Join us as we sit down with Dr. Sam Coleman, the visionary assistant superintendent from Oshkosh, who takes us through an inspiring narrative that captures the heart of educational leadership. From his initial dreams of law enforcement to becoming a powerful voice in K-12 education, Dr. Coleman's story is one of passion and dedication. He reveals how he's championed a student-centric approach, aiming to transform schools into hubs of empowerment and cultural pride. We delve into his strategies for tackling the racial achievement gaps in literacy, and how his leadership is paving the way for a more equitable future in education.
The conversation shifts to the intricate dance of leading multiple schools, each with their own unique tapelets of needs and challenges. I share insights from my own experiences, emphasizing the importance of community-responsive leadership and the deep impact it can create. Together, we uncover the essence of service in education, the power of a higher calling in our profession, and the indelible marks we leave through our commitment to excellence. Dr. Coleman's and my discussion is a testament to the transformative potential of educational leadership when it's wielded with intention and heart.
As we peer into the horizon, we grapple with the merging worlds of education and technology, contemplating how to best arm students for the avalanche of changes on their path. We talk about the need for education systems to keep pace with the industry, integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into learning experiences.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Join us as we sit down with Dr. Sam Coleman, the visionary assistant superintendent from Oshkosh, who takes us through an inspiring narrative that captures the heart of educational leadership. From his initial dreams of law enforcement to becoming a powerful voice in K-12 education, Dr. Coleman's story is one of passion and dedication. He reveals how he's championed a student-centric approach, aiming to transform schools into hubs of empowerment and cultural pride. We delve into his strategies for tackling the racial achievement gaps in literacy, and how his leadership is paving the way for a more equitable future in education.
The conversation shifts to the intricate dance of leading multiple schools, each with their own unique tapelets of needs and challenges. I share insights from my own experiences, emphasizing the importance of community-responsive leadership and the deep impact it can create. Together, we uncover the essence of service in education, the power of a higher calling in our profession, and the indelible marks we leave through our commitment to excellence. Dr. Coleman's and my discussion is a testament to the transformative potential of educational leadership when it's wielded with intention and heart.
As we peer into the horizon, we grapple with the merging worlds of education and technology, contemplating how to best arm students for the avalanche of changes on their path. We talk about the need for education systems to keep pace with the industry, integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into learning experiences.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Welcome to the Teacher's Ed podcast, where the best and brightest in education come to inspire, to connect, to learn and to grow. I'm your host, edward DeSazer, and I appreciate you all for joining me again this Sunday. Even though I'm not recording on a Sunday this is Sunday, so it sounds weird to say but my guest today. It's an honor to have Dr Sam Coleman on today. He is a proud Milwaukee native and currently lives in the city of Oshkosh. He is the assistant superintendent for the Oshkosh Area School District and was recently named by Madison 365 as one of the most influential Black leaders of 2023 in the state of Wisconsin.
Speaker 1:His work is focused on providing high quality education for all students, expanding access to opportunities and closing racial gaps in achievement outcomes, particularly in reading and literacy. As a mentor, community servant and youth advocate, dr Coleman believes that his calling in life is to help raise upa generation of leaders who will boldly create a new society that fosters justice, cultural pride, achievement, collectivism and self-determination. And I can say specifically from a little bit of time I spent at one of the schools in Oshkosh and Dr Coleman was there. He is a leader and the people that he gets opportunity to serve are definitely better off because he is working with them. Dr Coleman, I appreciate you for jumping on and taking time out to be with me today.
Speaker 2:I appreciate you. Thank you for that, for the introduction, and also thank you for just the opportunity for me to talk about what I love doing the most and really what my life's work is, and that is the education of our young people. So I'm excited to be on here and I'm ready to jump in. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, just to begin, I know a little bit about your journey. I talked about all the great things you've done. I would love just for you to take some time and let everyone know how you ended up where you are, because really, this is not where you started. It's probably not where you're finishing, but ultimately, like what brought you to where you currently are are.
Speaker 2:So my journey in K-12 education as an educator started out as a paraprofessional at a parochial school, a Christian school on Milwaukee's north side, actually in the Sherman Park area, and so at that time I was on the trajectory of being a law enforcement officer. On the trajectory of being a law enforcement officer, I had just completed an associate's program at Waukesha County Tech in criminal justice and police science, enrolled in a bachelor's program at Cardinal Stritch in business management, and thought that I wanted to be like an organizational leader in law enforcement. And so, anyway, I attended this church and the church had a school associated with it and I remember the youth pastor at the time just saying, like, have you ever thought about working in education? And so it really that conversation that I had with my youth pastor at that time really got me thinking about ways to make an impact in local communities and proactive ways.
