#43 | Curiosity, Critique & Courage in Education – w/ sam seidel (Stanford d.school)

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unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

Ashanti Branch - Taking Off The Mask

269 episodes

16 hours ago

Only 23% of K-12 educators in America are male, a gender gap that has serious ramifications for male students - who often face DISPROPORTIONATE disciplinary action. This podcast is for male educators who want to embody a necessary change in schools, via healthy social-emotional outcomes. Come away with actionable lesson plans, relatable stories, and a renewed purpose. The US Surgeon General says the mental health of our youth is the "crisis of our time." Male educators are uniquely positioned to address this - because real men teach. Join our community: "Advocates for Young Men" at Skool.com

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#43 | Curiosity, Critique & Courage in Education – w/ sam seidel (Stanford d.school)

unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

46 minutes 33 seconds

4 weeks ago

#43 | Curiosity, Critique & Courage in Education – w/ sam seidel (Stanford d.school)

What keeps educators going when the system feels overwhelming? How do we balance creativity, critique, and care in classrooms where students face everything from initiative fatigue to gun violence?

In this episode, Ashanti sits down with sam seidel, educator, author, and Director of Strategy & Research at the Stanford d.school. sam has spent more than 20 years designing schools, launching youth programs, and writing about the intersections of education, identity, creativity, and justice. His most recent book, From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood (with Dr. Christopher Emdin), explores how white educators can engage in classrooms with honesty, humility, and impact.

Together, Ashanti and sam dive deep into:

The masks educators wear: curiosity, critique, and hidden vulnerabilities
School safety and Sam’s eye-opening experience shadowing a student during an active shooter drill
The toll of initiative fatigue on teachers and students
What Sam’s father (also an educator) taught him about anger as fuel for change
Why belonging, empathy, and critical reflection matter just as much as curriculum
How the Stanford d.school’s School Safety Net is helping schools strengthen community connection

Sam’s reflections push us to ask: What’s our learning edge as educators? And how do we keep interrogating the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden?

Timestamps
(0:00) Welcome & Introduction
(1:12) Sam on trust, connection, and why safe conversations matter
(3:25) Sam introduces himself and his work at the Stanford d.school
(8:31) Sam’s mask: curious, critical, creative
(12:18) Vulnerability: cynicism, Jewish identity, and what he hides
(19:17) Challenges in education today: repression, book bans, and teacher fatigue
(23:44) AI, initiative overload, and why teachers feel burned out
(25:14) Sam’s experience with active shooter drills and school safety
(33:08) Why student connection isn’t “extra”, it’s life-saving
(44:30) Lessons from his father: anger as fuel for teaching
(47:15) Sam shares his books & resources

Connect with sam seidel

Website: samseidel.isBooks: From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, Hip Hop Genius 2.0, Creative Hustle, and more

Join/Contribute to our Young Men’s Conference: https://everforwardclub.org/global-young-mens-conference-2025

Join our Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/efc-young-mens-advocates-2345

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