Teach Me, Teacher

#398 Ruthless Equity (Ken Williams pt.3)

This week, we're back with Part 3 of my conversation with Ken Williams — and we're pushing even deeper into what real leadership looks like when the excuses are stripped away. If you missed Part 2, make sure you catch up first. [https://teachmeteacherpodcast.com/2025/11/10/397-how-schools-make-teachers-invisible-ken-williams-pt-2/] In this installment, we go beyond the question of whether teachers matter and dig into the systems, habits, and mindsets that either amplify teacher expertise or quietly suffocate it. Because here's the truth far too many leaders avoid: You can't claim to believe in teachers while building a school that doesn't trust them. We talk about how some schools unintentionally create environments where demographics set the narrative, expectations shrink, and teacher talent is overshadowed by fear, compliance, or "initiatives" that don't move the needle. And we explore the opposite—what it looks like when leaders actively remove barriers, create clarity, and build cultures where teachers are empowered to be the experts they were hired to be. This episode gets into: * Why "context" can't become a convenient excuse for low accountability * How leaders can shift from managing teachers to developing them * What high-functioning schools do differently — no matter the zip code * The mindsets that help leaders create conditions where every teacher can succeed * Why student demographics must never determine adult expectations Ken pulls no punches as we examine what it really takes for leaders to support teachers in any school, with any students, under any circumstances. This is the deeper work — the work that transforms schools from the inside out. If you're ready to move past rhetoric and toward real leadership that elevates teacher expertise, this is the episode. Learn more about Ken's work at Unfold the Soul and check out his book Ruthless Equity.

#397 How Schools Make Teachers Invisible (Ken Williams pt.2)

This week, I sit down with Ken Williams — educator, speaker, author of Ruthless Equity, and founder of Unfold the Soul — to dig into a question that hits the core of what schools are becoming: Do teachers still matter? If you missed part 1, click here. [https://teachmeteacherpodcast.com/2025/11/07/396-do-teachers-actually-matter-with-ken-williams-pt-1/] In far too many places, we've slipped into treating demographics like destiny. Schools get so wrapped up in predicting outcomes based on factors kids can't control that teachers end up feeling obsolete before they even step into the room. When we assume what students can't do, we quietly remove the people who can change everything: the teachers. If we actually want better schools, we have to treat teachers like the experts they are and let them do what only they can do. Because kids from every background and every circumstance can learn when we trust and empower the people closest to them. Ken brings his trademark clarity and candor as we dig into how schools can rebuild belief in teachers and what leaders must do to support that shift. It's real, it's challenging, and it's the kind of conversation that refuses to settle for easy answers. Learn more about Ken's work at Unfold the Soul and check out his book Ruthless Equity.

#396 Do Teachers ACTUALLY Matter? with Ken Williams (pt.1)

This week, I sit down with Ken Williams, educator, speaker, and author of Ruthless Equity and founder of Unfold the Soul, to wrestle with one of the toughest questions in education today: Do teachers still matter? In too many schools, leadership decisions, policies, and even cultural norms seem to have already decided what kids can and cannot do — leaving teachers feeling like their impact is secondary. But if we truly believe teachers matter (and we say we do), why don't our practices reflect that belief? Ken brings his signature honesty and insight as we unpack how schools can reclaim belief in the power of teachers — and what leaders must do to support them. This conversation is real, challenging, and deeply necessary for anyone who refuses to accept mediocrity in education. Learn more about Ken's work at Unfold the Soul and check out his book Ruthless Equity.

#396 Do Teachers ACTUALLY Matter? with Ken Williams (pt.1)

This week, I sit down with Ken Williams, educator, speaker, and author of Ruthless Equity and founder of Unfold the Soul, to wrestle with one of the toughest questions in education today: Do teachers still matter? In too many schools, leadership decisions, policies, and even cultural norms seem to have already decided what kids can and cannot do — leaving teachers feeling like their impact is secondary. But if we truly believe teachers matter (and we say we do), why don't our practices reflect that belief? Ken brings his signature honesty and insight as we unpack how schools can reclaim belief in the power of teachers — and what leaders must do to support them. This conversation is real, challenging, and deeply necessary for anyone who refuses to accept mediocrity in education. Learn more about Ken's work at Unfold the Soul and check out his book Ruthless Equity.

#395 High School Students Need to Be Engaged Too!

High school kids are tough to reach… but maybe that's the fun part. In this episode, we're talking about engagement that actually works—finding that ONE thing that makes your lessons hit different. Maybe it's a wild outfit. A totally new lesson design. A classroom setup that surprises them. Something weird, bold, or uniquely you. Because when you make it your own… that's when kids connect. That's when it sticks. Listen now on Teach Me, Teacher — where passion meets practice, and every classroom becomes a story worth telling.