Episode 27: Interview with P. Sloan Joseph

Welcome to the Counter Narrative Podcast, a show designed to change the way we talk, and think, about education. By sharing stories of successes and triumphs, we aim to challenge the dominant narrative that often negatively portrays our disenfranchised populations.

I’m your host, Charles Williams. An educator for 15 years, a current school principal in Chicago, and an educational consultant.

In this episode, I chat with P. Sloan Joseph an instructional leader with over seventeen years of experience working with grades K4-12 in the areas of school & classroom culture (diversity, equity, inclusion, engagement) and technology. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (SC State University) and a Master of Arts in School Administration (Gardner-Webb University). Her career has included being a Business Education teacher, Title I Facilitator, New Teacher Mentor and Administrator. Sloan is currently the Instructional Technology Coach at Greer Middle School, where she facilitates training for students, parents/guardians, and staff. She is a co-organizer for Edcamp Greenville and co-creator of #BreatheEDU, a platform assisting school and district leaders with creating racially inclusive & equitable learning environments. She is a member of the Teach Better Team Speakers Network, and a member of SCASCD Emerging Leader Class of 2020. Sloan is also the host of Greater is in Me, a podcast centered around her life as a wife, mother, and educator. The purpose of the podcast is to inform, inspire, and influence listeners to fulfill the greatness that exists within. Greater is in Me is available on iTunes, Google Podcast, Anchor & Spotify.

During our conversation, Sloan addressed a common thread in education today - relationships, but helped to deepen our collective understanding by encouraging us to consider building a rapport with students. Relationships are simply connections and can be either positive or negative. Rapport, however, is dependent upon mutual trust and respect, something she reminds us that needs to be curated over time. Sloan also connects this to diversity in that we need to be cognizant of our own privileges, both earned and unearned, and to learn how to respect the innate differences that exist between all of us. She suggests that we listen to varying perspectives, even if we do not agree and that maybe, just maybe, we could help to address the teacher shortage by changing what our students see in front of them each and every day. How are you showing up?

I hope that you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Connect with Sloan!

Instagram: @greaterisinme

Twitter: @psloanjoseph

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/greaterisinmepodcast