Today, we engage in a profound discourse with S. Neal Currie, Jr., who has dedicated his life to the imperative endeavor of cultivating black male educators through the Teach Brother Teach initiative. This episode underscores the critical necessity for representation within educational institutions, positing that our schools cannot genuinely be deemed future-ready unless the educators reflect the diverse communities they serve. Mr. Currie elucidates the systemic barriers that deter black men from entering the teaching profession and articulates how his program seeks to dismantle these obstacles while fostering a sense of identity, purpose, and leadership among its participants. Our conversation traverses the vital themes of hope, community, and the radical act of preparing every student for a future that is not only attainable but also worthy of their aspirations. Join us as we delve into the transformative potential of education rooted in humanity and the profound impact of representation in shaping the experiences of all students.

Additional Notes

The podcast presents a profound dialogue with S. Neal Currie, Jr., a dedicated advocate for enhancing the representation of Black male educators through his initiative, Teach Brother Teach. The discussion delves into the critical intersection of education and representation, elucidating how a lack of diversity among educators can perpetuate systemic inequities within the education system. Neal articulates the pressing need for schools to reflect the diversity of their student populations, emphasizing that the future of education hinges on creating environments where every student sees themselves in the adults who teach and lead them. Through initiatives like Teach Brother Teach, which focuses on recruiting and supporting Black male educators, Neal aims to reshape the educational landscape to ensure that all students have access to role models who look like them, thereby cultivating a sense of belonging and potential within the classroom. He expounds on the multifaceted approach of his program, which not only recruits educators but also provides financial support, mentoring, and professional development, thereby addressing common barriers that deter Black men from entering the teaching profession.

Takeaways:

• In today's episode, we delve into the vital narratives surrounding the Teach Brother Teach initiative, emphasizing the necessity for black male educators in our educational institutions.
• The radical humanization of schools is paramount, as it fosters environments where hope is nurtured, opportunities are created, and innovation serves humanity effectively.
• Representation within the educational workforce is crucial; students must see educators who reflect their identities and experiences to envision futures that resonate with their own aspirations.

Find out more about The Fundisha Center and Teach Brother Teach.

Join The Wheelhouse Company!

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Follow Students Matter, LLC on Instagram or LinkedIn — or find any of us there: Kathy Mohney, Michael Pipa, Dr. Alicia Monroe, and me, Dr. Grant Chandler.

And we’re thrilled to invite you to step inside The Wheelhouse: Below Deck at Learn Harbor — our new online space where these conversations come to life.

It’s more than a platform — it’s a community.

A free, curated, safe harbor for educators, leaders, and thinkers who want to reflect, connect, and take action together.

Inside Below Deck, you’ll find our special segment: The Wheelhouse: All Hands on Deck, extended content from today’s episode —where purpose meets possibility and learning stays joyful, collaborative, and deeply human.

• Join us at LearnHarbor.thinkific.com and become part of this growing movement to build Future Ready Schools — where innovation is always rooted in humanity.

Until Next Time Remember: Keep your doors open and your hearts even wider.

In today's episode, we're talking with Neal Curry Jr. And we're elevating the real human story behind Teach Brother Teach and the broader need for black male educators.

There's so much to talk about.

A new episode of the Wheelhouse begins.

Right now.

The future of education depends on a radical humanization of schools.

Places where hope is cultivated, opportunities are opened and innovation is harnessed to serve humanity.

Only then can we create futures worthy of each student's dreams.

We begin by cultivating hope.

We ensure possibilities are real and accessible.

We design futures rooted in humanity.

The future is already here, and it must be deeply human centered.

Today, we step into a conversation that sits at the very core of innovation rooted in humanity.

So far this season, we've talked about belief, joy, AI that protects the vulnerable, and neurodiversity as a humanizing force.

But there's a truth we cannot ignore.

Our schools cannot claim to be future ready if entire communities don't see themselves in the adults who teach, lead and love them.

Our guest today has devoted his entire life to changing that reality through his Teach Brother Teach initiative.

He's not just recruiting black male educators.

He's cultivating identity, purpose and leadership.

