Teacher Tales #21 – Teacher identity, “seasons” and permission slip to be human: Adrienne – Black female educator, influencer and culturally responsive teacher
In this episode, Adrienne, a black female educator in Georgia, takes us on a journey through the “seasons” of her teaching career…the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs. She explains how through the changing of these teaching seasons, she has had many personal and professional awakenings that have led her to have an intentional focus on self-help and self-care. She has learned to prioritize, to set boundaries, to join like-minded groups and to listen to podcasts for inspiration and guidance. Through this process, she has become acutely aware that we all, teachers, students, admin, etc., need to give ourselves more permission slips to be human. Adrienne no longer focuses solely on a single concept lesson, but rather develops lasting relationships and influences her students to find their identity through rich, deep, meaningful discussions and lessons that help them find their identity, their place in the community and their purpose and place of service in this world. As a black female educator in one of the most diverse schools in the country, Adrienne has become passionate about social justice, equity, diversity and culturally responsive teaching. Her greatest focus now is on the well-being of her students, the influence she has on their lives and being a caretaker and mentor to them all. That’s the BEST LESSON PLAN EVER!!! Thank you, Adrienne!