Teaching Fiercely: Why Teachers Need Autonomy to Transform Schools

What does it look like to lead with both ferocity and grace, and why do so many teachers forget that admitting your feelings isn't the same as admitting defeat?In Part 2 of my S5E43 Schoolutions conversation, I continue my conversation with Cornelius Minor⁩  (author of We Got This) and Dr. Kass Minor (author of Teaching Fiercely), co-founders of The Minor Collective. We discuss why grace and ferocity are twin concepts and how embracing emotional vulnerability is actually a mark of true strength. We also talk about what sustains teachers through hard times, what school leadership really looks like when it's built around empowered educators, and how marveling at the children right in front of you can change everything.You'll learn:→ Why grace is ferocity's twin and what "speculative grace" means for inclusive teaching→ How admitting your feelings builds real community (Cornelius's unforgettable skateboard story)→ What instructional leadership looks like when it centers authentic learning conversations→ Why every teacher, coach, and caregiver must claim the title of knower→ Cornelius's two-step summer practice: witness a young person, then marvelKass and Cornelius also share what it's like to co-found The Minor Collective while raising two daughters together, and what their marriage teaches them about community, humility, and beautiful chaos.💫Check out Part 1 & some resources mentioned:➡️ We Got This by Cornelius Minor➡️ Teaching Fiercely by Dr. Kass Minor➡️ The Minor Collective➡️ The Will to Change by bell hooks (on change)➡️ On Re-Finding Ferocity: When there are no more lines to hold➡️ Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire➡️ Emma Goldman➡️ Zaretta Hammond➡️ Sankofa (Akan concept)Chapters:0:00 Intro: Grace, ferocity, and keeping hope alive in hard times1:45 What does it mean to refind your ferocity?3:30 Sankofa: drawing fuel from ancestors and looking back to move forward5:30 Grace is ferocity's twin; rethinking what sustains teachers6:45 Cornelius's skateboard story: Joe, Malcolm, and admitting your feelings9:30 Vulnerability in instructional leadership: what it really looks like11:30 Curriculum inquiry conversations and the ecosystem of learning14:00 The Minor Collective at home; co-creating a life and a mission17:30 Beauty and chaos: what partnership and marriage teach about community20:00 Can you ever turn the work off? On the personal and professional being enmeshed22:00 Lessons from outside the US; listening to children and honoring what they bring24:30 Who gets to be a knower? Why teachers must claim their expertise28:00 The evolution of coaching: dialogic, facilitative, and side by side29:30 Where does hope live? The tweens, the teens, and thrifting32:00 Two steps for summer: witness a young person and marvel34:30 Wrap-up + what's coming in season sixSchoolutions is the podcast for educators and school leaders, families and homeschoolers, and the coaches, counselors, and mentors who believe every student deserves to thrive. Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.🌿Ready to grow alongside your children? Book a coaching session with me here. We'll unlock the expert who is already within you and surround you with a community of educators committed to forever getting better through collective expertise.🎵 Music: Benjamin WahlDon't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE the episode!Next Week:  I'm doing something a little different. I'm sitting with the big ideas from this season; the threads that have run through every conversation, and I'm thinking out loud with you about what's coming. About a vision I am so passionate about, one that is at the heart of what Season 6 will be: For Teachers, By Teachers, and Forever Getting Better. That theme is close to my heart for many reasons, including a book I've been pouring myself into that's coming your way in spring 2027. I cannot wait to share more.#schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedstrategies #classroomreadystrategies #education #teachers #schoolculture #teachercoaching #instructionalcoaching #inclusiveteaching #culturallyresponsiveteaching #equityineducation #teachingfiercely #minorcollective #professionaldevelopment #schoolleadership #studentengagement #wholechild #grace #ferocity #marvel When teachers, coaches, administrators, and families grow together, they create schools where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged, supported, and ready to thrive.