He's reshaping the pipeline so students can see a future for themselves that feels possible, powerful and deeply human.

This is a conversation about representation, relationships and the radical act of preparing every student for a future worthy of their dreams.

Today's guest is Esnil Curry, Jr.

Founder and executive director of the Fundisha center and the coordinator of its Teach Brother Teach program.

The Fundisha center is dedicated to improving the educational outcomes for black children in the Capital District of New York by recruiting, recruiting and developing black teachers and providing community based, cultural centered supplemental educational programming to youth in the Capital District.

Fundisha is a Kishwali word that means teach.

Neil Curry, Jr. A long time educator in the Capital district with over 33 years of experience working with youth in the Capital District as a teacher, principal and developer and coordinator of educational, social, cultural and recreational programs, serves as its executive director and founder.

You are listening to season 11 episode 5 of the Wheelhouse where we're joined by s. Neal Curry Jr. For a powerful conversation on innovation rooted in humanity.

Let's dive in.

Good morning everyone and welcome back to the wheelhouse.

I'm Dr. Grant Chandler and I am Here with my amazing wheelhouse team, Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa, and Dr. Alicia Monroe.

Good morning, team.

Good morning.

Good to see all of you.

Happy day.

Happy recording day.

Yes.

Happy recording day.

We record and drop on Tuesdays, so, hey, happy Tuesday, right?

Welcome.

It was great to see you all today.

You know, today we step into a conversation that sits at the very core of innovation rooted in humanity.

So far this season, we've talked about belief, joy, AI that protects the vulnerable, and neurodiversity as a humanizing force.

But there's a truth we cannot ignore.

Our schools cannot claim to be future ready if entire communities don't see themselves reflected in the adults who teach, lead and love them.

And today Our guest is Mr. C. Neal Curry, who has devoted his life to changing that reality through his amazing program, Teach Brother Teach.

We're going to talk about that.

So without any further ado, welcome Neal Curry to the Wheelhouse.

We are so glad to have you here.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

I'm very excited to be here.

So we're going to dive right in and talk about your amazing work that you're doing with Teach Brother Teach.

I know having cyberstalked you a little bit, that this is more than just a program.

It's a very personal mission that you have.

What human needs in our schools does this work respond to?

Definitely.

Well, as you know, there's.

The country is currently experiencing a teacher shortage.

You know, we have, I think New York State alone is estimating that we need 180,000 teachers over the next decade.

So we have.

There are more people leaving the profession than are coming in right now.

I think teacher education programs have seen a decline in enrollment over the last decade or so.

So we need.

We need, definitely, we need more teachers.

And so this problem is, you know, happening all over the country, but is especially acute in urban areas.

And so having been a principal in the urban school, I know how important it is to.

And how difficult it can be to find.

To find teachers.

And so, you know, as the student population is becoming more and more diverse, the teaching population hasn't really changed that much.

So we are, I think they're saying 51% of the public school students are students of color, yet 80% of the teachers are still white.

Seven out of ten are female, and only less than 2% are black males.

And so the Teach Brother Teach program is joining the movement along with lots of other folks around the country to try to encourage more black males to go into the teaching profession to help alleviate and fill that gap.

And so if I am a listener, and certainly we're going to post the link to your program, but in a nutshell, how does that program work?

How does it work and what are you hoping in terms of its impact on representation?

Yeah.

So we say we want to recruit and inspire black males to go into the teaching profession.

So what we try to do is try to eliminate some of the barriers that are out there that are preventing men from joining professors.

The number one thing is to encourage black men to consider education as a career.

That's the first thing.

And then oftentimes one of the major barriers is financial.

So we offer tuition assistance to help guys go back to school.

So often what we find is people are interested in going back to school to get credentialized, but maybe they owe money to their last institution that they graduated from, or they just don't have the money or the time or just might seem insurmountable, you know, to be able to do that.

So we offer tuition assistance.

We provide.

We match our fellows up with a mentor, which is an experienced black male educator, you know, an administrator or an experienced teacher to help them navigate.

Navigate their way.

And then we offer ongoing professional development.

So we have monthly professional development sessions with.

