The Teacher's Forum
Welcome to The Teacher's Forum, hosted by David Harris, a veteran educator with 33 years of experience in private, public, and charter schools.
The Teacher's Forum explores the people, ideas, and issues shaping education and the world around us. Through conversations with educators, authors, researchers, students, and other thought leaders from across the United States and around the globe, we share diverse perspectives, inspiring stories, and practical insights that inform, challenge, and inspire.
Whether you're an educator, a student, or simply someone who loves learning, there's a place for you in the conversation.
Visit theteachersforum.org, follow @theforum1993 on X, connect with David on Threads and Instagram @dwharris1691, or email david@theteachersforum.org with your thoughts, episode ideas, or if you'd like to be a guest on the show.
The Teacher's Forum
Teaching Through Crisis in Charlotte: Dr. James Ford on Immigration Raids, Student Safety, and Educational Equity
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In this episode of The Teacher’s Forum, David Harris speaks with Dr. James Ford about the recent immigration enforcement actions in Charlotte and their impact on students, families, and schools (02:35). Dr. Ford discusses what educators must do during moments of crisis to ensure students’ physical and emotional safety (05:46), the pressures teachers feel to remain silent (10:30), and why claims of classroom “objectivity” can become harmful when discussing issues of human dignity (14:40).
The conversation then turns to the values public schools claim versus the values they practice (21:00), the fragility of rights like those affirmed in Plyler v. Doe (25:42), and the trauma today’s youth navigate in a digital age (29:00). Dr. Ford offers historical insight into the role of Black private schools as spaces of autonomy and safety (33:15), distinguishes between reform and true transformation in education (36:00), examines the “illusion of inclusion” many students of color experience (38:50), and reflects on the teacher who deeply shaped his own journey (41:10).
To contact Dr. Ford and learn more about the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) please visit their site at https://www.creed-nc.org/
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