Season 4, Episode 3 (Part 1. )

Season 4 Ep. 1

There’s a good word and then there’s an awesome spoken word. This episode features the linguistic stylings of Andre Bradford aka S C Says. He’s a poet and spoken word artist who has become a darling in independent schools, colleges and universities nation-wide. Our jaunt over these two episodes takes us into his career, his views on the social condition and is bookended with a couple of his dopest pieces!

Enjoy parts 1 and 2 of the episode that was recently published in the Independent School Magazine. The STRAIGHT A’s spin through a wide range of topics and inside jokes as they conclude Season 3.

Enjoy parts 1 and 2 of the episode that was recently published in the Independent School Magazine. The STRAIGHT A’s spin through a wide range of topics and inside jokes as they conclude Season 3.

Enjoy two #LoveLetters written by two independent school professionals. Written to illustrate the depth of commitment and occasional disappointment.

STRAIGHT A’s podcast co-host Andre’ Withers was invited to be a guest on the podcast of the National Association of Independent Schools. Enjoy the listen as Andre’ and Scott Donaldson get after it in a wide-ranging interview.

STRAIGHT A’s podcast co-host Andre’ Withers was invited to be a guest on the podcast of the National Association of Independent Schools. Enjoy the listen as Andre’ and Scott Donaldson get after it in a wide-ranging interview.

After a quick convo about school resources, Amani and Andre’ interviewed Jenn Kamara, the founder of Colorful, a digital multicultural curriculum for elementary and middle school kids. Jenn’s personal and professional paths have led her to forgoing the corporate sector and proceed to launch her own entrepreneurial education venture. Prior to Colorful, Jenn supported digital health startups solving for a lack of patient diversity in clinical trials and radiology as a product marketing manager. Before that, Jenn used her Chemical Engineering undergrad degree and drug development experience to found a non-profit that helped improve maternal healthcare in her home country of Sierra Leone, which used to be the worst place in the world to be a mother.

The continued convo between all four of your favorite podcast co-hosts covering issues and topics varied and irrelevant!

With no shortage of opinions, the co-hosts of the pod return with our signature series, “The Chop Up”! Enjoy part 1 of this two part series where we pontificate and laugh our way through more independent school topics and issues.

This episode looks at the entrepreneurial and pedagogical aspects of designing programs to speak to the ever-evolving needs of adult learners and eventual leaders. Patrick Schuermann is an assistant professor of the practice of educational leadership and public policy at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Patrick created and directs the new Master’s in Independent School Leadership program at Peabody College – an innovative program that draws on experts across the higher education and independent school community in Tennessee and beyond. For the past four years, Patrick has served as the director of Vanderbilt’s Abu Dhabi Leadership Development project, and founded the Tennessee / Shanghai shared leadership initiative. He is a member of the Gates Foundation project studying the ways leaders use teacher effectiveness data to make critical human capital decisions and has developed several policy manuals and tools to support this work.

Season II: Ep. 6

In a fun but probing round robin, the hosts of the pod discuss the rationale and motivation behind their leadership and the work of independent schools.

Episode 2 of 2 of the STRAIGHT A's discussing COVID-19. In this episode, Abe and Andre' chop it up with one another discussing self-care and altered routines because of the quarantine.

In episode 1 of 2 devoted to discussing COVID-19 , the full complement of the STRAIGHT A’s crew sits down to talk about what’s happening across the landscape of schools as they transition to distance learning. Permalink

Another day and another snap shot of experiences. This time with a conference attendee.

Cinnamon Spear is a Northern Cheyenne woman, writer and filmmaker. She lives in Lame Deer, Montana and lived nearly seven years in New Hampshire earning the B.A. and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degrees from Dartmouth College. She is the first and only student from Lame Deer High School to receive an Ivy League education. Her work is a direct response to American misrepresentation and cultural appropriation, and provides a true sense of her history and people. More recently, she utilized documentary filmmaking in her home community as the focus of her Master’s thesis. Pursuing higher education in the eastern United States has provided challenges for cultural participation as a Cheyenne woman, because indigenous spiritualties are place-based; post-undergrad, Art and Abe sit with Cinnamon Spear for a conversation about the story of indigenous peoples. Cinnamon lived in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and developed spiritually with her Oglala Lakota relatives, historic allies of the Northern Cheyenne.

A lengthy discussion about the observations and things overheard during the conference.

This episode was recorded while on site in Seattle, WA at NAIS’ People of Color Conference.