With our fellows.

And then we also have an.

We have an emergency fund.

So if something happens and you.

You need.

You need a few dollars, then, then we can.

You can apply for that as well to, you know, to help out.

So we've seen, you know, somebody's car breaks down and, you know, that those.

Those things become reasons why they can't continue to go to school, things like that.

So, so those are.

That we've been able to help and support.

And I think the other.

The main thing is to provide a community for people so that they don't feel like they're going through this alone.

And so there are other people that they can identify with that share their experience and they can gain insight and encouragement from.

As you encourage, recruit and encourage black men to become educators, have you found reasons why they hadn't thought about being an educator before?

Because I bet for some of the folks that the men that you work with, they're like, huh, hadn't thought of that.

Right?

That was, that was not one of those things that I was thinking of as a, As a career path.

Why do you.

Besides the obvious, you know, there's financial things and, you know, what are some of the reasons why that you're discovering why black men historically have not chosen to be.

I think there's A couple of reasons.

I think the first one is I don't think they're often encouraged to go into education.

I mean, flat out, as a principal, I would often interview women all the time, and they would say things like, oh, I wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in the second grade, or I used to babysit.

And someone told me, while you're really good with kids, you should think about being a teacher.

I don't think black men often get that messaging that they should go in there.

And many of us find our kind of trip and fall into education as a.

As a career.

And sometimes that's, you know, from a.

From an experience that we've had.

I think when I talk to some men, sometimes they talk about, you know, they didn't have very great experiences going to school.

And so that's not something that is at the forefront of their mind, that they want to go back into that.

So if you came through a system and you kind of made it through despite the circumstances, that's not something that you're considering.

And so they think about.

And then I think also we have to do a much better job in the field of education, of talking about the great things that are happening, how rewarding the profession is.

And I think most people do not realize that.

The impact that you can make and what that does for you as an individual.

I think that's a significant piece right there, Neil, that I think over the course of my 25 years in education, in all areas, really all aspects, I've really noticed how the narrative has changed, how it has become this really negative space.

And when students are even having the conversation around, I think this is what I want to do.

They're discouraged.

And what a.

What a simple thing for building or interfering with breaking down the profession.

It's really how the people within the profession are vocalizing what it means and the significance of our role as educators.

It's.

It's quite sad to see and experience that.

Yeah, we hear all of the horror stories.

So everyone hears bad stories, the things that are happening in schools that are terrible.

And very rarely do we hear, you know, we just don't hear it enough about the rewarding experiences they have and how, you know, how you can inspire students and the successes that they have.

And so I think we need veteran educators to do that more, because when you've been in the field for a while, you get to see, you know, the fruits of your labor, because you get to see people who come back to you later and say, hey, you really you really helped me.

You made a difference in my life.

And so that's not something that you always can feel in the moment.

But later on, you know, as students begin to appreciate what happened to them when they reflect, I think they come back and tell you.

So I think we need veteran educators to speak about that a lot more.

So I have a wondering as a Afro Latina who is a product of New York City public schools and who is now a professor.

Right.

In teaching.

Teaching in teacher school.

Right.

And I always call it teacher school.

I wonder about the value propositions culturally with us valuing education as a culture and how that has shifted over time.

It was.

I grew up in the urban areas, right.

And walking to school and that sense of village and community and passing black owned businesses and, you know, everyone was just trying to make it and we made it as a tribe and teachers were honored and the teachers I saw looked like me.

But over a period of 30 years in education, I've seen this shift, this change, the different value on education, the more turned towards immediate gratification, less around the labor of love.

And I wanted to know how does that draw on exactly what Cathy and Neil, you've been speaking about is this mindset and paradigm shift that now we have to encourage, motivate and convince specifically men of color to step up and step in to work with those students who so really need them to be a touch point in their lives.

Yeah, I think that's a really important point.

I think what you're speaking about really, I think has a lot to do with the breakdown of community generally.

You know, it used to be what, you know, like my parents often talked about, you know, the teachers that they, they had, you know, lived in the same neighborhoods that they lived in, went to church with them, they saw them in the community often.

