real with students.

Black Teacher Shorts: Sunni Ali on keeping it real with students.

"The kids know when something's wrong with you!" Sunni Ali talks about about the importance of listening and being authentic with students.

Mar 17, 202406:34
My class flies farther when I focus less on fuel and more on reducing friction.

My class flies farther when I focus less on fuel and more on reducing friction.

When we have problems with people, we tend to see fuel as a solution, but I fly farthest when I reduce friction.

Mar 08, 202406:27
Black Teacher Shorts: Steven Speight on his bee in the classroom protocol.
Feb 20, 202408:12
Hello, my name is Abdel and I'm a correction addict.

Hello, my name is Abdel and I'm a correction addict.

How do you get over an addiction to correction in order to create space for students to actually be their best selves?

Feb 09, 202406:41
Episode #16: Be in the Classroom with Kristen Gentry

Episode #16: Be in the Classroom with Kristen Gentry

How do you get a class full of nervous teenagers to write poems and share said poems with the entire class? Also, the brilliant Kristen Gentry, takes some time to talk about her amazing short story collection, Mama Said, and share her teaching wisdom.

Feb 01, 202450:06
Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller and the importance of sharing your creative self with students

Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller and the importance of sharing your creative self with students

Alan Miller, my high school English teacher, talks about the importance of maintaining a creative life while in the classroom. An excerpt from my interview in episode #1.

Jan 22, 202402:55
Black Teacher Shorts: Tamie Holmes on Black AP students who take care of each other in her class.

Black Teacher Shorts: Tamie Holmes on Black AP students who take care of each other in her class.

"I'm even more honored by the way they take care of each in their space." Tamie Holmes talks about how her Black AP students make community in her class. Excerpt from Episode 11

Jan 13, 202404:03
Episode 15: Be in the classroom with Dillin Randolph

Episode 15: Be in the classroom with Dillin Randolph

Passing out papers? Turning out the lights? Running errands? Remember those cool jobs from elementary school? Let me tell you how class roles in my high school class build community and make my job easier. Plus, I talk to a brilliant young educator English teacher, Dillin Randolph, about his Black Teacher journey.

Jan 04, 202444:22
Black Teacher Shorts: My uncle, Bill Jeter, on his father as a positive and negative teacher.

Black Teacher Shorts: My uncle, Bill Jeter, on his father as a positive and negative teacher.

My uncle, Bill Jeter, on his father as a positive and negative teacher.

Nov 02, 202303:41
The story of me getting over my Whiteness to give a Black girl a chance to be innocent in my class.

The story of me getting over my Whiteness to give a Black girl a chance to be innocent in my class.

"The secret to teaching Black girls does not involve solving their mystery like a puzzle. The secret to teaching Black girls is working on your internal puzzle, your internal Whiteness that causes you not to hold space for their Innocence for their questions."

Oct 13, 202311:60
Black Teacher Shorts: Ross Gay on the time his basketball coach told his dad to calm down at a game.

Black Teacher Shorts: Ross Gay on the time his basketball coach told his dad to calm down at a game.

Ross Gay on the time his basketball coach told his dad to calm down at a game. An excerpt from Episode 5

Sep 27, 202305:23
Black Teacher Shorts: Lacey Robinson on helping her grandmother learn to read

Black Teacher Shorts: Lacey Robinson on helping her grandmother learn to read

Lacey Robinson talks about how helping her grandmother learn to read helped her find her path to teaching. Excerpt from Episode 14

Sep 17, 202301:50
Episode 14: Be in the classroom with Lacey Robinson

Episode 14: Be in the classroom with Lacey Robinson

When is a seating chart more than a seating chart? I tell a story about internalized seating charts at the beginning of the year. UnboundED President and CEO Lacey Robinson talks about her new book Justice Seekers and the historical connection between Black self-determination and literacy.

Sep 07, 202351:50
Black Teacher Shorts: Matthew Kay on the Black Church as teacher training.

Black Teacher Shorts: Matthew Kay on the Black Church as teacher training.

How does Sunday school prepare Black folks to lead children in classrooms? Author and teacher Matthew Kay talks about how it influenced him. Excerpt from Episode 9.

Aug 24, 202306:33
Black Teacher Shorts: Tamie Holmes on Black learning in the community of Maywood

Black Teacher Shorts: Tamie Holmes on Black learning in the community of Maywood

Evanston Township High School teacher Tamie Holmes reflects on the supportive learning community in Maywood, Il that helped her grow.

