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welcome to reteach a place where professors know the student equity gap can be closed and I willing to put in the work to figure it out. We are dedicated to our teaching, and our students were passionate about improving our classrooms and our communities. We can make a difference. We will make a difference. I am your host, Bruce Hoskins, in my mind and heart are ready to learn. So what's up, Everyone? So Hey, it's been a minute since I talked to you, but you know what? I needed a break, and I'm sure you needed a break and ah, hope you enjoyed your break. But let's get back at this, right, because, you know, this is what we do. We teach and we do our thing and, you know, and I really enjoy doing this podcast and everything, and so, honestly, it was actually really hard for me to take that break, but I forced myself to shut down for like, two weeks out of the four weeks or so that we had off. It was needed. It was worth it. But, you know, I'm ready to get back into the saddle, and so let's go ahead and do this and s So we're talking about this. I actually want to talk about first day, right? My first day of class, which has got a funny because if you listen to the last episode of the fall season, it was killer finals, and I said I was going to come back in the second week of class. But actually, it's still my first week of class. And so all this first day of class stuff is really fresh in my head still. But the reason why I came back a week early is because on on the podcast, I actually said the date and I said the wrong date January 23rd. And so when this comes out, it'll be January 23rd s. I was like, Man, let me just come back on January 23rd just so I'll be because I'm a man of my word. You know what? I'm saying? It So I'm like, I'm coming back and do with me, um, and whatnot. And so, But, like I said this first day of class, the first day of classes fresh in my head because I just got finished doing my statistics class and my research methods class. That's on Tuesdays, Thursdays for me on dhe, then on. And then I did my introduction to sociology class on Wednesday. And so all of this is like a really fresh in my head, and I want to talk to you about what is it that we need to try to accomplish on the first day of school, right on the first day of class. And look, I already know what a lot of us do because I used to do the same thing, and that was I would come in. I would take attendance and, you know, see who's gonna get dropped in all of this stuff. And then I would just go over my syllabus, right and look, you might want to do that. You might continue to want to do that after this episode, but I'm hoping that I could get you to think about that and what we can do differently to engage our students from all these equity groups and stuff like that and just our students just in general. But to really try to get now into, like, what? What kind of message is Do we need to try to send on the first day of class in order to try to close these equity gaps. Right, Because that is who we are. That's what we're trying to do. So there's four things that I would argue that need to be the need to happen on the first day of class. There's four things that need to happen besides all the miscellaneous, silly stuff that we got to do because that's what Because that's what we gotta do, like roll call and adding and dropping the stuff like that. I'm not talking about that right? And so here's the four things that I say and then I'll give you examples of what I'm talking about. And so, first and foremost is that you the students got to know what the class is about. Second of all, students need to know who you are, right, And I would argue that doesn't just I mean, no, your credentials, but I'm going to talk more about that in a minute. Three students need to know that you are passionate about what you do right, and then number four is that they need to know that you care about their success. So the first thing that I'm trying to accomplish in the class is to try to let the students know what the class is about. But most of us, when we talk about what the classes about, we normally start going to our syllabus and stuff like that. And that's not what I mean, right? I don't really I don't know. That's not what I mean. When I say let the students know what the class is about. I really want them to know what the class is about and what I want them to understand in that space. Is that really talk to them about how even though they don't know what sociology is really, that they actually do a lot of social analysis in their everyday lives, and and what they don't realize is that there is a discipline out there that literally will talk about and think about some of those things that they do in their average everyday lives and whatnot. So that's so when I'm go in, so I don't even I barely tell them what my name is. When I first started, like, I just really try to talk to them about what? So Seo like what do we do as a sociologist or a sociological understanding about something? And so what I do then is that I've start breaking something down social logically and look. And I do this by and is gonna be the first time you are here because it's like I do this by talking shit about something. Like straight up. I talk shit about movies or TV, Siri's or songs or whatever. Um, and on day number one, I tried to go with something very popular on the one night so that people have of something to connect to while you know later on is semester. I still talk. Shit. I talked plenty of shit all through the semester. As a matter of fact, I feel like I get paid to talk shit. But as I'm doing as I'm talking shit, I show them I tell them like the social logical points that I'm also making into space. But after I talked shit. And so it's a one of my best examples of this is talking about how Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel are like co stars in their own movie. You know what I'm saying? Like like for real. If you've watched both of those move. And look, you're gonna have to understand and embrace the fact that I am a comic book nerd on the what now? So you don't want to deal with that right now? And this is not just saying this is not your thing, but I'm gonna tell you if if you don't do something like this, then