And so that is, is really where it starts.

Though we don't see that as often.

I think there's.

I think we still are suffering a little bit from the mythology.

I think black folks in general still highly value education.

When you start to ask people, they've done surveys and asked people what are the ways that we need to.

Things that you need to do in order to have upward mobility.

And black and Latino folks more than any other group of people will say education is that pathway.

And so sometimes we don't see the behaviors reflected that exemplify that value, but we still highly value education.

One of the things that I think is very important for black educators in particular, but for all people to understand is the struggle for Education that black folks have waged in this country, I think we don't realize that and the strides that we've taken in order just to be able to have the opportunity.

And we need to make sure that that is being taught to students and folks because often, sometimes we can individualize it.

Well, in my family, my mom and dad valued education, so I did these things, and other people that I grew up with didn't value that.

But as a culture, we value education, and we have a long history of doing those things.

We need to teach the teachers.

So that's one of the things that's absent from teacher education programs.

You don't learn that.

So those are things you have to go out and find out, you know yourself, to know what that struggle is in that history.

But I agree with you.

I think that needs to be taught.

And that goes into this whole thing about having culturally responsive education where, though that type of information is part and parcel of the process on a daily basis.

Neil, that makes me think of, you know, an exciting opportunity potentially.

And I don't know if your work with the Fundisha center or Teach Brother Teach has gone in this direction, but, you know, I work as a supervisor for new teacher candidates in the teacher preparatory pram.

And the history of the educational history for black and brown people in the United States of America should be required study for every candidate for teaching, but especially for people who identify culturally.

And it wasn't part of my preparatory work.

I don't know that it exists in the program that I currently work with.

Has your thinking, has your work so far made you think a little bit about how teacher preparatory programs need to broaden and deepen the scope of essential knowledge for teachers entering the workforce to include the history of education for black and brown people in the country?

Yeah, absolutely.

So one of the first workshop that I did with the fellows in our first cohort was a session on the history of black education.

And so a good friend of mine, Dr. Kofi Laniles, who teaches at Towson State University and Howard University, teaches a course on the history of black education.

And that was our first session.

And what sparked that for me was when I was a principal in a professional development session, I asked my staff, which I had a very diverse staff.

We had over 50% of the teachers were black educators.

I asked, could anyone name a black educational philosopher or person of influence?

And so here's a group of new.

Many of these folks were in school at the time getting their master's degrees or just had got their master's degrees.

And not one hand went up in the room, black or white.

And so it told me that, you know, that's not part of the.

That's not part of the education process, which I knew.

But the fact that folks were not aware of that, I think that has changed a little bit, you know, since that time.

But people were.

Couldn't name one off the top of their hand, off the top of their head very quickly.

And so people need to know who these people are, who are they?

So it makes you think, you know, well, nobody black has ever thought deeply about education.

No one has written about it.

No one has contemplated these issues.

And we know that's not true.

But then, so what is it?

What is.

What are the perspectives that they bring to the table?

And how does that influence the work you're doing, especially if you're in an environment where you're teaching black students?

Are some things you.

You need to be aware of.

And so, yeah, that.

That was something that I thought of immediately that was necessary.

And there are some, like, I would consider some classic books that people should have read.

I don't think that you should be.

You can be a.

You should be a black educator teaching black students.

That speaks to many of the issues that are still going on for us today.

And so I think people need to be exposed to that information.

And I do think that I'm excited now that I see a lot more young black educators highlighting and illuminating.

There are people that are writing books out now that are talking about some of these things, and it's being talked about more that black educators have a perspective that hasn't been shared enough, and people are looking to that.

So I think that that's positive.

So when I, you know, when I think about, you know, my experience as a.

As a new principal stepping into an urban district, and, you know, what that looked like for mentoring for me as a white woman?

There was none.

You know, there was.

I felt, you know, as judgment because I didn't know and I didn't understand, but the parents were the ones that would, you know, Mrs. Moni, let me.

Let me tell you, let me educate you.

And I so appreciated that because I didn't know.

I hadn't experienced that.

And to think about what that means and everything that you're saying, and what is that?

