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Rebel Teachers Rising
Even before the pandemic lock-downs, American teachers from sea to shining sea reported a critical shortage of teachers within their ranks, and have watched in horror at the crippling levels of greed, arrogance, apathy, and ignorance at every level of K-12 educational governance. While embattled teachers have continued to try in vain to draw attention to the issues, our leaders have failed to acknowledge the problems at all. But since covid, the nation’s teachers have borne witness to a break neck hastening pace of this downward spiral–and a total avoidance of a conversation from our leaders.
This a-political podcast, created and produced exclusively by teachers, gets into the nitty gritty details of why teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and uncovers huge contributing structural problems baked into the teaching profession which are not discussed or understood even within the K-12 educational world, which also explain why so much of what is done in K-12 is ineffective. These desperate, passionate, highly qualified teachers use this podcast series to insert teachers forcefully into the national conversation about the critical issues plaguing K-12 education, because no one else was letting them in–a fact which belies a central thesis about the roots of the problems discussed throughout the episodes. Listeners will be gripped by the reality that without substantial reforms which empower teachers to lead the work, the inevitable result is a collapse of our very ability to effectively self-govern–a process which they argue is already well underway.
Listen as they describe the problems in teacher pay, teacher preparation requirements, special education, climate and culture, reading instruction, the false promise of existing DEI based frameworks in K-12, and the problems inherent in outsourced canned curriculums. Become a part of the solution as they outline a framework to authentically fix these problems, which require all hands on deck from both inside and outside of K-12 education.
Rebel Teachers Rising
31. The DEI Mess Part III: The Intersection of Racial and Gender Equity Issues in K-12 Education
This episode of the Rebel Teachers Rising podcast is about the intersection of gender and race in K-12 schools. In this important episode, Manuela Allen, a high school teacher and advocate for an intersectional approach to equity, discusses her work and experiences. Topics covered in this episode include Title IX implementation issues, the lack of awareness and training on gender equity, and the pervasive challenges faced by marginalized students, especially girls and African American females. This episode delves into the need for better reporting mechanisms for sexual harassment and abuse in schools, the role of male privilege, and the conspicuous absence of gender equity in education frameworks. Lastly, it calls for greater solidarity among teachers and the necessity of male allies in addressing these systemic issues.
00:00 Introduction to the Episode
00:08 Meet Mani: A Champion for Equity
01:16 Challenges in Gender Equity
02:50 The Reality of Sexual Harassment in Schools
06:28 Intersectionality in Equity Efforts
07:28 Mani's Advocacy and Friendship with Trina
12:30 Addressing Sexual Harassment and Abuse
21:45 Mindful Communication in the Classroom
34:32 Misogyny in Media and Culture
44:13 Adultification of Black and Brown Girls
45:24 Navigating Dress Codes and Self-Esteem
46:44 Advocating for Non-Sexist Dress Codes
48:54 Period Equity in Schools
49:54 Challenges in Implementing Period Equity
51:19 Swimming and Periods: A Controversial Policy
52:13 Understanding Tampon Myths
53:10 The Impact of Periods on Academic Performance
53:41 Addressing Sexual Harassment in K-12
54:23 The Toxic Culture of Blaming Victims
55:25 Title IX and Sexual Harassment Training
56:34 The Role of Title IX Coordinators
57:20 The Importance of Reporting Sexual Abuse
58:19 The Consequences of Ignoring Sexual Abuse
01:03:09 The Need for Male Allies in Advocacy
01:03:43 Cultural Differences in Gender-Based Oppression
01:04:48 The Problem of Siloed School Districts
01:05:39 Teacher Pay and Oppression
01:07:19 Defining Sexual Harassment and Abuse
01:09:11 The Legal Obligations of Schools
01:13:25 The Importance of Reporting and Training
01:23:43 Conclusion: The Need for Change
www.rebelteachersrising.com
Petition to Save K-12 Schooling and our Precious Democracy!
