Good Trouble in the Classroom: Black Educators on Literacy, STEM, and Teaching for Liberation

What does it mean to teach toward liberation in a moment shaped by fear, standardization, and political pressure? In this episode of the Black Teacher Project Podcast, BTP’s Dr. Micia Mosely is joined by educators JaVaughn Hardaway and Dr. Cecelia Gillam for a reflective conversation on literacy, STEM, and centering humanity in classrooms never designed for Black thriving. From Indianapolis to New Orleans, the educators name the realities Black teachers face today: rigid pacing guides, narrowing curriculum, high-stakes testing, and systems that value compliance over connection. They challenge the idea that literacy is limited to phonics or test scores, expanding it to include critical consciousness, identity development, and the ability to read the world as well as the word. In STEM, they uplift teaching grounded in real-world relevance, curiosity, and joy, where students learn how to think, question, and imagine. The conversation affirms Black teachers as “good troublemakers” who understand when and how to disrupt harmful systems. Community, cohort learning, and wellness emerge as essential, reminding us that caring for oneself is inseparable from caring for students. Looking ahead, they draw on freedom dreams to imagine schools where learning is not reduced to points or labor preparation, multiple literacies are honored, and all children, especially Black and Brown ones, experience robust, joyful education.