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!
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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
