Be a Better Ally: Critical Conversations for K12 Educators

Tricia Friedman
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What does real allyship look like in a classroom, a staff room, a school community? Be a Better Ally helps K-12 teachers and school leaders build inclusive classrooms where every student feels they belong — without slogans, scripts, or shame. Host Tricia Friedman (Director of Shifting Schools) sits down with the authors, researchers, and educators shaping these conversations to explore student identity, belonging, school culture, media literacy, and the digital lives of young people. Each episode leaves you with something to try, question, or read next. 280+ episodes of critical conversations for anyone who believes schools should be places where everyone gets to become themselves.

  1. 2d ago

    Sharon Cameron: The Hidden Musical Rhythm of Storytelling

    Award-winning author Sharon Cameron joins the podcast to discuss her novel, Up from the Ashes . Sharon shares her meticulous process of creating "dramatized reality" by working closely with the family of her real-life subjects, Hyman and Selma, to honor their legacy with accuracy and respect . She also opens up about the messy reality of the creative process, how her background as a musician influences the rhythm of her sentences, and why a lifelong love of The Lord of the Rings taught her that ordinary people hold the power to change the world . In This Episode, We Cover: The Weight and Joy of Research: How Sharon balances the devastating realities of Holocaust research with the profound joy and resilience found in real families' stories . "Dramatized Reality": The ethical responsibility of writing about real historical figures and the importance of building a common vision with their descendants . The Messy Creative Process: Why writers must give themselves permission to write terrible first drafts, and Sharon's need to isolate and fully immerse herself to find the story . Musical Storytelling: How Sharon's background in music and teaching translates into the pacing, swelling, and emotional rhythm of her writing . The Power of the Ordinary: How reading fantasy literature as a child instilled the core belief that ordinary people are not powerless—a theme deeply woven into Up from the Ashes . Books & Resources Mentioned: Up from the Ashes by Sharon Cameron The Other Bennet Sister (A Jane Austen spin-off Sharon is currently reading for lighter fare) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (Which Sharon estimates she has read nearly 50 times) Traditional polyphonic folk music from a men's choir in the country of Georgia https://sharoncameronbooks.com/

  2. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Enjoy: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing EZRA FRECH: "I Was Put on This Earth to Change the Way We See Disability" from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Ezra Frech shares the mindset, discipline, and determination that have shaped his career and led him to win two Paralympic gold medals. From turning heartbreak in Tokyo into motivation to using visualization and meditation to perform under pressure, Ezra reveals how he prepares for the biggest moments of his career. He also opens up about competing on Dancing With the Stars, breaking down misconceptions about disability, and founding Angel City Sports to make adaptive sports more accessible to the next generation. Instagram Teen Accounts: Built-in protections for teens. Learn More. At https://chase.com/sapphirereserve JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 "Pressure Doesn't Exist" 02:51 The Day Ezra Was Born 06:24 The 15-Hour Surgery At Age 3 11:15 The Kindergarten Letter 13:29 Learning To Handle The Stares 16:21 Overcoming Stigma And Bullying 23:18 Falling In Love With Sports 27:00 Changing Culture & Looking Ahead to LA 2028 31:09 Mentorship From Pau Gasol 33:56 A Message From Novak Djokovic 36:53 How Do You Define Confidence? 40:43 The Moment That Inspired His Paralympic Dream 44:35 Making Team USA At 14 48:41 How Running Blades Actually Work 52:09 Tokyo Heartbreak & "The Man In The Arena" 58:53 Visualizing Paris Gold Every Morning 01:04:50 Protecting His Good Leg 01:11:33 Winning Double Gold & The 20-Minute Rule 01:17:00 Meditation Under Pressure 01:20:34 A Lifelong Dream to Compete on Dancing With the Stars 01:24:14 Inside the Dancing With the Stars Family 01:27:19 Learning To Dance On A Blade 01:30:12 Pressure Is A Privilege 01:32:10 Making Adaptive Sports Mainstream 01:37:10 Ezra On Final 5 Episode Resources Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/ezrafrech/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@ezrafrech Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/teamezra05/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Enjoy: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

