January 20, 2025 • 14 mins
In this episode, Dr. Almitra Berry reflects on the journey of the 3E Podcast over the past two and a half years. She expresses deep gratitude to her listeners, guests, and the behind-the-scenes heroes who have contributed to the podcast's success. Dr. Berry also shares her plans for 2025, which include continuing the podcast, and issues a call to action for listeners to start a daily gratitude practice focused on education advocates and educators.
Join our community. Go to patreon.com/almitraberry and sign up for our weekly newsletter and exclusive content.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:00):
If you're a parent, teacher or school leader and
(00:03):
you're sick and tired of thefrustration, anger and unfair
treatment of children at highrisk in our public schools, then
perhaps it's time for all of usto do something about it. In
this podcast, Dr amitra Berrybrings you tips, tools,
strategies and tactics to buildsuccessful solutions while
(00:25):
touching, moving and inspiringall of us to transform our
schools so that every childthrives. Here's your host, Dr
Bay,
Dr Almitra Berry (00:37):
welcome back, equity warriors. Thanks for
tuning in to another episode ofthe 3e podcast. Shout out to new
members on the Patreon channel.
Thanks for joining me there andsupporting the show. And for the
rest of you, make sure that youdo subscribe to the show, share
the show on social media,because it's your subscriptions
that help grow this channel. Andif you do know someone who has a
hearing deficit who you thinkmight appreciate this content.
(00:59):
Just a reminder that there'salways a transcript for every
show. Just check down in thenotes on your player. At the
beginning of every year, I liketo do a little reflecting on the
prior year and this year, in myreflection, one of the things
that that really came to myheart was to make sure that I
expressed gratitude. I want tothank you for your continued
(01:24):
support, your engagement, yourencouragement that helps me keep
this podcast going, listenerfeedback, whether it's a note
that you send via social media,a text message I get in response
to the podcast, a review thatyou post on iTunes. And thank
(01:47):
you for those iTunes reviews.
Please, more. Please. They helpshape the podcast, even just
looking at the data, what getslistened to, what shows are
listened to all the way through,versus partially through, you
give me indications of what isresonating with you, and so I
thank you. Thank you forlistening. Thank you for the
(02:09):
feedback, even when you don'tknow you're giving me feedback.
I want to also express mydeepest gratitude to all of the
incredible guests, and to my twoguest hosts that appeared on the
podcast this last year, I had awonderful time engaging with so
many different people who areall committed to education,
(02:32):
educational equity, tosupporting marginalized
learners. Guests. Guest host,your insights, your stories,
your expertise, have enrichedthe discussions that we have
here and brought in valuableperspectives to our listeners.
So thank you. Thank you forsharing your time. Thank you for
(02:54):
sharing your knowledge with us,and thank you for being a vital
part of this journey towardseducational equity. And it's not
just the guests and the guestsand the guest host. I have to
say, there are a couple ofbehind the scenes heroes, people
who really as as partners, havecontributed to this podcast,
(03:15):
origins to its growth, to itssuccess. First and foremost, I
want to extend my heartfeltthanks to Wendy Stevens. She is
my podcast whisper whisperer, asI call her Wendy, it is your
encouragement, your gentle andsometimes not so gentle, nudges
that were the spark that gotthis podcast off the ground. And
so it has been your unwaveringsupport behind the scenes magic
(03:37):
that are truly the power behindthe production. So thank you for
believing in me and forbelieving in and supporting this
journey. And some of you mayhave heard me say the name. If
you ever listen to one of theunedited versions, you may have
heard me say the name Edward.
Edward is a special shout out toEdward. He is my amazing podcast
editor. He is the one who, everyweek, behind the scenes, gets
(03:59):
each episode to sound great, tolook great, and gets it out to
you, all of you on time. SoEdward, thank you for all of
your hard work and dedication,and don't you dare edit this out
of the episode. And then, ofcourse, there's family and
friends who have supported thisjourney. Most foremost is my
husband, who I get to bounceideas off of, even when he
(04:22):
doesn't want to listen, but whohas encouraged me and supported
me all the way through thisjourney, along with other
friends who tell me, Mitra, youhave to keep going. You have to
keep broadcasting. You have tokeep putting out episodes. Thank
you. Sometimes, some of us needa little bit of a kick in the
pants to to keep going.
(04:44):
Sometimes we don't know. I don'tknow whether or not what I'm
doing is reaching an audience.
