Cultural Competency Archives

From the Podcast Archives: A Conversation with Leadership Coach Beth Napleton

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

Welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum Chat. I am so excited to share with you my discussion with Beth Napleton, leadership coach, consultant and founder of Beth Napleton Consulting. Beth offers senior leaders in education and mission-driven organizations a clear path to excellence through individual executive and group coaching experiences. She is a national award-winning educator and has been in the field for over 2 decades, having trained over 1,800 teachers and leaders to success.

About Beth Napleton

Beth grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, where she experienced a mostly white and Catholic environment. In her childhood and beyond, she found herself relying on reading as a form of escapism into other cultures and histories of the world. She began to feel like there was so much more out there in the world than her current space at the time, and it became her entry into multicultural education, which she would pursue later on.

As she made her way into college, she immersed herself in American Studies, “focusing on what Dr. King called ‘the art gap,’ righting the ways things maybe are and ought to be,” she says. Beth began to feel as though it was where she belonged and that there was no better environment for this than in the classroom. So, she joined Teach for America and became an educator in the Washington Heights Community in New York City when she began her career.

Beth’s Education Experiences

Beth happily touches on her teaching experiences, saying that when she started teaching in communities with 90% of her students being immigrants from the Dominican Republic, the largest community of Dominican students outside of the capital of DAR at that time. She started to notice how hard it was for students within the Washington Heights community versus her sister, who had a more rigorous education at the time and how the odds of being able to get into a good college, SAT scores or even medical school were a lot harder and a bigger hill to climb for those at Washington Heights and how backgrounds, family income and other factors affect education where it shouldn’t.

Since then, Beth has tried throughout her career to right the wrongs of the system, advocating for children and the education and experiences that they should be entitled to and not shooed away because of their family’s income or lack thereof. Beth recognized the tremendous gap in experiences for students based on their backgrounds alone and how problematic it has become.

The Role of Teachers

Similar to my thoughts, Beth understands the need for more diversity within a classroom. Not every book that is read should be from a non-POC author. Dive from Dominican authors, and don’t stop there. Go to Asia, Australia, and Egypt; take your kids somewhere they’ve never been before through the literature you introduce them to and teach. Help them understand how big the world can be.

Beth’s Advice

Beth reflects on her experience working with a charter school in rural North Carolina, where she watched her students grow as the years went on, which impacted her greatly. Her advice to young teachers, they think they’ll experience the gratification of teaching for one, two or three years when teaching but it comes after that when your students are alumni and come back from high school or college, and you find them working alongside you. Beth says, “This is really when you feel that sense of fullness or completion and the arc of development and the interconnectedness of life and all the magic of it”

If you want to learn more about Beth, her website is bethnapleton.com which includes resources, videos, blogs and more.

Thank you so much for listening to this installment of the Cultural Curriculum Chat. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, subscribe to my YouTube channel at Mrs. Edmunds’ Cultural Corner for more podcasts, videos, and other multicultural and educational content.

See you next time!

Learn more about Beth Napleton here:

Website: https://www.bethnapleton.com/
Take her leadership quiz: https://bethnapleton.involve.me/leadershipquiz

Instagram: @beth.napleton

Listen to our Podcast interview below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1495555/13288453

Three Free Ways of Understanding DEI

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

Are you struggling with the concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) without emptying your wallet? Here are three FREE resources for you:

Podcasts

Podcasts are a great resource for anything, whether for informative or entertainment purposes, and DEI is no exception for multicultural education content. My own podcast, The Cultural Curriculum Chat, is one of many podcasts that focus on the subject of DEI. Don’t be afraid to research and find BIPOC podcast hosts like me who resonate with you to give you a more whole, authentic perspective.

Journalism

Understanding your feelings and the role of DEI in anti-racism and social justice takes time, and this is where journaling is a great resource. Understanding the journey you begin in incorporating DEI and where you’re going is essential in taking up this work. So when you have an idea or a spark, remember to write it down somewhere.

My Free Workshop: 3 Massive Mistakes to Avoid When Learning About DEI

I have conducted a workshop to help those just like you who may not know where to start or struggle to understand DEI. I also understand companies’ biggest mistakes when implementing DEI efforts and provide actionable solutions to avoid them. I understand how overwhelming you may feel entering this space, but these tips are here to help you get the ball rolling and take action in ways that won’t cost you a single cent.

If you’re looking to hear more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, check out my YouTube channel at Mrs. Edmunds’ Cultural Corner.

Last, I have also conducted a free workshop titled 3 Massive Mistakes to Avoid When Learning about DEI. Our workshop is designed to help you understand companies’ biggest mistakes when implementing DEI efforts and provide actionable solutions to avoid them. There’s no way to be overwhelmed in this process, but I can understand how you might feel that way. These tips can help you get the ball rolling in taking action that doesn’t cost you a dime.