What does that mentoring look like as.

As principals are coming in, as leaders are coming in, as teachers are coming in and knowing that our primary population is black and brown students.

And so I felt very.

Just not only ill prepared, but just unsupported within that, except for when it came to the parents and my goodness, how thankful I still am for their willingness to just be honest with me and grow in that trust again, as a white woman in this space where I was the minority and to say, okay, this is how it is.

This is how it goes, and that's where my learning came from.

And.

I just see, you know, now how broken that is to be able to say, how do we educate and ensure that we're supporting white leaders to understand as we're growing and supporting our black and brown students to encourage and not discourage them.

Yeah, I think that, you know, this is a human business, right?

So we teach students.

We don't teach curriculum.

And I think that is the point that needs to be hammered home.

You have to know who your students are in order to be able to reach them, to make connections, to make the learning relevant for them.

And so, you know, the only way to do that is to ask questions about what's important, where they're coming from, to know that, to know the neighborhoods and the.

Where they live and.

And how they think.

And I think that's.

That's important.

I think often people do not look at black.

Black Americans as having a culture that they need to understand.

And so there's a deficit model that's out there.

So when we see things that are not happening, we think we look at the deficits, or they don't have this.

They don't know that, as opposed to thinking about what the strengths are and how they.

How they.

And so in one of my PD that I did with my staff, I said, hey, I just got word our school is moving.

You know, everybody's gonna.

You know, you're not gonna lose your job, but our school is moving to Chinatown.

And so we need to start thinking about what it is that we need to do in order to be effective in the new neighborhood that we be.

And so.

So I did a little brainstorming, and lots of hands were going up.

Oh, we need to do this.

We need to learn about this.

We want to make sure we do that.

And so I said, okay, now we're in the south end of Albany.

Have we done any of those things right here in the south end of Albany in order to be effective?

And of course, the answer was no.

People had not thought that that was necessary for us to do in the neighborhood that we in.

But that neighborhood has a history.

The people that are coming there have a culture.

They have values, they have ways of interacting.

They have things that are important to them.

And we should be engag in that same type of inquiry and study in order to be effective there.

So.

So we have to.

We have to ask those questions.

So one of the things is that there needs to be open dialogue about that.

Oftentimes, you know, in, I would say in America in general, we avoid these topics because they can be uncomfortable at times.

But we really just need to talk and, and get to.

To learn and create spaces where it's okay not to know, but you should be.

You should not make assumptions, and you should want to know what people have to tell you.

And if we're going to have those conversations, we need to be able to create healthy relationships, Right?

So there needs to be a level of emotional intelligence and empathy as we get to learn about each other.

And we talk about that a lot in this space.

Who do we serve?

Right?

So really opening up a critically conscious dialogue around culture where we put our emotions on the side and really come in focused and targeted on.

I just really want to get to know you better.

Right.

And be willing to shift and move our mental models in order to open up spaces for the wonderful diversity that is before us.

Yeah, I agree.

I mean, like I said, this is a human.

This is a human to human experience, and this is just what human beings do.

You get to know people, you ask questions, you use that information to make connections.

And I think that's really what school is about.

And we know the benefit.

When you have strong relationships, when students know that you care about them as individuals, that you understand them, then you could be much more.

You could be so much more effective.

I want to talk about representation for a moment.

White people don't think about that word because they come across white people all the time.

And we know that.

We just, you know, white people take that for granted, right?

They just take that for granted that white people are going to show up in the spaces where they are.

And so as we talk a lot about this and I study your work and I listen to your genius, right?

I could listen to you all day.

So, unfortunately, we've only scheduled an hour, but let's just cancel everything and talk to you all day.

I think this representation word is a really important concept for white people to understand because people of color get it.

LGBTQ people, we get it, right?

We understand this idea of representation.

A lot of white people don't understand that.

So would you and your genius kind of take us from it being a buzzword.

Right.

Because that's what people think is the buzzword to representation being a life altering experience for marginalized populations.

Can you talk just a little bit about that for a moment?

Yeah.

