unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask
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unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students who often face disproportionate disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to create emotionally safe spaces for the next generation of male students. Listeners will leave with actionable lesson plans, inspiring stories, and a renewed sense of purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    #8 | My TED Talk: Teach me how to be a better teacher - Data from my student body and faculty that will open your heart

    What percentage of your student body claims they are in a good place, but deep down, they feel like they can’t share their true feelings? My TED Talk answers this question - using data from the school site where I began my teaching career - and talks about a time when I went to get a gun. If I had pulled the trigger, I would have thrown my entire life away... (0:00) Class in session; my history with the TED organization (3:00) Videos about masks, masculinity, teaching, and education that I never post online (6:50) TED Talk at TEDx Marin --- Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    17 min

  2. DEC 18

    #7 | Your LESSON PLANS will only work if you have THIS in your classroom

    We’ve all had that amazing lesson plan that we were so excited to teach. And when we finally got to teach it, it fell apart within the first 30 seconds. So what went wrong? I'm riding solo today, with my individual takeaways from a conversation with educator, administrator, headmaster, director… Dr. Ray Swann. Check out my conversation with this veteran educator in episode 3. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why safety is more important than your most amazing lesson plan How teachers make the weather in obvious and subtle ways I’m going to answer this question - Where do I find the soul of teaching? And I’m curious to hear your answers to this question as well… (0:00) Class in session (2:10) Takeaway 1 - a story about letting students know you have their back, even when it means disagreeing with another educator (12:10) Takeaway 2 - how teachers make metaphorical waves as they move about the classroom (14:55) Takeaway 3 - reconnecting to the soul of teaching before you start your winter break --- Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    22 min

  3. DEC 10

    #6 | Three simple practices to give your students ZEN and improve your CLASSROOM culture, climate, and belonging

    Teachers, tell me if this sounds familiar: When you first start teaching, it’s survival mode. Next thing you know you’re barking orders, becoming the disciplinarian. It’s natural, instinctual, understandable. But in order to avoid the trap we all fall for, especially with this new generation of students, we need to do what’s counterintuitive - what some would call “wasting units and falling behind on the curriculum.” In this episode, you’ll learn: How taking a mindful minute with your class every day goes a long way Why building academic stamina is key to a safe and rigorous school environment What it means to integrate community into the curriculum and why it leads to high achieving students Check out episode 2 (0:00) Class in session (2:55) Learning meditation practices in India and bringing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to high schoolers in Oakland, CA - and how to get successful buy-in (9:20) Building academic stamina as a math teacher (14:20) Getting interdisciplinary with social-emotional learning and math, and bringing the community into the curriculum The Masks, Emotions, and Math Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtA5Pg6wUc  Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    20 min

  4. DEC 4

    #5 | PREVENT BULLYING in your SCHOOL/your CLASSROOM, and the MENTALITY required of Educators to do so

    All it took was three months… I haven’t been able to shake the story of freshman Jose Zamora, of Santa Clara High School. What happened to him is exactly what this podcast seeks to prevent. In this episode, you’ll learn: What do statistics about bullying and suicide say about our male students Specific routines and systems you can implement to make students feel more welcome at school and in your classroom Personal stories from me (Ashanti Branch) about bullying (0:00) Class in session. (2:50) Some background on Jose Zamora and statistics on bullying and suicide. (11:00) Ashanti’s perspective on bullying as an educator (11:30) Important things to ask yourself as a teacher in order to prevent bullying (15:30) Teachers need to demonstrate to students that they are aware of the undercurrent of behaviors so that students know they can trust a teacher to have their back (22:30) What the statistics about bullying and suicide say about our male students (25:00) Bullying is strictly about power Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    36 min

  5. NOV 27

    #4 | Finding your WHY as an Educator: Triumphs, failures, and getting caught waiting tables outside of school

    This is the story of a man who sacrificed two-thirds of his annual salary to become a teacher… You might be the ONLY male educator at your school site, quite an isolating experience. So in order to keep the classroom as invigorating as you imagined it would be when you first answered the call to teach, we need to share stories and reconnect with our why. We present to you, Vladimir Puvača. Listen to Vladimir’s story and apply these takeaways to your class tomorrow: The things I wish someone had told me earlier as a teacher, and the things you CAN achieve that first-year teachers would call IMPOSSIBLE How to have empathy but still set boundaries as an educator The age-old question that never goes away: “Why’d I become a teacher again?” A story about a teacher getting caught waiting tables after school  (0:00) Class in session (4:00) Vladimir introduces himself and what he learned about setting boundaries as a first-year high school teacher and how to get buy-in from students as a leader (11:00) Closing your classroom door between periods (15:00) Ashanti reflects on all the mistakes he’s made as an educator (17:20) Ashanti and Vladimir share their “teacher persona” masks (20:00) Waiting tables at Chili’s after teaching all day, and what happens when your faculty shows up (23:00) Why Vladimir became a teacher, what he left behind at his corporate job, and why psychology and therapy are very important to him (31:00) Vladimir fired himself instead of following his CEO’s mandate to fire 100 workers. This moment led him to teaching. (34:00) Vladimir’s salary in his corporate job was 3 times more than his new job as an educator. He’s still an educator today :) How did he not go back? (37:45) Finding time to do more for students and the community outside of the classroom, and being motivated by and gifted with empathy and the ability to understand student’s pain (41:55) Vladimir’s message to youth on uprising, revolution, defiance, and finding oneself Connect with Vladimir Puvača:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladimirpuvaca/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-puvaca/  Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    46 min