you know what I'm talking about. Something like super popular that maybe this is not gonna work for you. I'm gonna tell you that right now, but anyway, and so would Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel like so. These are two female superheroes, but their co stars in their own movies. And then I want him starting to, like, juxtapose like, you know, Batman is like, Well, who's Batman's? Like, you know, significant other, if you would know, don't need one because for whatever reason, we don't do that with Male Died was with male superheroes. We just don't do that now, of course, there are romantic interest and stuff like that. And let's say Iron Man and whatever, but Thor is Thor and a nobody really sharing the screen with door. It was not his stores movie is clear that in stores movie it is clear that is Captain America's movie. It is clear that his Iron Man's movie it is clear that is bad Man's moving. When you look at Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, you can't help but think it was like, Man, you know, Wonder Woman, that Steve Dude is actually really important. As a matter of fact, I would argue that in Wonder Woman like the Most, the Climb, the climax of that movie was actually one Steve that pilot do he died. What not That was the climax of the movie Out Wonder Woman fighting the Aires or whatever. That wasn't even. It was like to me that was anti climatic on the What Now? Because that was clearly the climax of the movie was when that one was one. Steve died. Well, Captain Marvel much the same thing, right? It's like Samuel L. Jackson, although let me let me make this clear. I love me some Samuel L. Jackson. Let's just make that clear. But Samuel Jackson story was just a cz important, if you would in that movie as Captain Marvel Story, and so I don't get that I don't get how we can keep missing that mark and then it makes me wonder. Goodness is, you know, bringing it into the into the current. This makes me wonder about what the Black Widow movie is gonna look like. And I'm hoping that they can get this thing right. I'm hoping that she's actually the star of her own movie and she's gonna work this thing out. I mean it. Scarlett Johansson. So Well, I think we I think we got some some good money on this one. But, yo, I'm still but for real, I am like wondering like what's gonna happen with this movie and why we have a hard time getting this thing right when it comes to female leads on female superheroes. Right? And for me, look, I talk about race on Day one, and so then if I'm going into this base that I could also talk about Miles Morales. Spider Man, you know, it's like for the people who would pay any attention to. That is like Miles Morales. Spider Man. Look, you can one. Peter Parker is a co star in Miles Morales movie, and you know, he's some men tour and stuff like that. I kind of get that. You know, I get that I get the Mr Miyagi Daniel sign thing I get, I get that. I'm okay with that. And yet at the same time, the thing that I was extremely disappointed in and I was tell students this is like the thing I was really disappointed in with that. Miles Morales, a Spider Man is significantly less intelligent than Peter Parker. Spider Man. And you, you know, people could be is upset with me as they want, but Miles Morales and invented those stuff. He actually got all his stuff from art. May it what it was like he literally didn't create anything. And which is the other interesting, though other thing. And I really do this to me. Is racial rights like the black people in intelligence thing is definitely racialized. I would even argue racist in this particular space, but, you know, it's like, but is supposed to be compensated by the fact that Miles Morales inspire demand is actually the most powerful spider man, right? He is physically the most powerful spider man, right? He has that by electric shock. Bang. And then he could turn invisible like he is super strong and whatnot, which makes me wonder. And I'm doing this with students here. By the way, life is like, I'm literally doing this with students, right front off them and going like and it makes me wonder about you know, how we think about black athlete about blackmail bodies in the United States. It makes me think about you know, things about black lives matter and that black male bodies there seems more threatening black bodies and generally are seeing is more threatening. But that blackmail bodies are even that much more so on the what night is so and so I'm doing this all on the first day of class before I really even tell them anything about me as a person and what night and just go like. Look, if you noticed any of those things or of any of that is interesting to you than guess what? You've been doing some sociological analysis and so welcome to my class, right? That's how I start my class on the one night and don't even get me started on like Avengers affinity, war stuff like that, man, I got I got mad issues with that. But, you know, like I said, I jumped in and talk to them about sociological analysis in a way that, um really lets them knows. Like, Look, this is actually something that you probably kind of do already is just I'm doing it in the context of academia, if you would, which I mean it is what it is, right? But it's like bridging that gap of saying like things that we do it every day, actually bridge over into academia and that this is not some high hollowed healed and stuff like that. You need to really break stuff like that down and be comfortable and talking about those things and be comfortable with those spaces. Because I'm gonna tell you straight up if you're not comfortable. We're talking about Ray's people of color. Know when you're not comfortable. We're talking about race. If you're not comfortable with talking about sex, gender and sexuality, people who are in those bases are going to know that you're not comfortable talking about that stuff. So look, I'm just gonna tell you straight up that's gonna help of student equity all across the board. If you get if you can get comfortable talking about stuff like that. Then it'll let students knows. Like, Look, if there's anybody I'm going to talk to about this is gonna be this person. And so anyway, that's so the second thing that students need to know as they need to know who