And so when it's someone whowalks up to me when I'm at a
conference, and tells me there.
For a listener, and thank youthe lady in the doctor's office
the other day or last week whowho looked me up, what because
(05:09):
we were chatting, and saw melater on in the office and said,
Thank you, I want to say thankyou for what you're doing. This
is so important, such importantwork. Thank you, all of you for
that feedback. Initially, when Istarted this out, I wasn't quite
sure what direction I would goin other than I wanted to make
(05:32):
sure that I was putting out amessage that was supportive of
marginalized learners in ourparticularly in our public
schools. And as my podcastwhisperer Wendy, who helped to
help me work through to shapewhat this was going to be, of
course, there were challenges indetermining what my voice should
sound like, what what are thethings that I should cover? And
(05:55):
of course, there have been somebumps, and I say road road
blocks and speed bumps along theway. A lot of lessons learned,
but I think the greatest lessonlearned is to stick to it and
redo it until you get it right,and so hopefully we're getting
it right. I did not envision, Ithink today is episode number
(06:17):
132, I did not envision 100 plusepisodes, and yet, here we are.
I did not envision what are wetwo and a half years in running
an running a podcast for twoyears, it is not always easy,
(06:38):
but I am thankful for theopportunity to continue to be a
voice for educators, educationleaders and advocates for
education, educational equityand supporting children of
color, children of linguisticdiversity, children with special
(06:59):
needs, our marginalized learnersin America schools and
internationally as this audiencehas grown far beyond the United
States and we do have aninternational presence in a
certain way, there's a communitythat has formed around this
podcast. It doesn't have theshape that I would like for it
(07:20):
to have, but there is acommunity I know it from the
feedback. I know because I'veheard people tell me how
something that I have said hasmade a positive impact on their
life, on the work that they do,on how they educate the children
in their classroom. So I want toexpress my gratitude for that
(07:45):
sense of connection. I want toexpress my thanks to you all to
taking the time to listen andthen using the nuggets that you
can to improve your practice oryour advocacy. And of course, at
the beginning of the year, weall wonder, so what's next?
(08:06):
What's coming up? Well, I'vegiven you the 10 things to look
for. I think it was 1010, thingsto look for in 2025 in terms of
education, educational equity,policy, what's happening? My
plan for 2025 initially was tobe retired, I was going to be
done. And yet, every time I sayI'm going to be done, something
(08:29):
happens that says to me, Mitra,you can't stop yet. So while I
have eased into a certain phaseof retirement, no longer going
out to schools directly,routinely and supporting, you
know, implementation typesupport. I am still going out on
the speaking circuit. I willstill have my book coming out in
(08:50):
April, and I am once again,still researching a book on
sociocultural languages that Ianticipate will come out
sometime in 2026 that's a longways away. But retirement, I
guess now is in phases. So phaseone does include the podcast. We
will still be here all year, GodWilling and the and the was it
(09:15):
God willing and the creek don'trise. We'll still be here. What
I need, though, is for you all,more of you all to tell me what
you want to hear. Give me somefeedback, because your words
will help shape the directionotherwise you get to hear what I
decide I want to talk about. Sothank you for those of you who
(09:38):
have said, Hey, can you do anepisode about, hey, can you
address? Hey, can you discuss?
Thank you. I need ideas, and I'mexcited, really and truly
excited for what 2025 willbring. Although there are some
scary things out there, I knowthat there are enough of us
doing this work. There are.
(10:00):
Enough of us we need more, butthere are enough of us to be
catalysts for change.
And so as I wrap up this episodeon gratitude, I want to leave
you with a call to action thatreally embodies not only the
spirit of the 3e podcast, butthe power, the transformative
(10:23):
power, of thankfulness. Youknow, gratitude is is not just a
feeling, it's a practice, andit's one that can profoundly
change our lives and ourcommunities. Alice Walker, the
author, wrote, thank you is thebest prayer that anyone could
say. I say that one a lot Thankyou expresses extreme gratitude,
(10:47):
humility, understanding. AliceWalker, so here's my challenge
to you, whether you're a parent,an educator or an education
leader, school board member,Superintendent, whoever you are,
start a daily gratitude practicethat's focused on education
advocates and educators. Yes,even if you're a classroom
(11:09):
teacher, still start that dailypractice focused on advocates
for education and othereducators who are working to
improve learning opportunitiesfor marginalized learners. Every
day, take a moment, if you'vegot a journal, pull it out and
appreciate three ways that theseunsung heroes, often, people
(11:33):
just like yourself, are making adifference, no matter how small.
