What keeps educators going when the system feels overwhelming? How do we balance creativity, critique, and care in classrooms where students face everything from initiative fatigue to gun violence? In this episode, Ashanti sits down with sam seidel, educator, author, and Director of Strategy & Research at the Stanford d.school. sam has spent more than 20 years designing schools, launching youth programs, and writing about the intersections of education, identity, creativity, and justice. His most recent book, From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood (with Dr. Christopher Emdin), explores how white educators can engage in classrooms with honesty, humility, and impact. Together, Ashanti and sam dive deep into: The masks educators wear: curiosity, critique, and hidden vulnerabilitiesSchool safety and Sam’s eye-opening experience shadowing a student during an active shooter drillThe toll of initiative fatigue on teachers and studentsWhat Sam’s father (also an educator) taught him about anger as fuel for changeWhy belonging, empathy, and critical reflection matter just as much as curriculumHow the Stanford d.school’s School Safety Net is helping schools strengthen community connectionSam’s reflections push us to ask: What’s our learning edge as educators? And how do we keep interrogating the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden? Timestamps(0:00) Welcome & Introduction(1:12) Sam on trust, connection, and why safe conversations matter(3:25) Sam introduces himself and his work at the Stanford d.school(8:31) Sam’s mask: curious, critical, creative(12:18) Vulnerability: cynicism, Jewish identity, and what he hides(19:17) Challenges in education today: repression, book bans, and teacher fatigue(23:44) AI, initiative overload, and why teachers feel burned out(25:14) Sam’s experience with active shooter drills and school safety(33:08) Why student connection isn’t “extra”, it’s life-saving(44:30) Lessons from his father: anger as fuel for teaching(47:15) Sam shares his books & resources Connect with sam seidel Website: samseidel.isBooks: From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, Hip Hop Genius 2.0, Creative Hustle, and more Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025 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/ #unmaskingwithmaleeducators #millionmaskmovement #takingoffthemask #totm #educationjustice #socialemotionallearning #maskmaking