Speaker 2:At that time I didn't see myself as an educator. I guess I also never had any black male teachers really as that role model example for me. So honestly, it wasn't something that I envisioned for myself, but I knew that I wanted to make an impact in the community and prior to that conversation, the way I thought about that impact would be in law enforcement or youth corrections or in the legal justice field in some way. But anyway, the door opened for me to envision myself as an educator. The door opened for me to envision myself as an educator. I started out as a paraprofessional, went into the teaching role and then was a Dean of students, a school counselor, director of student services, curriculum instruction and I was assistant superintendent. So the journey and I think I just simplified it a lot it was a lot more to the to the journey than that. But yeah, that was where it started and as a paraprofessional, I wanted to make a difference.
Speaker 1:And that's I think it's valuable for people that are listening, because it's like you actually have pretty much covered every base in a school, because oftentimes people that get into positions like yours started off as a teacher, but you actually started off as a paraprofessional, so you have really climbed up in the space that you've been in, that, the space that you're currently in.
Speaker 1:And the first question I kind of want to jump into and you've talked about a little bit, but what? Let me start by asking when you think about education, I think a lot of people have different philosophies and I know you are big on trying to close that gap in literacy. But what would you say is your philosophy on where education is now? But then, ultimately, where do you want to see education going? Because I think anyone that's listening knows I feel like we're kind of at a crossroad in education. I think anyone that's listening knows I feel like we're kind of at a crossroad in education. So I'd be curious kind of what is your stance on your philosophy in education and where you would like to see the educational world go, you know, under your leadership?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I think it depends. It comes from a few different perspectives. I think what I want education to be for students, most importantly, I have a student's first philosophy, student's first mantra. So I want K-12 education to be a space of liberation for students, where they can experience artistic, academic, intellectual, athletic freedoms, where they can explore themselves, explore possibilities in ways that allow them to learn with their peers, learn alongside others and explore possibilities themselves, without hindrances or limitations on that. So for students, I want education to be a place of freedom and liberation and all of those areas that I just named.
Speaker 2:For parents, I want our education to be a place where they can trust the systems and the spaces where they're sending their students to, in many cases five days a week, for seven or eight or more hours a day, trusting that this is an environment where the students will be safe, the students will get healthy exposure to the unique diversity that exists in the world around them, and that the students are learning ways to be contributing citizens, even now, as young people, to the world that they live in.
Speaker 2:And then, for educators, schools should be a place where we find our passions and our joys and our fulfillment maximized by being able to put our all into the work that we care the most about and being able to see the results and the impact of that work. So, for me personally as an educator, I want educators to feel like they can do their best work with the most amount of support and the most clarity and the most alignment, to have the most impact. And while that is a very high ambition to have, my philosophy is we are the best that we can be for students when we are doing our best work with the most alignment, with the most support, with the most clarity, having the most impact.
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Speaker 1:Now back to the episode, and I just hearing what you're saying. I think the word well, two words that really stood out to me is support and hearing it like not only do we have to support our students in a student-centered environment, but we also have to support the adults, and I think that is something that can get missed at times because we are so student-focused that we forget that our adults need support right now too. And I love hearing you say that, because when I spend time in schools, that is one thing I hear the most from teachers and educators who are at that kind of burnout phase. They're just like I don't feel supported by my leadership, and that was one of the things that really stood out to me in my time that I spent at Reed Elementary was just watching. I'm big on watching how people interact, especially when I'm spending time in a school, and watching how you came into the room it was very evident that the people there knew you supported them. But even just kind of overhearing the conversations, it was refreshing to see leadership that felt connected with their staff and I think that just kind of hearing what you're saying, I think you're doing an excellent job.
Speaker 1:But I've actually seen you in work.