This simple act of of taking amoment to express gratitude can
shift your perspective and openyour eyes to the incredible work
being done in our educationsystem. We do have our
(11:53):
challenges in education, yes,but let's embrace that power of
thank you and we do it together,especially for those fighting
for educational equity, wechange energy. Share that
gratitude for teachers,administrators, policy makers
and community leaders, those whoare working tirelessly to create
(12:15):
inclusive and empoweringlearning environments. If you're
on social media, use the hashtag3e gratitude. It's the hashtag
that we'll post with clips fromthis episode, 3e gratitude. Use
that on social media tohighlight your efforts. Your
expressions of thanks mightinspire some other people to
recognize and support the vitalwork that's being done in
(12:36):
education. We need moreadvocates. Remember that each
Thank you shouldn't just be apolite phrase. It should be
truly felt a testament to yourgratitude, your humility and
understanding of the challengesthat are faced in improving
education for every singlechild. And when we share these
moments of appreciation,especially when we add that to
(12:58):
social media, we can begin tocreate a ripple effect that will
amplify the importance ofeducational equity across
communities, not only in theUnited States but worldwide. At
three podcast, we believe in thepower of small actions to create
big changes. So let gratitude bea catalyst for positive
(13:18):
transformation in education andas you cultivate thankfulness
for those who are working toimprove learning opportunities,
you're going to find out thatit's not just your perspective
that changes. You'll bespreading awareness and support
for Educational Equitythroughout your community. So
let's make gratitude oursuperpower in 2025 in the fight
(13:40):
for better education together,let's create a more
appreciative, supportive andconnected educational community,
one little thank you at a time,and then join me again next
episode. Of course, if you'vegot a question topic you'd like
covered a special request, textit to me down in the notes, find
that link. I do want to hearyour stories as well. And
(14:01):
remember, don't worry about thethings you cannot change. Change
the things you can no longeraccept. And that's a wrap for
today's episode of the 3epodcast. Now here's how you can
make a real difference. First,smash that subscribe button.
It's free. It's easy, just doit. Second, share the show with
anyone you know who cares abouteducation, and third, consider
(14:23):
becoming a supporter of the showtogether. We're not just talking
about change, we're making ithappen. Make a donation today to
be part of that mission andchange, and I'll catch you next
time you.
If you're a parent, teacher or school leader and
(00:03):
you're sick and tired of thefrustration, anger and unfair
treatment of children at highrisk in our public schools, then
perhaps it's time for all of usto do something about it. In
this podcast, Dr amitra Berrybrings you tips, tools,
strategies and tactics to buildsuccessful solutions while
(00:25):
touching, moving and inspiringall of us to transform our
schools so that every childthrives. Here's your host, Dr
Bay,
Dr Almitra Berry (00:37):
welcome back, equity warriors. Thanks for
tuning in to another episode ofthe 3e podcast. Shout out to new
members on the Patreon channel.
Thanks for joining me there andsupporting the show. And for the
rest of you, make sure that youdo subscribe to the show, share
the show on social media,because it's your subscriptions
that help grow this channel. Andif you do know someone who has a
hearing deficit who you thinkmight appreciate this content.
(00:59):
Just a reminder that there'salways a transcript for every
show. Just check down in thenotes on your player. At the
beginning of every year, I liketo do a little reflecting on the
prior year and this year, in myreflection, one of the things
that that really came to myheart was to make sure that I
expressed gratitude. I want tothank you for your continued
(01:24):
support, your engagement, yourencouragement that helps me keep
this podcast going, listenerfeedback, whether it's a note
that you send via social media,a text message I get in response
to the podcast, a review thatyou post on iTunes. And thank
(01:47):
you for those iTunes reviews.
Please, more. Please. They helpshape the podcast, even just
looking at the data, what getslistened to, what shows are
listened to all the way through,versus partially through, you
give me indications of what isresonating with you, and so I
thank you. Thank you forlistening. Thank you for the
(02:09):
feedback, even when you don'tknow you're giving me feedback.
I want to also express mydeepest gratitude to all of the
incredible guests, and to my twoguest hosts that appeared on the
podcast this last year, I had awonderful time engaging with so
many different people who areall committed to education,
(02:32):
educational equity, tosupporting marginalized
learners. Guests. Guest host,your insights, your stories,
your expertise, have enrichedthe discussions that we have
here and brought in valuableperspectives to our listeners.