  6. NOV 20

    #3 | How to avoid teacher burnout and fall in love with being in the classroom - w/ Ray Swann

    This is essential listening, especially for first-year educators. To be honest, the first year will have you questioning your career choices. So this episode is packed with advice and tips to keep you connected with your male students in ways that make teaching sustainable. In Ray’s words, BEFORE you do anything, tend to the soil, the garden that is your classroom. AND tend to your own personal garden - your personal well-being. Build trust and safety through gameplay. In this episode, we cover Fun and easy things outside of school that will make you a better teacher How good teaching starts and ends with a five-letter word that starts with T (not “teach”!) What is the soul of teaching? (0:00) Class in session (2:45) Get to know Ray and his teacher mask (11:00) Being liked as a teacher is the wrong pursuit (13:00) Early teacher milestones we all hit, and the teacher persona - how students read you (15:00) Providing self-love as educators (18:00) Year one burnout; safety is more important than entertainment. Paolo Freire’s power over vs. power with (21:00) Culture, climate, and belonging - setting the weather in the classroom and how personal wellness/self-care affects this (29:00) Safety and trust through games, before any curriculum (33:00) The soul of teaching (36:00) Smartphones in schools, kids forgetting how to read, and practicing curiosity and getting intel from students --- Connect with Ray Swann: Website: http://www.positivemasculinity.org.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrayswann/  Theater Company: www.identitytheatre.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-swann-6673531b/?originalSubdomain=au --- Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    57 min

  7. NOV 13

    #2 | Ban Phones from Classrooms? Attention Spans, Teachers, & How to Redesign Schools to Reach 21st Century Students - w/ Jerome Hunter

    Here’s a dirty little secret: Every educator, even the master teachers, are struggling to keep their students attentive and engaged. And research shows our male students are paying the heaviest price for it. In the era of the smartphone, how do we combat decreased attention spans? Design. In this episode, we cover How to redesign schools to keep pace with a rapidly changing world How teachers can create enough excitement to match the dopamine hits students are getting from their phones Some restorative justice practices you can implement in your school What helicopter parents and phones in schools have in common Techniques Jerome uses with Black and brown male students that can be applied to all students - now that students are carrying more anxiety than ever before (0:00) Class in session (1:50) Get to know Jerome’s teacher mask (13:40) Phone addiction and dopamine (17:25) Relationships, and restorative justice/restorative practices in schools (25:30) Design, architecture, spaces, and reimagining classrooms (34:00) Academic Stamina/Should we ban phone usage in schools and classrooms? (46:15) Helicopter parents (50:30) Techniques Jerome uses with Black and brown male students in the classroom that can be applied to all students --- Connect with Jerome Hunter: https://www.jeromeleehunter.com/ https://www.instagram.com/seatownstorycollective/ --- Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345  Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    57 min

  8. SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Trailer - Unmasking Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

    Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male. As a male at your school site, it gets lonely. And just think about the ramifications of this gender gap for your male students - walking the halls daily, acting out, and experiencing disproportionate levels of discipline - male students who just want to feel understood. Sound familiar? This is a show for male educators - male educators who want to be more understood by their community and want to create emotionally safe classrooms and schools for the next generation of male students. Listeners leave this show equipped with tangible, actionable lesson plans and techniques to engage their male students; nourished by stories and experiences from male teachers and educators at their school sites; and fired up to improve students’ learning and well-being with the sense that, as a male educator, they are not alone. As US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted, the mental health of our young people is the “crisis of our time.” As more and more of our young boys fill this void with extreme thoughts and ideas - ideas from the likes of Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, etc. - we, as male educators, are uniquely positioned to stop this dangerous trajectory our students are on. Because real men teach. Join our community of listeners. Join our community, Advocates for Young Men: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345 Attend our Young Men’s Conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw6tfn3lZrkBxZRqSqHjTTeygRNIgwk0KKgHRcwlclaS1xag/viewform  Create your own mask anonymously at https://millionmask.org/  Email us questions and comments at totmpod100@gmail.com  --- Connect with Ashanti Branch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BranchSpeaks Twitter: https://twitter.com/BranchSpeaks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch/ Website: https://www.branchspeaks.com/ --- Support the podcast and the work of the Ever Forward Club: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support  --- Connect with Ever Forward Club: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everforwardclub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everforwardclub Twitter: https://twitter.com/everforwardclub LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ever-forward-club/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

    1 min
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About

Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students who often face disproportionate disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to create emotionally safe spaces for the next generation of male students. Listeners will leave with actionable lesson plans, inspiring stories, and a renewed sense of purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/branch-speaks/support

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