From the Podcast Archives: A Conversation with Author Tiffaney Whyte

Welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast, my name is Jebeh Edmunds, and I am so excited to introduce you all to Tiffaney White, a wonderful teacher who today is sharing experiences infusing inclusion and multicultural educational practices that we can learn from in our everyday lives. 

 

About Tiffaney

Tiffaney Whyte is a Brooklyn-born author, elementary special education teacher, business owner, and mother of two who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is passionate about spreading joy and positivity in the classroom. She created her brand, D’Avian Blu Innovations, to empower and motivate fellow educators as they cultivate young minds. Tiffaney’s motto is “Do what makes you happy, create joy for yourself; when you find that, keep going and don’t stop.” In 2014, Tiffaney started her Teachers Wear Yellow on Monday campaign, an initiative that promotes joy and positivity among educators by having them wear yellow each Monday. 

 

Growing up in Brooklyn, Tiffaney grew up and went to school in a predominantly West Indian community. When she went to high school, she experienced that her educators were of very diverse backgrounds. She had many teachers in high school who were of Caribbean descent, which gave her a sense of belonging and being part of the community. 

 

Tiffaney’s Career

Tiffaney touches on her role as a fifth-grade educator and how it’s okay to make mistakes, and sometimes it’s even necessary. You have to take learning curves which is something that I personally resonate with as someone who believes that as educators, we are life-long learners who can’t run from mistakes; it’s a part of learning and growing. Tiffaney also shares that she’s taught from kindergarten all the way up to a year in high school, but she feels the best teaching fifth grade; as though it’s her calling. 

 

I personally also loved teaching fifth grade, as it’s a transitional grade from middle school to junior high. Educators play a huge role in the lives of their students and build their confidence, so it’s wonderful to be able to talk to them and see their confidence grow because of the content an educator shares. 

 

Tiffaney’s Relationship with Music

During this interview, Tiffaney also touched on her love of music and how she feels as though it bridges everyone together because of how universal it is. Music is something that can cross any barrier between people. Tiffaney comments that she incorporates music into her daily work, from her morning commute to even during her school day in the hallways. She tries to incorporate different cultures of music as her school’s culture isn’t as diverse as hers was growing up. 

 

Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk

Tiffaney’s latest book, Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk is inspired by her students and her niece, who had a hard time in her transition from fifth to sixth grade. And so, Tiffaney came up with the idea of a talking desk that tells students all about the fifth grade that also touches on the ideas of figurative language to add a bit of educational value. Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk isn’t just for fifth graders but for those who may be nervous or even scared at the beginning of the school year; it’s a book for everybody. 

 

Thank you for listening in to this week’s Cultural Curriculum Chat with Tiffaney Whyte. Be on the lookout for Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk and her brand D’avion Blu Innovations. If you enjoyed this episode and want 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!

If you’d love to listen to this podcast episode. Click the link her

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1495555/11874324-season-2-episode-21-a-conversation-with-author-tiffaney-whyte.mp3?download=true  

Tiffaney created her brand “De’AvionBlu Innovations to empower and motivate fellow Educators as they cultivate young minds. 

You can purchase Tiffaney’s products on these links below:

https://deavionbluinnovations.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Fifth-Grade-Tiffaney-Whyte/dp/B0B8BPKFZ6

Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk Book Review

I’m here to share another great book for your classroom and homelife: Nicole and the Fifth Grade Desk by Tiffaney Whyte, Illustrated by Christina Rudenko. 

First of all this book is really well written it talks about a little girl named Nicole who is all ready for the first day of 5th grade but still a little nervous to start a new grade. She meets her teacher who greets her with a smile and on her face Nicole feels like she could be ready but she’s just so nervous to get started.The book is perfect because it talks with a talking desk and the desk guides Nicole into what to expect in this new grade in 5th grade. It talks about lots of affirmations that are true to her as a 5th grader how she is, I quote, “special unique and beautiful” and how she will accomplish great things in life.

 What I love about this book is the desk even gives her insights of what to expect in fifth grade as far as figurative language. Which is one of our 5th grade standards for understanding what similes and metaphors would be like and helping her know even the events that she’s going to be going through, dressing for Success day and school fundraisers and fun, engaging activities that she’s going to be learning alongside her classmates. 

 Jitters and. I remember talking to Miss Tiffaney Whyte on my podcast. Go back and check it out, season 2, episode 21 and listen to my conversation with Tiffaney. 

You can listen to the episode right on the link below.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1495555/11874324 

  Let’s face it, everybody has jitters no matter what grade level you’re going through, and I love how Tiffaney writes in this book that it’s a celebration of starting a new grade. You can begin this book with a new student that comes into your classroom because that new student is going into a class that already has their routines and norms set up significantly in the middle of the school year. Educators, I’ve had students come in the last week of school, and it’s always very intimidating to be the new kid on the Block, but this is a great tool to start that conversation of what to expect in fifth grade. You could read it and any grade-level to open up that conversation. I recommend ordering the book Nicole and the fifth-grade desk, written by Tiffaney Whyte and illustrated by Christina Rudenko. You can purchase this book at the link below. 

https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Fifth-Grade-Tiffaney-Whyte/dp/B0B8BPKFZ6