Episode 1: Podcasting and Education Policy
Hello wonderful people, This is Blake Barber and welcome to the first episode of Five Minute Fridays. Each week we will explore an education related topic, but today I wanted to explain the three whys behind making a weekly five minute podcast and three fears that I have in broadcasting my ideas for others to hear. Lets do it.
Why number 1. I am in a doctorate program for education policy and a fear I have that will go into more later is that pretentiousness of academia will limit my sphere of influence-- those that I can influence and can influence me. Academia can make doctoral students and their ideas inaccessible to the commonplace, and honestly it is you the listeners, people of everyday space, that I want to refute, refine, and or possibly use what I am learning. In this journey I hope to interact and assist more than tell and elevate, and I think a weekly podcast will force me to consistently come back to this desire.
Number 2. I value authenticity and making money for my family. Currently my progression up the pay ladder looks like becoming a school building leader and in future podcasts we will talk more about the tremendous stress building leaders are under due to poor policy, but what you need to know for now is the movement in most public and charter schools has been stagnant for the last 35 years especially in regards to those who are most marginalized. And Austin Channing Brown, a public figure a deep sincerity in my opinion, said, “When the movement stops it is time to get off” or in my case not join. This leaves me seeking other ways to make money and that is creating content. I have not created content before. On Youtube, twitter, and Instagram I have always been a consumer. With that said this podcast is me practicing and learning. And for those of you listening I greatly appreciate you being part of my practice squad.
3! I love education. I love education for what it has done to me and what I believe it can do for our society. There have been many iterations of blake barber and each iteration is indebted to education. As an 18 year old, bleeding heart conservative, evangelical, I was introduced to dissonance and what I thought I knew was shook by the idea that history is told by victors, What I knew what shook bt the reading and discussion of liberation theology, and then Blake at 22 met my greatest teachers, 184 mouth pieces of God, Frayser 5th graders. Shaped and stretched I have come from education more whole. Unfortunately, the public service of education has been hijacked by schooling ( more to come on that in later podcasts) is not leaving the majority of people whole.
Fears: Brene Brown in her book daring greatly “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
I the spirit of that quote I wanted to share 3 fears of releasing my ideas to you the listeners.
Tucker Carlson. For of those of you that don’t know he is a propagandist news caster for Fox news, and by speaking into this microphone and releasing content for people I have doubled my comparisons to him. My other two being white and male. In all seriousness I am hesitant to add another white male voice into the information ethos. I am annoyed at the trend that any man with a reddit and microphone feels that they are an expert. I realize that in publishing content I may be perpetuating that trend, and I have no solution other than to say that I am aware and living in the contradiction.
There is a song by tech nine and Kendrick Lamar entitled Fragile. And in it there is a line You don't really get why I'm so pissed? Understand this (Understand this)
I'm an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit. yes I'm Fragile. Someone didn’t watch my 3rd video in my instagram and yall I became sensitive about my shit. I have genuine fear that I will start doing this podcast for the wrong reason. I am doing this for me and I hope to come back to that as well as realize that it isn’t for everyone.
There is a narrative I hold that at this time in life I should be really good at something and investing time in that. Well here I am doing something I have never done before and publishing content that is poorly done. I can live with that for a while, but I have a fear that I wont ever find away to make what I am learning accessible.
And that concludes the first ever Five minute Fridays. Listeners thank you so much for blocking out space in your day to listen. Tune in next week as I define, explore, and share the impact of policy on education.
