My One Thing with Margaret

In this episode, Margaret Park speaks with Sarah Park Dahlen about choosing books with greater care and being more thoughtful about the narratives educators assign. Sarah is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign whose research focuses on Asian American youth literature and transracial Korean adoption. She co-edits Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, co-created the Diversity in Children's Books infographics, and co-edited Harry Potter and the Other: Race, Justice, and Difference in the Wizarding World with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. Together, they examine what it means to assign literature responsibly, how certain stories become normalized in schools, and why the books educators choose can shape how students understand themselves and others. Resources mentioned in the episode:   Asian author alliance https://www.instagram.com/asian_authors/   Maybook project https://www.veryasianfoundation.org/may-book-project Social justice books https://www.splcenter.org/learning-for-justice/reading-for-justice-books-for-teens-and-young-adults/ Brown bookshelf https://thebrownbookshelf.com/ Audits- lee and low books https://www.leeandlow.com/about/diversity-baseline-survey/dbs3/  

Dr. Soojin Pate is the host of Decolonize yourself and co-host of the Antiracist Parenting podcast.  She is a consultant, educator and writer and one thing I appreciate about Soojin, is her gift of teaching as I have personally learned so much from attending her sessions and listening to her thought provoking podcasts.  During this podcast, Soojin talks about the importance of redefining difference and how we can respond to difference in a healthy way.  She also talks about the importance of mitigating hierarchy in our relationships and  in all the spaces we inhabit.  Learn more about this week's guest: https://strategicdi.com/dipl-team-member/soojin-pate/  

In this conversation, Margaret and Darnell talk about the resources we lead with and learn with, and why it is critical to reflect, update, and recontextualize those resources. If you are interested in critical reflection, this conversation is a must listen. Dr. Darnell Fine is the High School Principal at Singapore American School (SAS). With academic credentials including a bachelor's degree from Brown University, a master's from City University of London, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California, his career spans teaching, leadership, and global consultancy. He has led sessions for national and international conferences, numerous US public, independent and international schools, as well as the Pew Center and the US Department of Education. In addition to facilitation, he serves as a curriculum consultant, reviewing manuscripts and curricula for publishing companies, national arts organizations, and universities. After earning his Bachelor's in Africana Studies and Education at Brown University, Darnell obtained his Teacher Support Specialist Endorsement through Georgia State University and his Master's in Creative Writing in London. He is currently an instructional coach and chairs the faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) planning team at Singapore American School. He is also a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California, studying educational leadership through a lens of equity and social justice. Darnell is a 2012 recipient of the Learning for Justice Award for Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching and a former advisory board member with Teaching Tolerance.

This week, Margaret Park is joined by Michelle MiJung Kim. Michelle is the award winning author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change. She is also the CEO and co-founder of Awaken, where she has consulted hundreds of organizations on their equity education journey.Her work has appeared on world-renowned platforms such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The New York Times, and NPR.  One thing I appreciate about Michelle is how models what turning good intentions into sustainable change looks like in everyday life. Connect with Margaret to share more about your response to this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpark330/  

Robert C. Bordone (Bob) is an internationally-recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, and facilitation.  A Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, he served on the full-time faculty at Harvard Law School for more than twenty years as the Thaddeus R. Beal Clinical Professor of Law, Director, and Founder of the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program before launching his full-time consulting, advisory, speaking, and training practice.  As a professional facilitator, mediator, and conflict management consultant, Bob works with individual, non-profit, governmental, and corporate clients across many sectors. He is the co- author of Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In).   On the show, he explores 'one thing he wishes educators were thinking about.' This episode is great for folks who want to rethink the importance of disagreement. Key Topics: Why disagreement is essential to learning Building conflict resilience in educational settings Moving beyond avoidance or aggressive confrontation Practical strategies from Harvard's negotiation program

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 gap-3 standard-markdown"> What's one thing you wish educators were thinking about right now? In Season 1 of My One Thing with Margaret, host Margaret Park asks this powerful question to educators, scholars, and changemakers from around the world. Each episode slows down to explore one essential idea: from conflict resilience and inclusive education to critically analyzing literature and turning good intentions into real change. Whether you're in the classroom, leading a school, or shaping the future of education, join us for conversations that challenge assumptions, spark innovation, and connect educators across the globe. One thought. One conversation. One connection at a time.