#29 | Diary of a Confused Educator: A Book for Teachers 21 Years in the Making

Author: Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask
Published: Tue 20 May 2025
Episode Link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/episodes/29--Diary-of-a-Confused-Educator-A-Book-for-Teachers-21-Years-in-the-Making-e334ft7

A rush of memories are flowing through my head. They’ve arrived for one reason in particular - on May 28th, 2025, I’m releasing a book that I’ve been dreaming of writing for 15 years. And though it’s been 15 years, the book is really 21 years in the making - 21 years as an educator.

I’m going to read three passages from different stages of my teaching career - selected because this book release has sparked a these particular memories. The last passage is from the upcoming book, “Diary of a Confused Educator.”

(0:00) Class in session

(1:15) Book announcement, and my experience teaching at a well-resourced school while my heart was still in Oakland

(15:30) First reading - My first day and my first semester ever as a teacher

(20:00) Second reading - The founding document of the Ever Forward Club - inviting students to join a school club

(30:50) Third reading - “The Five Paragraph Essay” - chapter 4 from my new book “Diary of a Confused Educator”

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