  3. Oct 15

    Defending Creativity in Schools with Author A.S. King

    How do we raise innovators, rebels, and revolutionaries? This week, award-winning author A.S. King joins the show to answer that question and discuss her latest middle-grade novel, It Came From the Creek. We explore the real-life youth activists fighting book bans, the heartbreaking decline of creative writing in public schools, and the deep, late-night research into negligent chemical dumping that inspired her new book. Along the way, A.S. King shares her personal journey with self-esteem, the importance of nurturing lifelong childhood friendships, and how one teacher handing her a Paul Zindel novel changed the trajectory of her life. Key Takeaways Youth Activism: How students in Pennsylvania successfully organized to overturn a massive school board book ban when the adults could not. The Creativity Crisis: Why heavy testing burdens have pushed creative writing out of 90% of public schools, and why story-building is an essential life skill. The Puzzle of Writing: A look into A.S. King's creative process, how she weaves together haunted houses, the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies, and environmental hazards. Deep-Dive Research: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and 3 A.M. rabbit holes that uncovered the true history of toxic dumping in Pottstown, PA. The Power of Friendship: How A.S. King's perspective on connection and self-esteem has evolved, and why childhood friendships are worth nurturing well into adulthood. Mentioned in This Episode It Came From the Creek by A.S. King Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King (Companion novel) The Pigman by Paul Zindel About the Guest A.S. King is a multi-award-winning author of young adult and middle-grade fiction. She is the recipient of the Printz Medal and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. Known for her authentic, surreal, and deeply empathetic storytelling, she has spent her career championing the voices and complex inner lives of young readers. Connect with A.S. King https://www.as-king.com/ Have a question for Tricia? tricia(@)shiftingschools(dotcom)

  4. Oct 15

    Notice more with Christy Mandin

    What can picture books teach us about helping children feel heard—and learning to ask for help ourselves? Author and illustrator Christy Mandin returns to explore Millie Fleur's Pumpkin Problem and Millie Fleur's Worst Day Ever. Through her imaginative characters, Christy opens up conversations about creativity, community, and respecting children's emotional experiences. Together, we consider why a child's "worst day ever" deserves our attention, even when the problem seems small to an adult. Christy shares how life in her neurodivergent household shapes her approach to communication and why supporting someone involves both expressing our needs and noticing the needs of others. We also go behind the scenes of her creative process—from gardening and escaping chickens to a beloved shed character—and hear her refreshingly honest three-day rule for processing feedback. In this episode, we explore: Respecting children as whole people with experiences that matter. Asking for help and challenging the fear of burdening others. Using picture books to spark conversations and build community. Finding characters and creative inspiration in everyday life. Making space to process feedback before deciding what comes next. For educators, librarians, parents, and anyone nurturing creativity, this conversation offers an invitation to notice more, listen closely, and make room for support. Explore Christy's books and work: https://www.christymandin.com Discover the Millie Fleur series: https://www.scholastic.com/site/millie-fleur.html

  5. Oct 8

    What Makes a Monster? Ending Witchlings with Claribel A. Ortega

    What makes a monster? NYT bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega just finished the five-book Witchlings series, and she's got thoughts. We talk about The Sims as a storytelling engine, why curiosity about death and darkness is something to welcome, and how kids are finding their first real friends through Seven, Valley, and Thorn. Claribel shares how she held a whole series in her head from day one, why "writing" includes walks with her dog Steven, and why she refuses to write about community without living it. Educators: stick around for Ghost Squad Week and her classroom resources. Gamers: she leaves you with two indie picks that might eat your weekend. Chapters 00:00 Steven, her canine manager 02:38 Why raccoons are half monster 04:20 Respect across species 05:53 The Sims and worldbuilding 07:48 Why we're curious about the dark 09:56 What readers write to her 11:58 Planning five books from the start 14:14 Showing up for inspiration 15:53 Community, Ghost Squad Week, and Louise Penny 20:24 Design and crediting illustrators 24:33 Game recommendations 26:35 What's next: Thirty Ways to Kill Your Avatar About the Guest Claribel A. Ortega is a New York Times bestselling author born in the Bronx to a Dominican family. She wrote Ghost Squad, the graphic novel Frizzy, and the Witchlings series, which concludes with The Sea Witch Prophecy. Resources Mentioned Claribel's site: https://www.claribelortega.com Witchlings series: https://www.claribelortega.com/witchlings Educator resources + Ghost Squad Week: https://www.claribelortega.com/educators-teachers Paralives: https://www.paralives.com Dressmaker on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4019220/Dressmaker/ Louise Penny: https://louisepenny.com Website designer Danika Corrall: http://www.danikacorrall.com