you are. So this is when. So after all of this stuff now I give him my introduction. I'm like, Okay, so on Dr Bruce Hoskins and whatever. But here's the deal, is that I never so and you people could be comfortable with this or not people. Whatever. Right? I'm just giving you some ideas. I don't ever tell folks tell students t call me. I don't ever force students to call me Dr Bruce Hoskins. I never they don't have. I don't force them to call me Dr Haskins. Um, as a matter of fact, I tell him, Look, I know my name. And so that's why my name is Bruce. You can call me Bruce. You can call me Dr Hoskins. You can call me Dr Bruce. You can call me Doc. You can call me Hoskins. Eyes like all of those things. Don't don't bother me and I know that That's really weird for some folks because, uh, we're used to having this separation between power between professors and students and what not? But I don't That's that's not what I do, Um, and And when I And when I say this when I tell them I'm Dr Bruce Hoskins and then I have my PhD from USC and whatnot and you know, and regardless of what you think about the institution that normally get some oohs and aahs because it's USC, right? Just like it's a prominent space, but the most important thing. But I and I tell him this the most important thing for you to know is that I actually started as a community college student. I started at the place that I'm teaching at. I started at Mira Costa. And so if you don't think you know you you because I did it, you got to know that you could do it to t whatever degree and whatnot. So you you want to work hard at it, but it's possible, right? Because you know I did it. I'm an example of that right? And talking about being a community college student is I'm gonna just use the word is very refreshing to the students. It's like I know that most community college teachers or not a lot of community college teachers actually did go to community college. But we really got to make sure that we continue to tell students that if you if you did go to community college and you're teaching at a community college, you need to tell studio Honestly, I think you should tell students that if you're at a four year college also because people have such a low opinion, generally speaking that people have, ah, low opinion about community college just in general right and whatnot, the stigma of going to a community college and people thinking that. But whatever reason, community college is less than is something that needs to be said. If you are community college student, if you're a product of community college and you need to be loud and proud about that when you're teaching the community college spaces, what now? Because that that's that's a barrier that definitely needs to be ah, crossed and broken down and everything like that, and so I make sure that I tell them I'm a community college student. I make sure I tell him I changed majors a lot this life, for crying out loud. When I first started off America Costa, I was a business administration major. And I'll tell that story later on in another podcast about, like why I was a business administration major. But it's like it took me a year and 1/2 to figure out I didn't like business administration and that I wanted changing my major to math, believe it or not, because I wanted to be a high school teacher. And so when I transferred, I saw had my a a and mouth mounted. But when I transferred to U. C s D, I took an ethnic studies class and I fell head over heels in love with it. Even though I'm a slow reader, I'm still a slow reader to this day, and at the time I was a really bound writer, and I tell them that because they need to know that it's like, Look, I haven't always been Dr Bruce Hoskins. There's been this journey that I've taken, and it's taking me a long time, quite honestly, like look, under the current rules of community colleges they would have kicked me out a long time ago was like By the time I transferred, I had 100 5 transferrable units. But the best thing that ever happened to me was for me to stay here for four years because that's how long it took me to do it to stay here for four years because in my first year I really didn't do a whole bunch of anything. In my second year, I actually got involved. I became the president of the Black Student Union on everything. But then my last two years, because I had just changed my major and everything I was able to to be to run for the for associate student government president and I was student body president, student trustee for two years. And so because of all of those things, because I changed majors and took longer and everything, I actually had the best time of my life and built myself up. Uh, you know, build myself up while I was here. And so that's the reason that's at least part of the reason why I really regard like Mira Costa and the community and Ocean Side is my home um, And what now? That's so students, they want to know that they want to know that you're human. They want to know that you know that you can, uh, make mistakes which aren't really mistakes. But they, you know, like people Will people talk about changing majors like it's a mistake. They need to know that the journey is valuable. They need to know that the journey ends. Also on that you do find a major and stuff like that. They need to know stuff like that. And I'm gonna tell you what. I haven't shared this with you yet, but I share this with my students all the time, and I'm not gonna go into the story about it, but, um, I didn't come from high school straight to Mira Costa actually went into the Navy first, and I was in the Navy for a year and 1/2 and no, the Navy does not have year and 1/2 enlistments. Yes, you are talking to the person you are listening to a person that got kicked out of the Navy. Now there's a whole big old story around that, You know, maybe I might tell that story in a different space on a different episode or whatever, but, oh, just understand that. Ah, a lot of races, stuff happen to me. Um, and what? Not the military in general. Fine. Right is like, I love the vets. I love the people, the students that come into the space and whatnot. But yeah, the Navy and I, we did not get along at all. Um and you know, then so let that be what it is. But the fact that I tell them that and you know it