Ep. 119: Manifest A Mask & Other Nonsense Educators Are Expected to Do

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EQ: If society believes that having students attend  in-person schooling is so critical, why didn’t they do anything to make it safe and sustainable?


In this episode, Megan and Hope discuss the dire conditions in which educators and students are facing upon the return to school. As per usual, they try to dig into some of the arguments for the in-person vs. remote learning debate and hold multiple truths at the same time. Namely, we all know high quality in-person instruction is ideal but in-person schooling has hella flaws & leaves kids out all the time AND remote learning has hella flaws and leaves kids out too. BOTH can be empowering. BOTH can be meaningful. BOTH can be racist, inequitable and garbage for students and the teachers. One of our biggest concerns is that districts lack plan Bs, Cs, and Ds. The needs, desires, and health of teachers matters. They are people whose lives matter. Just because they are teachers does not mean that they surrender their humanity.

Related articles:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Buy some rapid tests for your favorite school teachers

  • Write to your local school board members about going remote during a search and creating clear plans for thresholds to school closures/return to in-person learning.

Ep. 109: Back to School, Mail Bag Edition

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EQ: What concerns, questions, ideas, or fears do you have for the upcoming school year?

Today’s episode is the start of our Back to School series. First, we’re going to discuss listeners' ideas, concerns, questions, and fears shared with us. We appreciate everyone who took the time to send us your thoughts.

Then, we’re going to  record an episode specifically targeting educators returning to the classroom--we’ll dig into creative ideas and ideally leave you with some hope & inspiration for the weeks ahead. Lastly, we’ll dive into the anatomy of a school district and levers of power with a guest who is a teacher, union activist, and school board member! We’re really excited for the episodes ahead.

This conversation is an exploration of what “normal” school years mean and what our listeners are thinking about as we head into fall. While we may not be full-blown quaranteaching, we are returning to school this fall with a pandemic hovering over our shoulders. 

Related Sources:

A special thanks to all our listeners who contributed to this conversation via Slack, Twitter, and Facebook. We appreciate your engagement!

Ep. 95: IWL Crossing--On Returning To School in Tacoma

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Tacoma Public Schools plans to return all grades to some in-person classroom teaching next month. Frankly, the “plans” sound more like “wishes,” “hopes,” “fingers crossed,” “it sure would be nice…” So, what do teachers think about that, and what should parents be asking?

Megan, Hope, and Auntie Evelyn join up again to discuss the latest news on the return to school for Tacoma Public Schools. There are only three months left in the school year–do we use them for something entirely new (which could be a super-spreader event daily), or use the time to get everything organized so that schools really can be on track to return in the fall? It’s not an easy question to answer, and well-intentioned people will have wildly different opinions based on risks, family situations, and experience.

Relevant Readings:

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Call/email the City Council

  • Call/Email the school board

  • Call/email the Superintendent Carla Santorno—csantor@tacoma.k12.wa.us

    • Deputy Superintendent Josh Garcia—jgarcia2@tacoma.k12.wa.us

  • Post on Social media and tag the school district and Superintendent.

  • Get your friends to do the above

Ep. 84: This is Where We're At

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EQ:  How can you, through the Trauma that is 2020, navigate figuring out what you can and can’t control and find the strength and persistence to change the things you can?

In this episode Hope & Megan recap ideas from episode 80 “Back to School Coronavirus Edition” and the predictions we had about returning to school. Now, weeks into the school year it’s apparent no one knows what they’re doing and we’re all barely holding on by a thread. Teachers, students, and families alike are trying to maintain some semblance of sanity with the ever shifting tide of expectations. With basically no leadership from the Federal Government and varied support from local leadership, the stress and trauma from living in the Rona Era continues to escalate. The conversation runs the gamut of topics including why we should/shouldn’t have in-person teaching, how we are trying to focus on what we can control and how we are finding slivers of joy in the midst of a pandemic. 

We hope that educators listening will feel a sense of solidarity and perhaps walk away from this with a few ideas for your own instructional practice. We also hope that for listeners not in education, this conversation shines some light on what is happening. 

Champagne and Real Pain:

🥂 All of the teachers out there that have been showing up the best they can, with all odds against them, and doing the damn thing.

👎🏻 Real Pain to 2020 man… like, why won’t it stop? Also, to the governor of Texas for an egregious block on Texans' right to vote.

Do Your Fudging Homework:

  • Megan: Go outside and get away from screens. Give your brain a break. Do it. You’ll like it. I promise.

  • Hope: Build in some time to escape or do something that brings you joy even if you feel it will put you further behind.