Aug 14, 202305:26
Black Teacher Shorts: Alexs Pate on Innocence and the liberation of Black Teachers

Black Teacher Shorts: Alexs Pate on Innocence and the liberation of Black Teachers

Alexs Pate talks about how the journey to find a child's innocence can be liberating for Black teachers. "Your freedom is connected to their freedom." Outtake from episode 2: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/abdel-shakur6/episodes/Episode-2-Alexs-Pate--Innocence--and-Getting-to-the-Good-env2gq

Aug 04, 202303:52
Episode 13: Steven Speight be in the classroom

Episode 13: Steven Speight be in the classroom

I swear I was about to lose my job, but then a student helped me not lose my purpose. Plus, I talk to my ETHS colleague Steven Speight, a chemistry teacher who talks about an essential element to good science: community.

Jul 27, 202348:17
Black Teacher Shorts: Dr. Sunni Ali on Dr. Frances Cress Welsing and his Black scholar teachers at Howard University.

Black Teacher Shorts: Dr. Sunni Ali on Dr. Frances Cress Welsing and his Black scholar teachers at Howard University.

Dr. Sunni Ali discusses how he was influenced by the Black scholar teachers at Howard University. From episode 10 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/WAcrvpGOuBb

Jul 17, 202305:08
Black Teacher Shorts: Ross Gay talks about his Aunt Butter and Uncle Bennett

Black Teacher Shorts: Ross Gay talks about his Aunt Butter and Uncle Bennett

Ross Gay grew up in a family of teachers, some in the classroom, some outside. He shares the lessons he learned in visits to his father's family in Youngstown, OH.

From Episode 5 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/29Tbi60HaBb

Jul 04, 202306:20
Black Teacher Shorts: Dear Black Child in the Hallway (without a pass)

Black Teacher Shorts: Dear Black Child in the Hallway (without a pass)

A poem about what it means to mind your business in the hallway. From episode 11. https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/bg57EwF9TAb

Jun 25, 202304:03
Black Teacher Shorts: My dad, chess, and the constellation of possibility.

Black Teacher Shorts: My dad, chess, and the constellation of possibility.

My dad, Gilgamesh, taught me how to love chess, but even more importantly how to love possibility.

Jun 15, 202301:60
Episode 12: Be in the classroom with Carlos Thomas

Episode 12: Be in the classroom with Carlos Thomas

It's the end of the year and I talk about the most important job a Black teacher has around this time: landing the daggone plane. Plus, I talk to Carlos Thomas, a fellow English teacher and phenomenal basketball coach, about the importance of standing on your square and helping students find their own.

Jun 04, 202340:49
Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson on a White student who has a major shift on race.

Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson on a White student who has a major shift on race.

Crystal Wilkinson talks about using Toni Morrison's Beloved to help a White student in Kentucky shift his view on race.

May 14, 202303:28
Black Teacher Shorts: Ganae McAlpin on the meaning of (d)emocratic Classroom Leadership

Black Teacher Shorts: Ganae McAlpin on the meaning of (d)emocratic Classroom Leadership

How do you use your authority to share power with your students so they can grow their own authority? Ganae talks about the Democratic Classroom Leadership philosophy. Find out more here: https://fullcircleleadership.org/democratic-classroom-leadership/

May 04, 202304:36
Episode 11: Be in the classroom with Tamie Holmes

Episode 11: Be in the classroom with Tamie Holmes

Why Black children are our business. In the classroom or in the hallway. And I talk to my colleague Tamie Holmes about creating organic communities of care in her classroom.

Apr 25, 202348:13
Black Teacher Shorts: I got punched by a teacher after I got kicked out of English class.

Black Teacher Shorts: I got punched by a teacher after I got kicked out of English class.

Exiled from Ms. Agawa's class, I visit on-campus suspension. And get punched by a teacher.

Apr 14, 202305:21
Black Teacher Shorts: The time I got kicked out of English class in high school.

Black Teacher Shorts: The time I got kicked out of English class in high school.

I was a high school junior, getting sent out of English class because I had a "cavalier attitude" towards my education.

Apr 10, 202307:26
Black Teacher Shorts: Alexs Pate on Innocence and his Black List Class Exercise
Mar 31, 202305:10
Black Teacher Shorts: Ganae McAlpin on Being a Black Parent and a Black Educator.

Black Teacher Shorts: Ganae McAlpin on Being a Black Parent and a Black Educator.

What's it like being a Black educator whose responsible for helping everyone else's kids learn while you're also trying to make sure your kids get the education they deserve. Ganae talks about the lessons she's learned helping her son navigate racism in school.

