The Teacher's Forum

Teaching While Queer: Bryan Stanton on Pride, Education, and Belonging

Bryan Stanton joins The Teacher’s Forum for a special Pride Month conversation about education, identity, advocacy, and belonging. An award-winning theater educator and founder of Teaching While Queer, Bryan reflects on his journey from being outed as a teenager to becoming a national voice for LGBTQ+ educators and students. Bryan shares the experiences that shaped his commitment to creating inclusive schools, discusses the challenges facing queer educators in today's political climate, and explains how theater can help students develop empathy and a deeper understanding of others. David and Bryan also explore resilience, representation, student advocacy, and the importance of finding community in difficult times. The episode concludes with a hopeful reflection on what today's students can teach us about authenticity, acceptance, and the future. This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about courage, education, and the power of being seen. Topics discussed: • Bryan's journey into education and theater • Being outed as a teenager and finding community • Challenges facing LGBTQ+ educators • Theater, empathy, and student belonging • Hope for the next generation Send us a text with your thoughts or ideas, and follow and subscribe to The Teacher’s Forum so you don’t miss future episodes. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228994/fan_mail/new] Join the Conversation: * david@theteachersforum.org * @theteachersforum.bsky.social * X (formerly Twitter) @theforum1993 Please subscribe, share and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Help us amplify the voices and issues of K-12 educators all over the world.

Poetry, Pan Africanism, and the Black Imagination with Nick Makoha

Nick Makoha joins The Teacher’s Forum for a powerful conversation on poetry, exile, identity, and the transformative power of language. Born in Uganda and later settling in London, Makoha reflects on how displacement, memory, and the Black diasporic experience shaped both his life and his art. Nick discusses why poetry remains one of the most vital forms of human expression and protest, particularly within Black communities around the world. He explores the spiritual nature of writing, the pressures many young people face to pursue conventional success over artistic passion, and the moment he chose authenticity over a corporate career he found unfulfilling. David and Nick also discuss Makoha’s acclaimed collection The New Carthaginians, examining how mythology, history, and figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat can reimagine the Black experience beyond narratives of suffering alone. Together they explore Pan Africanism, the global Black diaspora, the “white gaze” in literature, and the role teachers play in helping students think critically and see language as a bridge toward deeper understanding. This is a rich and thought provoking conversation about storytelling, liberation, education, and what it means to create art that speaks honestly to both pain and possibility. Send us a text with your thoughts or ideas, and follow and subscribe to The Teacher’s Forum so you don’t miss future episodes. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228994/fan_mail/new] Join the Conversation: * david@theteachersforum.org * @theteachersforum.bsky.social * X (formerly Twitter) @theforum1993 Please subscribe, share and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Help us amplify the voices and issues of K-12 educators all over the world.

Who Is School For? Rethinking Equity in Education | Dr. Meisha Porter

Who is school really for? In this episode of The Teacher’s Forum, David sits down with Dr. Meisha Ross Porter, the first Black woman to serve as Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, to explore what it takes to lead for equity in a system that often resists change. Drawing on her journey from Bronx youth organizer to leading the largest school district in the country, Dr. Porter shares how policy, power, and community shape what happens in schools. The conversation explores the realities of systemic inequity, the role of leadership in driving meaningful change, and how educators can rethink schools to better serve all students. They also discuss the role of arts and mental health, the challenges of political shifts, and how emerging technologies like AI can support, rather than replace, teaching and learning. Send us a text with your thoughts or ideas, and follow and subscribe to The Teacher’s Forum so you don’t miss future episodes. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228994/fan_mail/new] Join the Conversation: * david@theteachersforum.org * @theteachersforum.bsky.social * X (formerly Twitter) @theforum1993 Please subscribe, share and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Help us amplify the voices and issues of K-12 educators all over the world.

Equity Under Construction | Daniel Harris

In this powerful episode of The Teacher's Forum, David sits down with Daniel Harris, as he shares his 30-year journey from a law student to a pioneer in equity work at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, and founder of The Equity Exchange. Daniel reveals the secrets to creating spaces where diverse voices are heard, valued, and impact real change—especially when it feels like the system is working against you.You'll discover how early efforts to foster difficult conversations led to groundbreaking strategies for creating inclusive environments that thrive on authentic self-expression. Daniel reflects on the decades of evolving ideals around multiculturalism, the hurdles faced during backlash moments, and how to stay grounded amid opposition. For more information on The Equity Exchange visit https://www.theequityexchange.org/ [https://www.theequityexchange.org/] Send us a text with your thoughts or ideas, and follow and subscribe to The Teacher’s Forum so you don’t miss future episodes. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228994/fan_mail/new] Join the Conversation: * david@theteachersforum.org * @theteachersforum.bsky.social * X (formerly Twitter) @theforum1993 Please subscribe, share and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Help us amplify the voices and issues of K-12 educators all over the world.

When Democracy Fell: The Wilmington Coup of 1898 | Guy Hill

In 1898, a democratically elected government in Wilmington, North Carolina was overthrown in a violent coup, the only successful coup d’état in United States history. For decades, the truth of what happened was buried. In this episode of The Teacher’s Forum, David speaks with Guy Hill about the Wilmington Coup of 1898 and the destruction of a thriving Black community. Together, they unpack how white supremacist violence reshaped the city, why this history was suppressed, and what it reveals about the fragility of democracy in America. Guy also reflects on his journey into education and his commitment to teaching African American history with honesty and care. This conversation connects Wilmington to other moments of racial violence, including Tulsa, and challenges us to confront the stories we’ve been taught and the ones we haven't. This is not just a history lesson. It is a reckoning. For more information on the Wilmington Massacre of 1898 checkout the PBS Documentary: American Coup: Wilmington 1898 [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/american-coup-wilmington-1898/#part01] Send us a text with your thoughts or ideas, and follow and subscribe to The Teacher’s Forum so you don’t miss future episodes. [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2228994/fan_mail/new] Join the Conversation: * david@theteachersforum.org * @theteachersforum.bsky.social * X (formerly Twitter) @theforum1993 Please subscribe, share and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Help us amplify the voices and issues of K-12 educators all over the world.