The Kindest Red Book Review

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

My name is Jebeh Edmunds, and welcome to my blog if you’re new here. I’m an educator and love sharing my insights on Multicultural Education.

Speaking of sharing, got to love that segue. I am so excited. I have created. A self-paced, self-guided digital course title. How to be a culturally competent leader. You’ll have four weeks of self-paced work, quick, 15-minute videos, and a couple bonus podcast episodes.

And a digital guidebook and a certificate that shows all your hard work. This is something that I created and that will help you in your busy life. Understand our diverse society. What to say, what not to say, what to read up on, and with this guidebook, you get to journal and self-reflect with the prompts I have for you. So there’s more information in the show notes below.

Be sure to check it out here:

https://jebeh-edmunds.mykajabi.com/offers/LMwntaji/checkout

It is so important that we read authors from diverse backgrounds to better understand their cultures. Their traditions and understanding them as human beings, especially in our daily lives. So I wanted to share with you another great title. The Kindest Red was written by Ibtihaj Muhammed and S K Ali.

Art by Hatem Ali and Ibtihaj Taj wrote a book that I showcased last year. Titled The Proudest Blue, and this is her second, don’t quote a second story from this dynamic team; it follows these sister characters and their journey.

Now the premise of this story, I don’t want to give away too much. But it talks about these two sisters, again, Faizah and Asiya. And they’re getting ready for picture day. Of these two sisters, Faizah has a hijab on, and, Asiyah doesn’t have one yet. But she is rocking her red dress. And what I love about this story is that it talks about how our educators write about what they would love for our students with these open.

Questions of what would you like to see the world? As educators, we are eager to write down all our students’ responses and try to get as many answers as possible on our boards. So what I love about this book, it parallels that excitement; it parallels children in their minds of what they view the world as should be.

And how they would feel in that world. I really want you to talk about this book with your students. It has excellent references to representation. Ms. Ramirez is the educator. So you have a teacher of color and a very diverse classroom. And you see the similar games that you probably grew up in elementary school playing tag.

And solving problems and talking things through. The tradition of picture day and the excitement behind picture day in elementary school, especially. Um, yeah, my youngest son wore his Phy Ed uniform for picture day. So yeah, I wasn’t pleased about that.

But this talks about the excitement of picture day. And the choice of color and being oneself. How. The color red makes you feel and how you would like the world to portray you. And. What I love about these two sisters and their bond. Faizah has always looked out for her little sister. But it also showcases how everyone else looks out for each other. And that is the goal of an educator in their classroom community.

I just remember being that. Little black girl in my elementary school and getting excited about a new dress. My mom got me and my hair done. Just that pride of me in this particular grade every single year.

And, you know, smiling big and also that boost of confidence.

Everybody helping you feel like your best self is an excellent illustration of how this little girl’s world wants to be like an Asiyah.

If a person only knows. People of a particular cultural group, especially the Islamic community. , need to continue to educate themselves more. The negative biases are kept at bay on these diverse characters and their attributes. Everyone can relate to picture day when we’re looking at these stories. Especially at school, everyone can relate to playing at recess. Everyone can relate to solving problems together and writing what our view is.

Points of what we see and writing our hopes for the future of what we would like to see our world. I remember when I taught, we had an extensive list of our hopes and dreams our personal. And community goals in the classroom. So these are just some excellent examples of The Kindest Red. I highly recommend it.

This book is perfect for Kindergarten to Third grade, and I even enjoyed The Proudest Blue. I highly recommend both titles if you want to have both in your classroom library or even in your home library collection. They both have a charming message. And also showcases and validates the Muslim American experience.

That’s all that I have for you today. Just a quick, short episode. Have a really great book. The Kindest Red, written by Ibtihaj Muhammed. And S K Ali illustrated by Hatem. Ali, check it out.

Cultures of Belonging Book Review

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

Another great book for your professional development is titled Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last by Alida Miranda-Wolff

When we are talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Belonging is the next step of sustainability. In your DEI work, Alida just really crafts this in a way where she talks and walks you through what belonging actually looks like? She even goes further into who the stakeholders in your organization are and how you can get from point “A

To point B”. No pun intended. When I’m talking about being and belonging. So one of my most important things is when you’re talking about inclusion, you really have to get to that foundational piece of what it means to include and trust me, people that look like me and other BIPOC
folks, we can see the BS from a mile away.

