068 – S3 E5 – "I am because we are. If you don't work well with others, figure it out. How can you connect more dots? Who can you build with?" - Charli

homeroom is an international podcast bridging the education gap between the classroom and the living room by starting conversations impacting the next generation. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Charli Kemp, an educator and social impact-maker, about her high school memories of selling candy, evading tardy sweeps by hanging out in the counselor’s office, and negotiating her grades with her teachers…before becoming an educator herself. We talk about her nonlinear journey of discovering her place in education including stops at USC to earn her MBA, and Harvard to earn her doctorate in education leadership. We also discuss her philosophy on academic and economic success, and why connection and collaboration are the ultimate keys to it. Check out our conversation, join our ongoing discourse on social media, and subscribe for more. https://www.instagram.com/homeroomed You can also find a computer-generated transcript of our episode at https://www.homeroomed.com — Charli believes “music is the universal language of the soul” and a panacea for societal problems. She is a curator of transformative, musical-learning experiences that empower individuals to create positive systemic change. Utilizing education as a vehicle for activism, Charli is driven in her desire to end inequitable systems, to create opportunities and access for underserved communities. With Change The Tune, she seeks to reimagine the learning space by creating revolutionary extended learning spaces that provide radical and transformational learning experiences in partnership with communities. Previously, Charli worked for Green Dot Public Schools, where she developed the organization’s first social-emotional learning framework. Before earning her MBA in 2014 from the University of Southern California, Charli was a Teach For America Fellow and taught middle school mathematics and science in New York City for five years. As a teacher, she built strong communal relationships while helping her schools to reimagine their extended learning programming. Charli Kemp received her BA from Spelman College, and recently finished her doctorate in education leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.instagram.com/changethetune Rée is a visual storyteller and educator exploring the consequences that mass education has on creativity, identity, and interpersonal connection. https://www.instagram.com/theinterdisciplinarian — References Animal Farm by George Orwell (Wikipedia article)