Episode 95: Interview with Lissette Jacobson

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 urban educator for more than 15 years, a current school principal in Chicago, an educational consultant, an equity advocate, and the co-host of Inside The Principal’s Office.

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In this episode, I chat with Lissette Jacobson, an educator with more than 10 years experience in the field. She has worked with culturally and linguistically diverse students in grades K through 8 and is currently an elementary school principal in a suburb of Chicago. Lissette's passion for education stems from her own experience as a first generation Mexican-American in the public school system. It is important for her to affirm the identities of her students and to elevate the status of the Spanish language. She is the founder of Leading Latina, a blog and podcast that focuses on linking latinas in leadership and co-founder of Black, Brown, and Bilingue, a podcast whose mission is to unite the Black and Brown communities through education, storytelling, and community engagement.

During our conversation, we talked about so-called ghetto schools and the impact this has one staff, students, and the community. What happens when staff and students begin to think they are less worthy because they are in a school that doesn't receive as many resources? Or when struggling students are congregated in that space? What happens when parents and the community embrace those stereotypes and respond negatively? Lissette also shared how it's important to listen to your stakeholders and not make assumptions. Often, this leads to us not only ignoring the cultural capital within our buildings but missing our families’ realities entirely. We discussed the role of SEL and cautioned about becoming so engrossed in this initiative that we fail to provide our students with the academic foundations that they need so that they can actually be successful in the classroom. Lissette and I closed out with a brief discussion around repackaged reforms and their role in perpetuating the very issues we are attempting to address but we figured we would save that for another conversation.

Listos? Are you ready? Vamos.

Connect with Lissette

Facebook

Twitter - @leadinglatina2 / @blkbrwnbilingue

Instagram - @leadinglatina2 / @blackbrownandbilingue

YouTube

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