So thank you. Thank you forsharing your time. Thank you for
(02:54):
sharing your knowledge with us,and thank you for being a vital
part of this journey towardseducational equity. And it's not
just the guests and the guestsand the guest host. I have to
say, there are a couple ofbehind the scenes heroes, people
who really as as partners, havecontributed to this podcast,
(03:15):
origins to its growth, to itssuccess. First and foremost, I
want to extend my heartfeltthanks to Wendy Stevens. She is
my podcast whisper whisperer, asI call her Wendy, it is your
encouragement, your gentle andsometimes not so gentle, nudges
that were the spark that gotthis podcast off the ground. And
so it has been your unwaveringsupport behind the scenes magic
(03:37):
that are truly the power behindthe production. So thank you for
believing in me and forbelieving in and supporting this
journey. And some of you mayhave heard me say the name. If
you ever listen to one of theunedited versions, you may have
heard me say the name Edward.
Edward is a special shout out toEdward. He is my amazing podcast
editor. He is the one who, everyweek, behind the scenes, gets
(03:59):
each episode to sound great, tolook great, and gets it out to
you, all of you on time. SoEdward, thank you for all of
your hard work and dedication,and don't you dare edit this out
of the episode. And then, ofcourse, there's family and
friends who have supported thisjourney. Most foremost is my
husband, who I get to bounceideas off of, even when he
(04:22):
doesn't want to listen, but whohas encouraged me and supported
me all the way through thisjourney, along with other
friends who tell me, Mitra, youhave to keep going. You have to
keep broadcasting. You have tokeep putting out episodes. Thank
you. Sometimes, some of us needa little bit of a kick in the
pants to to keep going.
(04:44):
Sometimes we don't know. I don'tknow whether or not what I'm
doing is reaching an audience.
And so when it's someone whowalks up to me when I'm at a
conference, and tells me there.
For a listener, and thank youthe lady in the doctor's office
the other day or last week whowho looked me up, what because
(05:09):
we were chatting, and saw melater on in the office and said,
Thank you, I want to say thankyou for what you're doing. This
is so important, such importantwork. Thank you, all of you for
that feedback. Initially, when Istarted this out, I wasn't quite
sure what direction I would goin other than I wanted to make
(05:32):
sure that I was putting out amessage that was supportive of
marginalized learners in ourparticularly in our public
schools. And as my podcastwhisperer Wendy, who helped to
help me work through to shapewhat this was going to be, of
course, there were challenges indetermining what my voice should
sound like, what what are thethings that I should cover? And
(05:55):
of course, there have been somebumps, and I say road road
blocks and speed bumps along theway. A lot of lessons learned,
but I think the greatest lessonlearned is to stick to it and
redo it until you get it right,and so hopefully we're getting
it right. I did not envision, Ithink today is episode number
(06:17):
132, I did not envision 100 plusepisodes, and yet, here we are.
I did not envision what are wetwo and a half years in running
an running a podcast for twoyears, it is not always easy,
(06:38):
but I am thankful for theopportunity to continue to be a
voice for educators, educationleaders and advocates for
education, educational equityand supporting children of
color, children of linguisticdiversity, children with special
(06:59):
needs, our marginalized learnersin America schools and
internationally as this audiencehas grown far beyond the United
States and we do have aninternational presence in a
certain way, there's a communitythat has formed around this
podcast. It doesn't have theshape that I would like for it
(07:20):
to have, but there is acommunity I know it from the
feedback. I know because I'veheard people tell me how
something that I have said hasmade a positive impact on their
life, on the work that they do,on how they educate the children
in their classroom. So I want toexpress my gratitude for that
(07:45):
sense of connection. I want toexpress my thanks to you all to
taking the time to listen andthen using the nuggets that you
can to improve your practice oryour advocacy. And of course, at
the beginning of the year, weall wonder, so what's next?