may be intriguing to them or whatever, but it's like I'm not trying to do that to pump myself up. I'm really just telling them is like, Look, there's mistakes that people make right And there's there's, there's, there's, there's people who've made mistakes and landed in prison and then they come back and then they find out it's like, Well, they're taking a class from a dude who got kicked out of the military and he has a PhD now. And so it's like, Look, you can recover from mistakes and that's that's to me. The motive. You know, the motive besides me just doesn't know, like what I'm thinking of and how I, you know, operating the space and whatnot. It's just good to let students know that you are a real person. And so third, students need to know that you're passionate about what you do. They need to know that you are passionate about what you do. And I'm gonna tell you if you're passionate about what you do, your students can forgive a lot they can forgive. You know, not being his organizes. You would as you could be. Like I said, that that passion draws them in draws them. And this is something that I can continue to find that is lacking in a lot of people's, you know, they're opening day and the day to day, you know, their day to day activities and teaching this stuff like that is just this passion and whatnot that you are passionate about, what you're doing on DSO for me, The thing that I do is I actually do a spoken word poem and I showed a shared a poem with you on another episode. And so But the poem that I talked to them about is a poem called Excellence. And if you care to you can look at it on YouTube and And what now? But it's about a student who, Ah, Mexican American student who is a dreamer, right? And she met me at a poetry atop poetry reading and she took my clouds. But she wound up failing. But her and I, we actually developed a really strong mentor mentoring relationship. And and I was able Thio mentor her and she while she actually wound up majoring in sociology and getting her B A in sociology, even though she failed my introduction to sociology class the first time around. And that is the poem that I share with them. And I make it really clear to the students that this student it wasn't this student's fault that they didn't pass my class. It was more about me in the design of my class, and I could argue that that's actually the case because she took me for both statistics and she took me for introduction to sociology and she passed. My statistics class would be so a mike. I'm being dead serious here is like to me. I felt like that I had failed her in some way, and it took me quite some time toe actually figure out how to teach an introduction of sociology class, and I really believe that excellence would drive in right. And lastly, you need to show the students that you care about their success. You need to show the student that you care about their success, not your success or your ease or your whatever you need to show the students that you care about their success and for me is like, Look clearly, I do this in other ways and it would not. But to me, the main thing that when I do this when I talk about this when I talk about that the textbook that I created and poured my own blood, sweat and tears into that I created this and I am giving it to them for free. The students know whether they agree with me or not, whether they like what, like what I'm saying or not, whether they like the class or not. What they do know they do know, is that I care about their success because I literally right. It's like, look me giving this textbook away for free. Dustin know everything that they need to know about me because I could charge right. I could charge money for the textbook. And so it's like, literally, I'm leaving money on the table in order to make sure that students are going to succeed, have the best chance of succeeding in my class, that there are no barriers to their success, right? I don't want to put people on the spot who are creating their own materials and selling it. He had at the same time. I really want you to think about. Do you really need to do that? Do you really need to make money off of our students? Now let me make this clear is like, Look, I'll make money off of institutions. I'll make money off of guest lecturing or, you know, public. Speaking of whatever I make money in those bases all day. I don't have any problem with taking an institutional money and stuff like that, but I refused to take a dime from my students. When I know that textbook costs is one of the main things that they have to deal with on a semester to semester basis, I mean matter of fact, I mean, think about it for a lot of people. For a lot of these students, their textbook costs are actually higher than two tuition, right? That's that should be absolutely insane. Tow us. But it's a reality that community college students face every day, every semester at the beginning of it. They face that every day. And I saw and I told him, was like, Look, I created this textbook. I'm giving it to you for free. It's in a public space on the what now? So you could just access this whenever you want on what not And I love you. And when I say that, I know it's kind of corny. Some people they don't like being like that about it. But I'm gonna tell you when I say that they know that I mean, at least monetarily, they know that I mean it. And I'm saying right is that this is the thing that we need to come back to, that we need to constantly come back to and ask ourselves, even on the first day of class. What are we doing? What's the set up? How is this going in order for us to try to close these equity gaps, right, But anyway, that's all I got for this episode. Hope you learned something. Peace. Thank you for listening to this episode of Re teach. If you want to learn more about me or my open source introduction to sociology textbook, please go to Bruce Hoskins dot com In closing, I want to leave us all with the question. If you learn something today that you think would help closure student equity gaps, how long would it take to incorporate this into your classroom? A year, A semester? Next month. Today, no matter the time table, we must commit ourselves to becoming better teachers. Our students deserve it. All of them, not just the ones that are good already.