I mean, I think we want, we want all students to go to school and feel like they belong, feel like they're, like they're in an environment that is supportive of them, that reflects them, and that they should be there.

And I think that when you see people that look like you, that come from your community, that share your culture, that that helps that that feeling be more solidified.

And so you should not be in a place nobody wants to be in a place where they feel a little.

They don't feel like they belong, they don't feel connected, they don't feel like people understand them.

And I think that's really what representation really is signaling.

And then it sends messages about what's possible in terms of success.

You don't want all the authority figures, all of the people that, that know things, all the people that are successful to not reflect who you are in any way.

That sends a message that maybe that's not for me.

But when we see people that look like us, that come from our communities, that are successful, that chosen to do things, then we think like, hey, maybe that's something that I can consider to do.

And I think it's particularly important for young boys to see black males in leading classrooms where they're modeling what intelligence looks like.

They're modeling that academics is important, they're modeling that how you can conduct yourself and how your passions can lead you to doing things that are important.

I mean, we know, we see, we see all kinds of role models in sports and in entertainment and in different fields, but we also need to know that there are people that are using their minds to do important work.

And so it's better to have role models that are right in front of you, that are within arm's length so you can touch them and talk to them on a daily basis.

So representation is important.

But I also want to add that I think we live in a diverse nation, right?

So it's important for all people to be around diversity and to hear different perspectives and to be able to learn from people.

So it's not beneficial for white students to only have white teachers their entire life or people just from their communities.

They need to hear the perspectives and experiences of other people from different places.

And it gives you some things to think about and to look at things differently.

When you think about all of your work with the Teach Brother Teach program and you think about the Fundisha center.

So first feel free to talk about the funditious center and for our listeners to also explain where the name comes from and what that means.

But then also as you think about that, what gives you hope right now?

Yeah, well, I have a lot of hope.

I think right now there's I see the burgeoning movement happening.

People are talking about this a lot more.

There are programs all over the country like Teach Brother Teach.

They're encouraging men to go into the field.

And so people are very.

I think there's some excitement in around that.

So I think we're starting to get a little some momentum around that that you're seeing.

There are articles every day I have a Google alert and articles are popping up every day about on this topic where people are struggling with this concept about how to do the space.

So I'm very hopeful about that.

When I talk to the men in the program is very encouraging to hear the impact that they're making, their vision for what they want to do and how they're optimistic about the impact that they can have.

What we need to do is to make sure that the systems that will be receiving them are ready for them and will encourage them and empower them and develop them so that they can have the impact that they desire to have.

But I'm encouraged by the program running in the tailwind of lots of programs that are being successful in other parts of the country and learning from their successes.

Our fellows and advisors later this week we're headed to Philadelphia to major conference that the center for Black Educated Development sponsors every year where we'll be in rooms with a couple thousand black educators discussing these topics.

And so I think that those things are important because you could feel isolated, you could feel like you're a by yourself.

But to be in those rooms where you can see people who have navigated their way through are experiencing some of the same things and there are places that you can go to learn more so you can be more effective I think is very helpful and encouraging.

Neil, if you would.

I'm imagining among our listeners there may be some district leadership personnel who are human resource individuals who are working in suburban districts, for instance, and are very interested in diversifying their educational staff.

You talked about the need for school systems to be ready for accomplished black educators to enter their communities.

What's some advice that you might offer to a district level administrator about first moves to begin to be appropriately responsive and Supportive as these young professionals enter their communities?

Yeah, I think that's a very important question because we spend a lot of time talking about recruiting and not enough time talking about how do we create spaces where folks can thrive and be successful once they get there.

And so I think there's a few things.

The first thing I would say is they need to talk to the folks that they have in their building to know what their experiences have been, to know what their challenges have been, to know what they're experiencing.

I think too often a lot of districts and places in general give lip service to this.

It's important we value diversity.

This is important.

We want to recruit people, but they're not really willing to have the conversations that are necessary.

So when you identify problems that are happening, when people are telling you, hey, this is my experience, this is really not a welcoming space, it's sometimes toxic.

Then you have to, it requires you to have to do something.

And so sometimes that information can be shocking to places where.

