Episode #2. Am I Being Punked?

Where's Ashton Kutcher when you need him?! LOL. I've got a funny story about how a teachable moment was very inspiring in what I do every day. I hope you enjoy it.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

you have again . I was just doing some reflecting the other day , and when you aren't educated , you do have those moments where you're thinking to yourself am I being punk ? I gotta tell you this story , it is just gonna make you laugh . So before I became a licensed teacher , I was um , I would say , in my district . I was the cultural specialist for the african-american cultural say in my district . I was the cultural specialist for the African American Cultural Center in my time and my main job was to go district-wide and share my cultural experiences and do multicultural lessons for kindergarten through 12th grade . And that's the reason why I'm doing my business is because I'm sharing all my tips and tricks .

Speaker 1 0:47

When I started as a cultural specialist to now , it's always been my passion , ever since I was in the fifth grade , to be proud of who I am as a Liberian American and to also share my passion of education with others teaching people that don't look like that . People that look like me are valued in our city and there is a plethora of educational lessons I have created weekly and you can do it in your classroom every day . But I digress , I gotta tell you this story about me having that teachable moment where I felt like it was being who was doing this lesson . It was a third grade lesson and it was a geography lesson and the title was called they have cities in africa . I was showing my third grade students in this classroom that I was presenting that Africa is not . Africa has light poles , they have streets , they have cars . You know , we kind of have this and Africans like myself know that to be true , but the sad thing is the majority of Americans still don't know that it's a fact . Still in America , people still look at you like they have electricity . I wanted to show these students in my area that , yes , we do exist . We are here and presenting I felt I was showing my PowerPoint slide . Oh , look , they even have golf courses over there . What they have street like , look at the tall buildings that they have . You know it's not just hut and um , primitive things that we have are stereotypes about africa to be . I kid you not .

Speaker 1 2:37

I thought I was pumped because the teacher in that classroom looked at me serious as a heart attack and said they have cities in Africa , and I looked at her like this , blanking thinking trust me , am I being pumped ? Is Ashton Kutcher going to come around and go . We got you . No , ashton Kutcher and I'm there blanking the only black girl in like a two-mile radius and these little cherubs looking up at me thinking , okay , do not panic , do not call this woman out . But then I basically looked at her . I said , yes , let me show you that we do have cities in Africa .

Speaker 1 3:15

I literally friend , sat her down at her desk , gave her a political map of Africa , like I did with her students , her low third graders , and as soon as I called the city and country name , I do it like a bingo game and you'll see more of that on my website of how to do the same lesson that I have titled they have Cities in Africa because of this teacher as my inspiration , and it was like a bingo game . I would say the city name and the country and this woman , her color , that country and write down the city name . So , even with her eight-year-olds in her class , that woman learned something that day and to me , I thought to myself yeah , I have to do more . This is my purpose to keep sharing with the world and all of you . Yes , they have cities in Africa . Yes , people live there every day , doing the best they can , like we are doing the best we can here , thank you .

Speaker 1 4:16

Thank you , third grade teacher . You know who you are . I will keep it lock and key . You know who you are . I will keep it lock and key . I hope you learned something that day , because you taught me more in that time that I feel like I learned coming into your class . It's fine to not forget and , yes , there are some moments where you feel like you're being punked . Just keep it going , because your children , students and all are watching how you react . Thanks , thank you for tuning in to the Cultural Curriculum Chat . I hope today's conversation left you inspired and equipped to make an impact . Don't forget to subscribe , share this episode with someone in your network and leave a review to help us amplify these important messages . For more resources , tips and culturally responsive tools , visit jehedmundscom . Let's keep working together to create spaces where everyone thrives . Until next time , keep leading with purpose , passion and inclusivity .