Have you ever wondered if one of your students is capable of murder? Well, what if you knew that your entire class had committed violent crimes,? How would you build a positive classroom culture with that knowledge? Dawn Matthews-Nichols has been teaching since 1987 in a variety of settings with “emotionally disturbed” youth. She’s seen education from the margins and … Read More
44 – Identity-Affirming Curriculum for Black Youth (w Kaya Henderson)
Traditional curriculum does not situate Black youth in a positive light and Kaya Henderson is on a quest to do something about it. Kaya is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016 and as the co-host of “Pod Save the People” podcast. Now, she is the co-founder and CEO of Reconstruction, a technology company … Read More
Activating Agency to Grow Readers
Why do so many teenagers hate reading? Renowned author and Literacy advocate Penny Kittle believes it has everything to do with a lack of “book love” and that teachers have the capacity to ignite it. On the episode, she connects with Natalie to discuss how to expose students to a wide variety of books, conference to unlock the reading life, … Read More
Decolonization, Love and Witnessing at Mill Bay Nature School (Cayla Brown & Kim Ondrik)
In the simplest of terms, decolonization means moving from a triangle to a circle. From a hierarchy to a community. In the episode, Natalie joins the Head Learner of the Mill Bay Nature School, Kim Ondrik, and the Smuqw’a’ (middle years) Clan Leader, Cayla Brown, to learn how they are building a decolonized school together through love and witnessing. Show … Read More
Narrating the Learning Journey using Self-Assessment & Portfolios (w Katie White)
Too often, self-assessment is treated as a capstone, rather than a catalyst, and portfolios as a scrapbook, rather than a learning tool. On this episode, we go beyond the mistakes we’ve made with self-assessment and portfolios to discover how they can help students tell the story of their learning. Katie White is a Canadian author, consultant, and leader, and she … Read More