When they find out how many microaggressions are happening on a regular basis and how people are feeling frustrated and so they, they.

But because what requires you to do something?

So I think that's one of the things that, that frustrates folks.

And so people end up being silenced because, you know, you don't.

Nobody wants to be the troublemaker that's always bringing up the negative thing, especially if, if it's going to fall on deaf ears.

So we have to start by listening to the folks that are with them.

The other thing, I think that like Teach Brother Teach is really a professional brotherhood.

It's an affinity space.

I think the schools need to create those spaces where folks can, can converse with people that are, that are like minded, that share their, their experience and can talk about and feel safe to talk about these, these things and what their needs are.

So I think when districts can figure out what the needs are of people that they're bringing in, then they can better support them and they'll feel valued, they'll feel respected.

One of the things that I notice about men, the men in particular, but I think this is true for all teachers.

You want to feel like you belong in the place that you are.

You want to feel that you're respected and valued there and you want to feel empowered.

And so teachers are really complaining over and over again with all the mandates that we have, that there's less and less autonomy, that their voices are not being heard as often.

And so this is true for black educators.

That's one of the things that they talk about, why they don't stay is that they constantly feel like they're going against the grain.

So we need to create spaces where they don't feel that way, that they're being listened to.

And then we can learn from why folks stayed, what made them successful, and then also what is making folks leave and why they're not, not, not being successful.

So one of the things is that with the recruitment, we're just not going to go out and find diamonds, you know what I mean?

I think we have to cultivate them, you know what I mean?

So we bring people in to have potential and we put them in a space where they are encouraged and empowered and supported and then they can develop into, you know, top teachers.

And so oftentimes you're left alone.

You know, there's major business.

You know, a teacher told me one time that worked in New York City, her first day was like, yeah, your classroom was on the third floor, right?

And you go up to the third floor.

And she said, no one really checked on me for three years.

You know what I mean?

So I just happened to make it.

So if you happen to weather the storm and make it, then you stay.

But we know a lot of teachers end up leaving before they make it to that year three because they're struggling.

And so we need to make sure that we have intentional, that we're setting up intentional ways that they can find connection and mentorship so that they can get the support that they need before they just say, hey, this isn't for me.

And we're gonna take that conversation a little bit further in our after show.

The Wheelhouse.

All hands on deck.

That takes us to the end of this episode.

Don't forget to check out that after show.

But we'll see you next week in the wheelhouse.

Pause.

1, 2, 3, 4.

You ready for the after show?

Welcome to Below deck.

Sorry, that's not right.

I gotta do a commercial too.

I forgot to mention.

I forgot to mention that.

So we're gonna go free one.

I'm going to try to do this.

Yes.

If you'd like to hear more of this amazing conversation, then we have a second part or an after show called the Wheelhouse.

All hands on deck, only available at Learn Harbor.

So join us in the wheelhouse below deck@learnharbor.thinkific.com.

And that's a wrap of season 11, episode 4 of the Wheelhouse.

A special thank you to Today's amazing guest, Mr. Neal Curry, Jr. Executive Director of the funditious center along with the Wheelhouse team, Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa and Dr. Alicia Munro for helping us navigate this season's journey toward Future Ready Schools.

Innovation Rooted in Humanity if you're a like minded educator who believes the future of learning must stay human centered, we'd love for you to stay connected.

Follow Students Matter LLC on Instagram or LinkedIn or find any of us there.

Kathy mone, Michael Pipa, Dr. Alicia Munro and me, Dr. Grant Chandler and we're thrilled to invite you to step inside the Wheelhouse Below Deck at LERN harbor, our new online space where these conversations come to life.

It's more than a platform, it's a community.

A free curated safe harbor for educators, leaders and thinkers who want to reflect, connect and take action together.

Inside Below Deck you'll find our special segment the Wheelhouse All Hands on Deck Extended content from today's episode where purpose meets possibility and learning stays joyful, collaborative and deeply human.

Join us at learnharbor.thinkific.com and become part of this growing movement to build Future ready schools where innovation is always rooted in humanity.

Until next time.

Remember, keep your doors open and your hearts even wider.