  6. Sep 30

    Who Helps Us Become Creative? Friendship, YA, and Jasmine Guillory

    What helps a young person believe their creative ideas are worth pursuing? New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory joins Tricia Friedman to discuss her first young adult novel, It's Only Dancing, inspired by Dirty Dancing. Together, they explore teenage friendship, artistic possibility, and what it means to write about young people with respect. Jasmine shares how an encouraging friend helped her begin writing, why finishing an imperfect draft matters, and how her creative process changes from book to book. She also reflects on the joy of learning something difficult—a conversation with particular resonance for educators thinking about creativity in the age of AI. In this episode, we explore: Taking teenagers' passions and perspectives seriously. How unexpected friendships help us try something new. Supporting a creative person through listening, questions, and encouragement. Making room for the struggle and discovery involved in learning. Valuing art for the joy it brings, alongside its career possibilities. Listen with this question in mind: Who in your classroom or community needs encouragement to keep going with an idea they're still learning how to express? Featured book: It's Only Dancing by Jasmine Guillory. https://www.jasmineguillory.com/its-only-dancing

  7. Sep 24

    Student voice, and meeting the moment

    This short episode asks for your help. In anticipation of the upcoming AAIE Institute in Atlanta, might your students want to weigh in and share their feedback on questions we will be using for focus groups and surveys? If yes, share this link with them: https://student-voice-questions.netlify.app/ Want to join me this November for an online series that begins the critical work of reimagining assessment? Learn more: https://cdlt.isa.nl/events/ai-attention-and-the-architecture-of-assessment

  8. Sep 9

    When Someone Else's Curiosity Becomes Yours | Brian Boone

    Does the world keep getting stranger, or are we hearing more about how strange it has always been? Returning guest Brian Boone joins Tricia to explore curiosity, creativity, and human behavior through the stories in Uncle John's All-Knowing Bathroom Reader. From the ways horses reshaped human societies to a chimpanzee's place in early morning television, Brian shares stories that invite us to reconsider what we think of as normal. We also go behind the scenes of the book's collaborative process. Brian explains how the team traces stories back to primary sources, checks claims, and turns a writer's enthusiasm for an unfamiliar subject into something readers want to explore. In this episode, we discuss: Why Brian believes greater access to information shapes our sense that these times are uniquely strange. What our relationships with other species reveal about human history. How unusual experiments and failed ideas open up conversations about creativity. Why fact-checking requires more work when stories circulate across multiple websites. How collaborators with different interests expand one another's curiosity. What decades of writing trivia have taught Brian about wisdom and our desire to learn. For educators, this conversation offers a question worth bringing into the classroom: How might a surprising story get someone interested in a subject they thought wasn't for them? Featured book: Uncle John's All-Knowing Bathroom Reader https://bathroomreader.com/

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About

What does real allyship look like in a classroom, a staff room, a school community? Be a Better Ally helps K-12 teachers and school leaders build inclusive classrooms where every student feels they belong — without slogans, scripts, or shame. Host Tricia Friedman (Director of Shifting Schools) sits down with the authors, researchers, and educators shaping these conversations to explore student identity, belonging, school culture, media literacy, and the digital lives of young people. Each episode leaves you with something to try, question, or read next. 280+ episodes of critical conversations for anyone who believes schools should be places where everyone gets to become themselves.

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