#22 | “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood” - w/ Justin Haas, Organizer, Educator, Anti-Oppressor Community Cultivator

“The kids are watching. The kids see everything. If you can act and model what type of person you want them to be, that’s going to be way better than teaching them about a person you want them to be. If you can be the one who’s vulnerable first, if you can show other emotions, if you can meet them half way emotionally, that may be an opportunity for them to let their guard down, for them to see connection, and then be able to attend to the work that you want them to do.”

Easier said than done? Well, spend some time with Justin Haas - Organizer, Educator, Reproductive Rights Advocate, Anti-Oppressor Community Cultivator. Take in his energy, and maybe it’ll all start to make sense. It’s not about how you “act” as a teacher; rather, it’s about how you “be.”

In this conversation, Justin masterfully articulates what it takes to be a great teacher. Today, we discuss:

1. How to see through the performative behaviors that take place in school (By the way, this applies to both students and teachers)

2. What it means (as a teacher) to love before you listen

3. Important considerations for those “white folks teaching in the hood”

(0:00) Class in session

(2:10) Justin introduces himself

(11:00) Justin and Ashanti’s teacher personas

(19:00) Being a member of the “White folks who teach in the hood” trope

(23:15) Love before you listen

(26:00) Tested by students in Sacramento

(32:00) Teachers need to have short-term memory loss

(46:00) Teaching during the Trump Administration

(53:00) Defunding the Department of Education and “States' Rights”

(1:06:00) Justin’s message for male educators

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Connect with Justin Haas:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-haas-231491229/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannotbeneutral/

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/

Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/

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