Mar 23, 202307:04
Episode 10: Be in the classroom with Dr. Sunni Ali

Episode 10: Be in the classroom with Dr. Sunni Ali

Does mindfulness make you anxious? Do you struggle with perfectionism, correction-ism? Boy do I have a story for you. I also talk to Dr. Sunni Ali, one of my OG educators and author of Lessons Learned: Critical Conversation in Hip Hop. 

Mar 12, 202338:32
Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller on recruiting Black students and nourishing souls.

Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller on recruiting Black students and nourishing souls.

A child should know the literary context of their people.  Alan Miller talks about recruiting Black students for advanced placement courses and the soul-nourishment he wants to cultivate in these spaces. This is an outtake from Episode 1.

Mar 04, 202307:28
Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson on what White students need from Black teachers.

Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson on what White students need from Black teachers.

What do White students need from Black teachers? Crystal Wilkinson talks about the importance of Black teachers on the lives and outlooks of White students. This is an outtake from Episode 3.

Jan 22, 202306:32
Black Teacher Shorts: Bill Jeter on teaching art at a school for the blind.

Black Teacher Shorts: Bill Jeter on teaching art at a school for the blind.

My uncle talks about lessons he learned from teaching art at a school for the blind. Outtake from Episode 4 (https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/2Kjvr719ywb)

Jan 13, 202304:21
Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller on the class where the grief-stricken guest artist meets the ill-timed dismissal bell.

Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller on the class where the grief-stricken guest artist meets the ill-timed dismissal bell.

Alan Miller on the class where the grief-stricken guest artist meets the ill-timed dismissal bell.

Jan 07, 202303:15
Episode 9: Be in the classroom with Matthew R. Kay

Episode 9: Be in the classroom with Matthew R. Kay

How do you cut through roast culture to help students see the good in themselves and each other? Here's a story about trying to answer that question with a room full of 6th grade boys on a hot summer day.  I also talk Matthew R. Kay, author of Not Light But Fire: Having Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom. 

Dec 29, 202247:29
Black Teacher Shorts: Alan Miller on June Jordan and Truth in the Classroom
Dec 17, 202203:40
Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson and the Minister of Math

Black Teacher Shorts: Crystal Wilkinson and the Minister of Math

Ever been captivated by a Black teacher? Crystal Wilkinson speaks on her son's math teacher, the Minister of Math. Outtake from Crystal Wilkinson's interview in episode 3.

Dec 09, 202202:56
Episode 8: Be in the classroom with Ganae McAlpin

Episode 8: Be in the classroom with Ganae McAlpin

What's it like teaching on Zoom during the January 6th insurrection? Let me tell you a story about how I learned to listen to my students who wanted to be empowered for justice. I also talk to one of my wisest colleagues at Evanston Township High School, Ganae McAlpin, about the powerful teachers who shaped her and creating democratic classroom communities. 

Dec 01, 202239:40
Episode 7: Be in the classroom with Ross Gay, Alexs Pate, Bill Jeter and Alan Miller.

Episode 7: Be in the classroom with Ross Gay, Alexs Pate, Bill Jeter and Alan Miller.

When a bee comes into your classroom, you have to decide how you will be. How we regard the disruption tells us something about ourselves. About the world's we're hoping to create in our classrooms. I tell about the disruption guns made to my class  during a lockdown last year. Ross Gay, Alexs Pate, Bill Jeter, and Alan Miller all give sage advice for dealing with bees in the classroom. 

Nov 01, 202226:06
Black Teacher Matters Season 2 Trailer

Black Teacher Matters Season 2 Trailer

Black Teacher Matters is about exploring what matters to Black teachers. This season, writer and teacher Abdel Shakur explores what happens when the sudden and unexpected appears, the bee in the classroom, the carefully laid plan laid to waste. If you love a good story and love to hear from and about Black teachers, join us. New episode November 1st.

Oct 30, 202201:14
Episode 6: Ross Gay, Nandi Comer, and Playing Games With Students

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

This episode is 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.

Oct 23, 202146:17
Episode 5: Ross Gay, Visionary Elbows, and The Amazing Aunt Butter

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

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.

Aug 13, 202150:25
Episode 4: Bill Jeter and Black Teacher Moves
Aug 04, 202140:52
Episode 3: Crystal Wilkinson, Making Space, and the Innocence of Black Girls

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

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

Jan 11, 202148:26
Episode 2: Alexs Pate, Innocence, and Getting to the Good
Dec 18, 202043:12
Black Teacher Matters Trailer

Black Teacher Matters Trailer

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.

Dec 02, 202002:08
Episode 1: Origin story of a Black teacher

Episode 1: Origin story of a Black teacher

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.

Nov 29, 202042:49