(08:06):
What's coming up? Well, I'vegiven you the 10 things to look
for. I think it was 1010, thingsto look for in 2025 in terms of
education, educational equity,policy, what's happening? My
plan for 2025 initially was tobe retired, I was going to be
done. And yet, every time I sayI'm going to be done, something
(08:29):
happens that says to me, Mitra,you can't stop yet. So while I
have eased into a certain phaseof retirement, no longer going
out to schools directly,routinely and supporting, you
know, implementation typesupport. I am still going out on
the speaking circuit. I willstill have my book coming out in
(08:50):
April, and I am once again,still researching a book on
sociocultural languages that Ianticipate will come out
sometime in 2026 that's a longways away. But retirement, I
guess now is in phases. So phaseone does include the podcast. We
will still be here all year, GodWilling and the and the was it
(09:15):
God willing and the creek don'trise. We'll still be here. What
I need, though, is for you all,more of you all to tell me what
you want to hear. Give me somefeedback, because your words
will help shape the directionotherwise you get to hear what I
decide I want to talk about. Sothank you for those of you who
(09:38):
have said, Hey, can you do anepisode about, hey, can you
address? Hey, can you discuss?
Thank you. I need ideas, and I'mexcited, really and truly
excited for what 2025 willbring. Although there are some
scary things out there, I knowthat there are enough of us
doing this work. There are.
(10:00):
Enough of us we need more, butthere are enough of us to be
catalysts for change.
And so as I wrap up this episodeon gratitude, I want to leave
you with a call to action thatreally embodies not only the
spirit of the 3e podcast, butthe power, the transformative
(10:23):
power, of thankfulness. Youknow, gratitude is is not just a
feeling, it's a practice, andit's one that can profoundly
change our lives and ourcommunities. Alice Walker, the
author, wrote, thank you is thebest prayer that anyone could
say. I say that one a lot Thankyou expresses extreme gratitude,
(10:47):
humility, understanding. AliceWalker, so here's my challenge
to you, whether you're a parent,an educator or an education
leader, school board member,Superintendent, whoever you are,
start a daily gratitude practicethat's focused on education
advocates and educators. Yes,even if you're a classroom
(11:09):
teacher, still start that dailypractice focused on advocates
for education and othereducators who are working to
improve learning opportunitiesfor marginalized learners. Every
day, take a moment, if you'vegot a journal, pull it out and
appreciate three ways that theseunsung heroes, often, people
(11:33):
just like yourself, are making adifference, no matter how small.
This simple act of of taking amoment to express gratitude can
shift your perspective and openyour eyes to the incredible work
being done in our educationsystem. We do have our
(11:53):
challenges in education, yes,but let's embrace that power of
thank you and we do it together,especially for those fighting
for educational equity, wechange energy. Share that
gratitude for teachers,administrators, policy makers
and community leaders, those whoare working tirelessly to create
(12:15):
inclusive and empoweringlearning environments. If you're
on social media, use the hashtag3e gratitude. It's the hashtag
that we'll post with clips fromthis episode, 3e gratitude. Use
that on social media tohighlight your efforts. Your
expressions of thanks mightinspire some other people to
recognize and support the vitalwork that's being done in
(12:36):
education. We need moreadvocates. Remember that each
Thank you shouldn't just be apolite phrase. It should be
truly felt a testament to yourgratitude, your humility and
understanding of the challengesthat are faced in improving
education for every singlechild. And when we share these
moments of appreciation,especially when we add that to
(12:58):
social media, we can begin tocreate a ripple effect that will
amplify the importance ofeducational equity across
communities, not only in theUnited States but worldwide. At
three podcast, we believe in thepower of small actions to create
big changes. So let gratitude bea catalyst for positive
(13:18):
transformation in education andas you cultivate thankfulness
for those who are working toimprove learning opportunities,
you're going to find out thatit's not just your perspective
that changes. You'll bespreading awareness and support
for Educational Equitythroughout your community. So
let's make gratitude oursuperpower in 2025 in the fight
(13:40):
for better education together,let's create a more
appreciative, supportive andconnected educational community,
one little thank you at a time,and then join me again next
episode. Of course, if you'vegot a question topic you'd like
covered a special request, textit to me down in the notes, find
that link. I do want to hearyour stories as well. And
(14:01):
remember, don't worry about thethings you cannot change. Change
the things you can no longeraccept. And that's a wrap for
today's episode of the 3epodcast. Now here's how you can
make a real difference. First,smash that subscribe button.
It's free. It's easy, just doit. Second, share the show with
anyone you know who cares abouteducation, and third, consider
(14:23):
becoming a supporter of the showtogether. We're not just talking
about change, we're making ithappen. Make a donation today to
be part of that mission andchange, and I'll catch you next
time you.
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