Pedagogy of the Obsessed

Adam and Jim get REAL talk with Kathryn Boudett, leader of the Data Wise Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She shares her experiences leading a long standing organization to consider how it addresses issues of race, equity, and leadership and how to make that work an explicit part of the culture of the organization.

This episode features:

• Kathryn Boudett, Data Wise Project and Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education @DataWiseHarvard
• Jim Mercer, former principal
• Adam Parrott-Sheffer, former principal
• Our good friend Mariel's laugh

Lance Huffman, former principal, takes the reins of how we support new teachers with stories from the challenges of the first year. Features insights from:

• Stephen Mahoney, Associate Director of the Harvard Teacher Fellows and Founding Principal of Springfield Renaissance
• Mariel Novas, Director of District & School Partnerships with Teach for America
• Shanna Peeples, 2015 National Teacher of the Year and Author of Think Like Socrates
• Keri Randolph, Former Assistant Superintendent of Innovation
• Edna Varner, Principal Coach and Mentor in Chatanooga

Jim Mercer goes on a hunt to find districts committed to growing their own leaders. After sharing his own experiences, Jim speaks with:

• Jolie DeLoreto Hardin- Director of Leadership Development for Henry County
• Bonnie Lo- Former Director of Principal Leadership, San Francisco Unified School District
• Karen Maldonado- Executive Director Strategy & Support for Advanced Leadership, New York City Department of Education (via written correspondence)

Jim also shares Vivien Stewart's School Leadership Around the World published in ASCD

Adriana Chavarin-Lopez investigates the literature on sustaining school leaders and the trauma of the role. Finding little, she connects with practitioners for strategies to keep strong leaders in the profession. Guests include:

• Deborah Jewell-Sherman, former superintendent of Richmond Public Schools and author of Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day: School Leaders Who are Making Equity a Reality
• David Baiz, former school principal in New York
• Stefan Lallinger, former school principal in Louisiana
• Bonnie Lo, former director of principal support in California
• Jim Mercer, former school principal in Georgia
• Cyn Rosario, former founding school principal in New York

High quality early learning and childcare are huge challenges for families across the United States. Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Principal Coach and Former District Administrator for Early Childhood, explores the issue with:

• Adriana Chavarin-Lopez, Former Principal and Assistant Director Head Start and State Preschool Program
• Kimberley LaRaviere, Early Childhood Teacher
• James Mercer, Former Principal and Kindergarten Teacher
• Keri Randolph, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation
• Tom Weber, Commissioner of Massachusetts Early Education and Care

In this episode, Shanna Peeples gets REAL with former Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. about race, equity and leadership in schools.

Dr. John B. King Jr. refers to the following resources that are worth further reading.

20 Judgements a Teacher Makes in 1 Minute and 28 Seconds by Jill Barshaw in the Hechinger Report

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (soon to be a movie)

Shanna Peeples, 2015 National Teacher of the Year and Author of Think Like Socrates, explores what makes a teacher. Guests include:

• Joanne Golann, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University
• Lance Huffman, School Principal
• Daniel Katz, Chair of Educational Studies at Seton Hall University
• Doug Lemov, Managing Director at Uncommon Schools and Author of Teach Like a Champion
• Jal Mehta, Associate Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Keri Randolph, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation
• Ray Schleck, School Principal

Special Appearance by Taco Bell.

Welcome to Pedagogy of the Obsessed. In anticipation of our launch on September 24, 2018 at noon, Adam, Adriana, Jim, and Shanna sat down a talked about where this all began and where we hope to go. Wherever these stories take us, we look forward to the company, old and new, along the way.

• Part One: Introduction- Origin Stories
• Part Two: Start with Why
• Part Three: How Did We Get Here?

This is Pedagogy of the Obsessed where we connect listeners to the heart of what is going on in schools, provide context on the issues through interviews with those doing the work and engage followers in a discussion on how to act to support kids.

We pose the problems of human beings in their relations with the world.