Speaker 1:So it's not like you know we get people that get on the internet and they, as the kids say, they love to cap about what they're about Like man we want to support, but like I actually heard and saw how the staff there respected you because it's very clear that you know you're someone that will come in and roll their sleeves up as leadership. So I let me just acknowledge that I've seen the work that you do and just lift my hat off to you because it's very evident in the work that you know a, that you support your staff, that you actually care for them, that you know a, that you support your staff, that you actually care for them, and I think that has a trickle down effect, that then the staff can do that for their students, because they're, they're, you're modeling what you need them to do by doing it for the adults. So, like that was the word when you were talking that really stood out to me was, you know, supporting and caring for the people that you get the opportunity to serve?
Speaker 2:you know, supporting and caring for the people that you get the opportunity to serve. Yeah, I mean. First of all, thank you so much for just saying that and just sharing those words of affirmation. I think for me, the support that we need as adults working in a system, doing very difficult work in ways that might be very difficult to sustain momentum every day, doing the type of work that we do, there are very strategic ways that we can support each other, but also very strategic ways that I think we have to advocate for the support that's needed.
Speaker 2:And sometimes it really is just for me, working in central office as a teacher at heart, it is impossible for me to be the type of administrator that sits in my office, you know, at my computer, waiting for somebody to call me or waiting for somebody to email me.
Speaker 2:I get my energy from being in classrooms, being in schools, working alongside students, alongside educators, alongside special education teachers, counselors, principals, paraprofessionals, parents. So, and I don't, and I'm always learning new ways to support. Sometimes it is just listening, sometimes it's being present and showing up, sometimes it's coming in to to learn from students, from staff, from parents. So, as I continue to learn new ways to support, I'm eager to put that learning into action because it makes me do my work better. I can be more informed as an assistant superintendent, particularly as I coordinate our instructional strategy. As I coordinate our instructional strategy, I'm more equipped with the knowledge that I need to make decisions when I'm spending that time hearing from adults in the system, students in the systems, parents and community members. So while it's certainly a high priority for me to be present and to build those relationships, my hope is, every day when I leave an interaction, that people feel supported, they feel heard and they feel like I care. Because I do.
Speaker 1:This is the most important work that I can do and I hope, leaving and coming into those interactions, people know that I'm coming from a place of care, and I want to make sure that the listeners didn't miss that, because there was something that you shared and it's something that I hear so often when I'm learning about leadership, studying leadership and trying to grow in leadership.
Speaker 1:The word that you use that I just don't want people to miss is listening, because I think oftentimes and I learned this when I got into leadership I had some struggles initially because I wanted to lead and do versus listen, and so I'm leading and doing, but I don't understand what the people that I'm leading need, or what the students need, or what the staff needs or, at times, what myself needed, because I was just so busy trying to jump in and do.
Speaker 1:And I don't want people to miss because I think that is so important that you shared I am here to listen and sometimes, as leaders, we need to do more listening and less leading, because that allows us to really hear the needs and the desires of what the people that we're working with are looking for, so then we can properly lead them in the direction. Not even sometimes it's just the way they need to be led Like. Not every person needs to be led the same direction, but you learn that by listening and hearing what people have to say. So I wanted to make sure the listeners did not miss that, because I think that is such an important aspect in leading is listening, and I think that's critical that people hear that part.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, and knowing how to serve people too. So if there are specific needs of service that exist for me really being able to hear, hear people out because I certainly may have an idea or perspective about what needs may exist and if I go in with that preconceived menu or strategy for service that does not represent or reflect the needs that exist in that local context, then I'm not having the state of Wisconsin, but then also beyond the state of Wisconsin work that I do through my consulting work. I'm partnering with magician and I'm also not the person who has the solution everywhere either, but I can support and serve teams as they find their solutions and navigate their journey by hearing them out, by understanding what some of the complex experiences are and realities are, and for me sometimes the best thing that I can do is just hear people out.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I got that from being a work teacher.
Speaker 2:You know, go ahead, my bad.
Speaker 1:No, no, go ahead. Okay, Sorry about that. Yeah, Cause I want to kind of dive in a little. You know you're talking about the work that you've done, how you lead effectively and you don't have all the solutions, but one of the things that is very apparent is that you have left a mark on the people that you have worked around and you know, and we talk about legacy and leaving an impact and, as someone who has won a very, very prestigious award, congratulations on that as being one of the most influential African-Americans in the state of Wisconsin when you talk about a legacy, so what are some strategies?
