“Anger to Advocacy” with Dr.Reggie Thompkins

Topics of discussion in this episode: 

Growing up in with a single mom in poverty

Doing well in school with the mindset that he wanted a different lifestyle 

Growing up in a crime-stricken neighborhood 

Being a tight-knit community 

Going to a school on the west side

Being called a racist slur and his friends standing up for him

Racial bias in grading and expectations

Finding sports in middle school

He remembers teachers and coach’s names that touched his life

Splitting up his senior class

How his experience influences how he works with families 

Played basketball in college at Cal State San Bernardino 

The importance of sports for engagement 

Reflecting back on how hard it was for her mother 

Talking back and being a teenager

Reflecting on his mother - mental illness and being raised in the South

Working at Stater Bros and how Bob Molina pushed him to do more

Coaching and becoming a PE Teacher

Becoming an assistant principal

Standard discipline practices and reflecting on being true to your values 

Interesting fashion choices

Doing what is best for kids AND the adults who work with kids

Kids with behave badly when they don’t feel safe

Being scared to be a principal and receiving full support from his superintendent 

Being collaborative with your staff

Understanding all students

Supporting all kids 

Shifting mindsets and societal norms 

Suspensions and changing behaviors 

Kids who are engaged in sports

His service in CIF and supporting cheerleading becoming a sport

Boys and Girls Club

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