So make sure you have the best intentions authentically, and Ali’s book will help you walk through that. When we’re talking about cross-cultural connections and building them stronger, she talks about. To make your own onboarding team. As you can see, I’ve got things dog-eared, and I’ve referenced her work because it is so well done in my own research, and she also talks about people who could resist this movement in your organization.

Remember, there’s gonna be a lot of push. When you have some folks, but if you talk about them and the buy-in and why it’s important to have everybody feel culturally and psychologically safe, they’ll get on board. And this book is a tool to get you there. As I said, it really does showcase the leader’s work in how you.

Definitely work with her research findings with her ethos work, as well as think about the policies you already have in place and how to audit it to make them more inclusive, so people feel like they belong in your workplace. She does definitely walk the walk in this book. Be sure to order her book wherever books are sold.

I found this online. As I said, it was even printed in 2021. So this is the most cutting-edge research-based book you can find to help sustain your thriving organization. Remember that I’ll send you a new find in this multicultural educational space every week. That’s all that I have for you today. Have a great one

Becoming Vanessa Book Review

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

Hello there! I’m a happy educator today, and I cannot wait to share with you all again another great book review, and it is titled Becoming Vanessa. It was written and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. I had the pleasure of interviewing Vanessa a few weeks ago, and definitely check out her podcast episode with me on The Cultural Curriculum Chat.

I will have that link down below. Now to get started with this book. It is a coming-of-age book on the first day of school. Everybody has those jitters, especially the teachers, but we don’t wanna spill that kind of tea. Okay? So becoming Vanessa is her self-titled character, and she talks about getting ready for the first.

School, her mommy and daddy ask her, what are you gonna wear that special today? And as you can see, I got my little particular leper print cardigan on because we all have to enjoy our inner childlike energy. And what I love about Vanessa’s attention to detail. She’s got it down to the hair textures of her parents.

Even how things just come to life. Even the fashion, the feather boa that little Vanessa does. What I also enjoy in this book, it even has a mommy and a hair tie. Okay. It shows all walks of life that Vanessa brings to the pages. She even talks about her name and how long it takes to write it when everybody else is done with the day.

And you know, as a teacher, we all have those students that have those beautiful, unique, long names that take a while, but she talks about how she gets into her name. Feels in the beginning that her name isn’t that special, but her mom walks her through and tells her the true meaning of her name. You will just choke up with joy and see how this beautiful little girl takes that pride in herself.

And she sits a little taller, like I say, and talks about how her beautiful name has meaning and how she portrays herself and honors who she is just beautiful. So definitely check out this book. It’s one of my favorites. And just how colorful, bright, and childlike Vanessa has this in her book.

It’s very well done. As you can say, Vanessa is a beautiful person inside and out. And you are going to enjoy this book. I highly recommend this book, kindergarten to about third grade, for the beginning of the school year, but, Check it out now. In honor of Black History Month, she is one of the most well-known illustrators in our children’s books universe.

So definitely get this book Becoming Vanessa wherever books are sold. You can learn more about this fantastic author here: https://www.vanessabrantleynewton.com/

My 3Cs of Cultural Competency

Posted on by Jebeh Edmunds

Today we’re going to talk about all things Cultural Competency, what it is, and my famous 3 C’s to keep us all in check so we can better relate to our community members of color. I can’t wait to share tips on understanding my 3cs of Cultural Competency so you can get to work.

What is Cultural Competency?

Cultural competence is the ability to comprehend, interact, and communicate with individuals regardless of their cultural background. Cultural competency includes:

An awareness of one’s cultural views.
Working at and developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences.
Knowing varying cultural worldviews and practices.

Typically, cultural competency regarding work environments, school systems, or some other kind of organization, where such knowledge is transformed into specific policies, standards, and practices to increase the environment and create better outcomes.

3 Mrs. E’s 3 C’s of Cultural Competency

1) Check

2) Correct

3) Connect

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” Stephen R. Covey.

Check

1. Remember the term Checking for Understanding when we’re building instruction? The same applies. We need to check our understanding of other cultures,

2. How do you interact with other cultural groups, including immigrant groups?

3. Have you learned from each other who their family is? If their kid plays with your kid at the baseball field?

4. Have you attended a cultural festival with which you don’t identify?

Correct your own bias

1. We all have biases, and we know that there are systems in place in our nation that allow biases to solidify and amplify discrimination.

2. We are all going to step into it. Have you had the feeling, oop, I shouldn’t have said that or, man, why did I ask that question?

3. Researching methods Dr. Maura Cullen “Most times, knowing what is right is the easy part; it is in the doing that tests our courage.”

4. The last C in my method is Connect- By connecting with others who have multiple perspectives than you will help you advocate for them. There are so many hurdles for people of color and people of immigrants that hinder them from living out the American dream. Once you connect, we can speak up and say something.