Walking Shoulder to Shoulder with Children

Greetings, community!

Long time, no chat. How is the school year starting for you all? I must admit I feel considerably lighter of spirit than I did this time last year, despite a bunch of seismic shifts in my world. I just moved back to Victoria, BC to accompany my eldest–Kai–for his (intended) final year of high school (he’s a junior aiming to graduate early). The last month has been a swirl of change, emotion, and creativity. Here are a few highlights:

Kai and I drove from Oakland, California to Victoria, BC, at the end of August, successfully navigating a border crossing with a dog! Note: Don’t try this without a vet’s letter justifying your little canine migrant. We had an expired one and had to update it in real time to make the crossing. Quite an ordeal.

I relished every drop of every moment this summer with my younger son, Maximo, until I had to say goodbye for most of his 8th grade school year. Here we are on a mini-retreat, demolishing a plate of churros together. Maximo taught himself guitar in 2022 and has wound up being the electric guitarist for his middle school band. Proud mama!

Kai did his first college tour en route to Vic, woot woot! We visited the University of Washington, Seattle, a tour that started at the campus longhouse with a beautiful land acknowledgment. The student guides really impressed me with their direct commentary about UW’s efforts to increase inclusion for students of color and LGBTQIA+ students as well as the work yet to be done on these fronts. Go Huskies!

Kai also started college! He’s taking Intro to Sociology at the University of Victoria while continuing to attend a local small high school here in town. I’m incredibly proud of both kids.

STREET DATA FUNDAMENTALS VIRTUAL WORKSHOP

If you’re needing a Street Data infusion this fall, register for our upcoming workshop:

Street Data Fundamentals: A Path to Equity and Antiracism
Wednesday, October 26, 2022, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Click here to find out more and to register!

Street Data Pod: Imagining the Next Generation of Education

On the work end, I started a new adventure of creating a podcast, friends! In partnership with the amazing Alcine Mumby, my dear friend and a national leader in performance assessment, and produced by the equally-amazing Maya Cueva, we hit the ground running in early August and have produced 7 episodes already. Jamila is an early double guest, and I’m hoping I can talk her into co-hosting with us next year:-). Y’all, these conversations have blown me away.

Here are a few Street Data excerpts:

From Dr. Chris Emdin, author of the foreword to Street Data: “You are somebody’s ancestor: Teach like it.” Watch a short clip here (YouTube).
From Denise Augustine, superintendent of Indigenous Education for the province of British Columbia: What does it mean to “walk shoulder to shoulder with children?”
From the incomparable Dr. Jamila Dugan: How can we become “future-focused and student-centered”?
And from this week’s conversation with Superintendent Kevin Godden and Assistant Superintendent Perry Smith of Abbotsford School District in BC: What does it mean to “lead like a teacher” as we engage in deep listening and the equity transformation cycle?

I feel beyond blessed to know so many innovative, brilliant thinkers and to get to bring these conversations to you all… soon. Be sure to subscribe as soon as the pod is out. It’s called Street Data Pod: Imagining the Next Generation of Education and is supported by a grant from my publisher, Corwin Press.

Street Data Mini-Series (virtual course)

Dr. J (Jamila Dugan) and I are cooking up something really special for you all: a 5-part Street Data Mini-Series from January through June 2023, designed for teams that want to go beyond the “why” into the “how” of this model. It promises to be dynamic, hands-on, inspiring, and catalyzing toward action. Find out more about the mini-series and register here: https://shanesafir.com/street-data-mini-series/

Cult of Pedagogy Video Series

One more thing to whet your appetites: the brilliant producer of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast, Jennifer Gonzalez, is hard at work producing a video series that features Jamila and myself working with two courageous groups of teachers to operationalize the Street Data model. This will be a free, public access offering available to you in a few months.