PODCAST · education
Just Conversations
by voicEd Radio
Two white high school English teachers meet to reflect on their journey to be antiracist educators. Melanie White and Amanda Potts talk about the decisions they make in the classroom and critically evaluate their teaching. These powerful conversations include book choices, canon, systemic racism, prejudice, poverty, social class, teacher efficacy, and more. In their pursuit of equity in the classroom, Melanie and Amanda open themselves to one another, and to you, the listener, since teaching is a shared experience.
Episodes
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Season 4: Episode 2 - Discussing Destreaming
Melanie and Amanda continue the conversation about destreaming in the classroom and how our practice has shifted as we continue to wrestle with the teaching of English in destreamed classes. As we respond to unique learners, we talk about the struggle to ensure student agency, the possibilities…
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Season 4: Episode 1 - Building Routines in Destreamed English
Melanie and Amanda presented 3 routines for building community in destreamed English at the summer conference for the English Language Arts Network of Ontario (ELAN). In this episode, they discuss the routines including the theory and practice of implementation while providing ways to personalize...
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Season 3: Episode 3 - Reading, Reflection, and Routines: How much is enough?
Melanie and Amanda discuss the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. They discuss We Got This by Cornelius Minor and other texts and the ways that their reading helps them consider student voice and respond in the classroom. Amanda asks, "How much is enough?" and they discuss ways that social...
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Season 3: Episode 2 - Destreaming Us
In this episode Melanie shares her appreciation for A Teacher's Guide to Mentor Texts by Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O'Dell and Amanda shares her interest in The Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel by reading an important quotation related to education. We then wrestle with the policies and ways...
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Season 3: Episode 1 - Planning for Destreaming English
With the destreaming of math at grade 9 in Ontario, we know that English classes will soon follow and many schools have been making small moves to destream by blending courses of Applied and Academic English. As we continue to learn and practice equity and apply the principles of social justice…
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Season 2: Episode 5 - A Conversation from Quadmester 3 of 2020-2021
As we prepare for Season 3 and record a few discussions, Melanie and Amanda find a recorded conversation that occurred between quadmester 3 and 4 of the 2020-2021 school year. In this intimate and honest conversation, they share struggles of antiracist work and the purpose behind their podcast -...
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Season 2: Episode 4 - A Conversation with a new teacher, Sabrina Kayed
Sabrina Kayed, a new teacher in the OCDSB, shares the ways that she incorporates her identities, interdisciplinary studies, and social justice into her high school science teaching. She candidly discusses her activism, the pressures she faces as a new teacher to conform, and the benefits of...
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Season 2: Episode 3 - Responding to Questions on Twitter
Amanda noticed a threaded discussion on Twitter after Melanie posted some student work. There were challenging comments which raised important emotions. Here they acknowledge and try to work through their responses in this short but intimate episode.
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Season 2 - Episode 2 - Community Work: Equity in Challenging Times
The overlapping disruption of the pandemic, being called out publicly, and converting to a quadmester and hybrid model has Melanie and Amanda struggling with massive social change. They consider creating community with students, granting more grace to one another, and to call in colleagues to the...
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Season 2: Episode 1 Preparing for School with Lessons in Equity and Social Justice
Melanie and Amanda invite Tobi Hunt-McCoy into a discussion about summer webinars, what they've learned, and what they want to bring into the classroom this year. They share some of their actions and the planning required to restructure the content of their courses with a social justice focus....
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Episode 7 - A Walk on June 17
Amanda took a walk and encountered an activist in her neighbourhood. While listening to a podcast with Austin Channing Brown, she had an epiphany about antiracist teaching and learning. Melanie shares some of her observations about the institutional structuring of systemic racism in education in...
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Episode 6 - June Reflections
Melanie and Amanda explain their long silence, the trouble with speaking out, and their learning journey as they work within and without in pursuit of equity. They discuss some of the systemic inequities and question their roles as educators while making commitments to next steps. They see this…
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Episode 05 - The Black Student Experience with Dina Efrem
Seeking to further understand how students of colour experience school, Amanda and Melanie interview a Black student who attends the predominantly White school where Melanie teaches. Dina Efrem, a Canadian student with family roots in Eritrea, was in Melanie’s Indigenous Voices English class last...
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Episode 04 - A Conversation with Adrienne Coddett
Melanie and Amanda have a phone conversation with Adrienne Coddett, a high school teacher and respected local leader. She is also well known in Ottawa as co-host of Black on Black, a public affairs radio show which broadcasts every Saturday morning on the University of Ottawa’s radio station. Her...
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Episode 03 - Finding a Safe Space
Dealing with silence, exhaustion, tears, and trust – Amanda shares her experience of gender bias in an online course and she draws parallels with the students in our classes who experience racism. Melanie shares how struggles, vulnerability, and a moment of tears in the classroom opened students....
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Episode 02 - A Racial Literacy Self-Assessment
Taking the Racial Literacy Self Assessment – Melanie and Amanda take a self assessment posted on Twitter and struggle with their response and understanding of racial literacy.
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Episode 01 - Cultural Appropriation
In today’s episode Amanda and Melanie ask the question: How do we handle challenging conversations with students who come from a position of privilege? We talk about a classroom lesson on cultural appropriation and Halloween costumes; some of the white students seemed to miss the point. What do…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Two white high school English teachers meet to reflect on their journey to be antiracist educators. Melanie White and Amanda Potts talk about the decisions they make in the classroom and critically evaluate their teaching. These powerful conversations include book choices, canon, systemic racism, prejudice, poverty, social class, teacher efficacy, and more. In their pursuit of equity in the classroom, Melanie and Amanda open themselves to one another, and to you, the listener, since teaching is a shared experience.
HOSTED BY
voicEd Radio
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Just Conversations have?
Just Conversations currently has 17 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Just Conversations about?
Two white high school English teachers meet to reflect on their journey to be antiracist educators. Melanie White and Amanda Potts talk about the decisions they make in the classroom and critically evaluate their teaching. These powerful conversations include book choices, canon, systemic racism,...
How often does Just Conversations release new episodes?
Just Conversations has 17 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Just Conversations?
You can listen to Just Conversations on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Just Conversations?
Just Conversations is created and hosted by voicEd Radio.
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