unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

We've been recruiting male educators to take part in our upcoming Young Men's Conference (details below), and the successes and difficulties in doing so have forced us to confront some important ques…

I travel around the world talking to young people and educators. To start the school year, I noticed a lot of young people were leaving their work blank during my workshops. What’s behind this? Somet…

Did you have a Black male teacher growing up? In high school? Middle school? Elementary school? The numbers go down as the grades get lower. But thankfully we have people like Jason.

Jason is an eleme…

Russell is a middle school music and movement educator, now entering his 20th year in the profession! And with so many years of experience in the field, he has a wealth of experience with teaching fr…

I guarantee this episode will make you a better teacher. Practical advice, explicit tools, a clear perspective, and a way to move throughout your school site with intention - our conversation with Ni…

This is essential listening to start the 2025-26 school year. And as an educator, you should be able to finish the title of this episode. If you can’t, you’re not doing an essential part of the work …

“We need safe spaces in which guys can drop into that boyhood, that kicking the ball, or throwing the ball, or goofing around and roughhousing with each other or telling jokes, whatever it is… Becaus…

“When we can look young people in the eye, and see who they are, and tell them that they matter, and show them a book, and spark their imagination, and be right there… That’s the thing. Going through…

“It’s been a very challenging time and my way of coping with this adversity has been through humor. I think a lot of people have been using humor as a coping mechanism because it’s a hard time, and y…

“Life is impermanent. And that doesn’t mean that we’re not important or what we contribute to life is not important. The institutions we create are not going to live forever. But the energy, the way …

Original Air Date: May 16, 2023

“What keeps me hopeful is our students. Our students and our youth, they’re fearless; they’re committed; they’re open-minded. They have always been the anchor to the wo…

Original air date: April 30th, 2024

Video Episode: https://youtu.be/-NwPW3-a688

@donofriend  or Donovan Taylor Hall, joins Ashanti Branch, a master educator with 20+ years of experience in schools, to …

Congratulations on another school year! As you enjoy the summertime, we have somewhat of a gift for you in anticipation of what's to come... A few things that will transform your classroom and your s…

It seems to be that more often in life, we find our selves in that vicious cycle of burning out, then numbing out, only to burnout and numb out even more. It's safe to say this especially applies to …

“If we give our children sound self-love, they will be able to deal with whatever life puts before them.”- bell hooks

Harry Jamerson teaches 5th grade in San Francisco Unified School District, and he …

As an educator in the community, how long is long enough? This past weekend was the Ever Forward Club’s Dance-A-Thon, the latest version of a community event that’s been going on every Memorial Day w…

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…

“If I want to be effective in this, I got to know what it feels like to be a body in pain - really - and wrestle with whatever pain is arising from me. Because if I’m not in touch with that, how can …

I recently attended RestorED: A Healing Experience for Educators - a collaboration between our nonprofit, the Ever Forward Club, and The Find Design, a nonprofit based in Nashville, Tennessee. During…

Here's an excellent way to build culture and create buy-in at your school/classroom: rites of passage. What rites of passage are appropriate for your students? What are some values to hone in on as y…