Outrageous Love the Podcast: Our Journeys to Responsiveness

This year, we invited participants in our CLR Deep Dive Institutes to be guests on the podcast for an "open mic" series. In other words, say what you want, get some things off your chest, or just let loose. Our first taker is an educator from Las Cruces, NM. Meet Micaela Altamirano, a multi-talented and multi-faceted educator. She may be new to CLR but she is not new to the needs of underserved students. Over the years, s...

Episode 61!!! We are celebrating 6 years of Outrageous Love and 6 years of honoring journeys to responsiveness. From all walks of life, we have interviewed over 50 educators who have inspired us with their personal histories, equity walks, and keen insights on equity and cultural responsiveness. Per tradition, we start the new season with Dr. Hollie's personal episode, which supposedly provides a peek inside his personal space...

We culminate the special series celebrating special education educators with two powerhouse educators. First up is Kiechelle Russell, 20 year veteran educator in special education and the origin of CLR and Special Education for Dr. Hollie in terms of a model classroom example. Dr. Hollie first saw Kiechelle's classroom over 20 years ago and 20 years later she is still representing for special education students, now as an admi...

We culminate the special series celebrating special education educators with two powerhouse educators. First up is Kiechelle Russell, 20 year veteran educator in special education and the origin of CLR and Special Education for Dr. Hollie in terms of a model classroom example. Dr. Hollie first saw Kiechelle's classroom over 20 years ago and 20 years later she is still representing for special education students, now as an admi...

Our world has been turned upside down or at least it feels like it and yet we remained focused. Our eyes are still on the prize. We are going to beat meanness with kindness. We continue our celebration of CLR educators in special education. We go back to Ithaca, one of our CLR superstar districts, where we meet Christine Barley, a self-professed white anti-racist educator. Here this outstanding educator's fascinating journey t...

Happy 2025! With our thoughts and prayers on the devasting wildfires in Southern California and the pending historic Presidential Inauguration (not to mention the birthday of Martin Luther King), we begin a celebration of CLR Special Education Educators. I have been inspired so many times by the dedication, commitment, and compassion that these educators demonstrate everyday. I have personally witnessed the moving validation and af...

The last episode of 2024. End the year with outrageous love and listen two the journey of Quincy Davis, independent school educator. Traditionally in December, OTLP goes traditional public school adjacent with the guest. Mr. Quincy, as the students call him, fits the bill. He goes back over 15 years in the work of CLR and is a friend, colleague, and mentee of Dr. Hollie's. For the past 10 years or so, Quincy has been directly ...

The final episode in the 3 part series culminates with a double episode. We have two dynamite educators who currently serve as directors of equity and inclusion. Both are from California, one in the Bay area and the other in Southern California. Shamar Edwards is in the Alameda Schools (Oakland) and Dr. Ayanna Balogun works in the Rialto Schools (San Bernardino). Check out their similarities and differences in their journeys as CLR...

We continue our focus on the ups and downs of being a coordinator or director of equity in the past 4 years. This episode we got to upstate New York to experience the journey of Alyssa Haymore. Alyssa brings it on so many levels - personally and professionally. With keen insight, wisdom, and life experience, she captures the essentials of the rise and fall of the administration or managing of diversity, equity, or inclusion. Whatev...

Do you have a Director of Equity or a DEI Coordinator or an Inclusion Ambassador? Or should we ask did you previously have one? This 3-part series will focus on the successes and struggles of Equity Directors from the across the country. The main question is what have the past 3-4 years been like for them? What is the difference between 2020 when DEI was the hottest ticket in town and now when DEI is on the back burner (again) or p...

Teaching Physical Education inherently lends itself to the validation and affirmation of cultural and linguistic behaviors. Why don't we, then, see more students validated and affirmed in PE? Let's find out through the lens of 5th grade PE teacher Sabrina Krasinski in the Maywood-Melrose Park schools in Chicago. Sabrina brings a unique perspective to the topic, not only because she is a VABBulous PE teacher, but because s...

It's July and that means it's time for the annual summer fun episode. This year, we take CLR to "dese streets." Well...almost.  At the CLR Deep Dive Institute in St. Louis, we interviewed participants about their perspectives on CLR.  We asked four questions: most impactful CLR moment, biggest CLR struggle, first impression of Dr. Hollie, and the plan to sustain CLR at your locale? Want their answers! Check out ...

In this episode, we keep the conversation around different content areas and CLR going. We return to our beloved St. Louis and gain insight from the sage, Kristi Ponder, a high school art teacher in the Parkway Schools. Listen in as Kristi tells not only her journey to responsiveness, which is VABBulous, but also her journey to becoming an art teacher, which is fascinating. What is notable as well is Kristi's particular focus ...

Welcome to season 5, episode 2 and the start of a new series, I Teach X Content Area AND I am CLR. There are far too many instances of teachers saying,  "I teach science or math or art or robotics or physical education, so I cannot do cultural and linguistic responsiveness (CLR)." This 3-part series will feature educators who debunk that thought. Each of them has made CLR a part of their daily instruction in their respect...

In April 2020, we launched the first episode of Outrageous Love the Podcast. We had no idea that 4 years and over 25,000 downloads later,  we we would be still launching. Thank you VABB nation! This episode celebrates 5 years of outrageous love and the over 40 educators who have shared their journeys to responsiveness with us. Thanks to all the previous guests. Your stories have been inspirational, educational, and enlightening. Th...

We continue our PRIDE series, celebrating educators who are LGBTQA+ and PROUD, serving as models and advocates for their students. In this final installment, we meet Theresa Hopkins. LGBTQA+ Advocate. Arts Teacher. Artist. Awesome. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Theresa is a long time educator, who has been validating and affirming her students since the first day she walked into the classroom, over 25 years ago. She is always t...

We continue the highlighting and celebration of LGBTQIA+ CLR educators with Tsedale Forbes from the Ithaca City Schools. Tsedale identifies as non-binary (she/they) in an open, courageous, and inspiring way. Listen to Tsedale's journey from the Bronx, where the importance and value of advocacy was learned in a transformational way, to Ithaca where now as an educator she is empowering students to be advocates and courageous. Li...

Part of being CLR is that we don't wait on designated months to celebrate culture. We believe that culture should be celebrated 365, 24/7 and we encourage "random acts" of cultural celebration. This episode we celebrate PRIDE and our  LGBTQIA+ community. Authentically representing is Ana Bialsky from city of Lowell, Massachusetts near Boston. But what started out as a celebration became testimony of living and speaki...