Speaker 1:Because I think of the legacy that I want to leave as an educator. I think about the impact that those educators. As you've heard my story, I always talk about those three educators who really left an impact and their legacy lives through me as I live my legacy through others. What are some of the ways that an educator can leave that lasting legacy and impact, in whatever space they're currently in? What are some of the tips that you would give them? As someone that spends time trying to bring the best out of people? What would you say to those educators that are trying to leave a legacy, Because I know. Whether they realize it or not, you don't get an education because you're going to be a millionaire. You get in it to change the world and to leave an impact. So what are some of the tips you would give to an educator who want to leave a lasting impact on their students?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm a member of our community that I believe I'm doing the part that is destined for me to do to make an impact. And there's a scripture that I rely heavily on is from the book of Colossians, third chapter, 23rd verse, and that is in all that you do do it with your full heart, as if it's for God and not for people. And there's some more to the verse, but to me, that's the main substance of to me, the legacy is being able to create the conditions where people can do their best work, whether that's as a paraprofessional, a counselor, a member of our student support team, custodial staff, principal office assistant, whatever role we have in our system. Being able to do our work with all of our heart, with all that we have within us, as if this is for God, like doing God's work, and not for people. And for me, I have to be able to create the conditions where everybody in our system and I do mean 100% of the people in our system feel like they can show up and be the best version of themselves and do their best work, not for people.
Speaker 2:And I even was like that with my students. I remember my students saying Mr Coleman, I did your work. I did your homework Like it's not my homework, like this is your work and I'm glad that you did it. And I'm glad that you were motivated to do your work for me because you wanted my approval. But this is for you and more importantly than it is for you like this is to fulfill the me that people value affirmation that they would get from me or a stamp of approval that they would get from me.
Speaker 2:And I don't underestimate the impact of somebody hearing from somebody who they respect that I'm proud of you or that was important work that you did. And I make sure to tell students, staff, parents, whoever I serve with you know I make sure that they know that I appreciate them, that I'm proud of them, that I respect them, that I love them, and it's important for me to say that because I know that that has an impact and it matters. But I also want them to know that this isn't for me Like there's a plan and a purpose that you would put on this earth, for, whether they share the same faith as me or not, there is a purpose that they have on their life and for me, my legacy is being able to help create the structures and conditions for people to show up and engage in this work with all that they have in them, as if it is specifically aligned to fulfill the destiny on their life.
Speaker 1:If it is specifically alive to fulfill the destiny on their life. What are you know, you're, you're, you're trying to? I'm trying to think of the best way to say this. Basically, what I'm trying to ask is what are some of the roadblocks? Cause you're talking about trying to give people the space to just be their best, their best selves, no matter what.
Speaker 1:As a school leader, as a district leader bigger than a school leader, you're managing and leading several schools. What's some of the roadblocks you're seeing? Because, for me, I'm in one school 50 staff members it's easy. There's people that have asked me would you ever want to be a superintendent of a big district? And my answer, I think, would always be no, because there's different needs at so many different schools that it's easy. And then I guess I can't say it's easy. Managing the same people in the same environment is much easier than managing multiple people, multiple environments. One school over here, multiple environments. One school over here needs one thing. One school over here needs something different. What are some of the roadblocks that you're seeing from district leadership that are stopping teachers in your schools from or not even just in your schools, you think, are stopping educators in general from being their best selves?
Speaker 2:I think in every organization and education is not unique to this the lack of clarity can be a huge barrier. If people aren't sure what's expected of them, or if what's expected of them feels unreasonable, that can be probably the most significant barrier. So I go back to my days as a teacher. I had students in my class that were just powerful and had a range of needs for support. They were at various levels of their proficiency and competence and ability in reading and in math and in social and emotional maturity. And so for me as a young, as a novice teacher, being expected to close at that time what we were calling achievement gaps, what we know now are opportunity gaps and educational debt. But being able to address that without the training, without the knowledge or the capacity to do that, certainly could feel unreasonable. And so I think one of the biggest barriers is, if we have high expectations, we also have to have high care, high support and high clarity so that what's being expected from district administration, school board, community members, principals, colleagues, whatever those expectations are, or even what we expect the students, that there's a clear pathway to reach that expectation. And so to me, the biggest barrier is we've gotten really good at setting goals and talking about benchmarks that we want to reach, but I think the opportunity that we have to really get better at is providing clarity around what is the pathway to get there, what are the steps that it takes to get there, and then can we honestly say that these are realistic, doable, sustainable steps to take.
Speaker 2:So I think that's that's usually the biggest barrier is that clarity around how do we, how do we reach our goals and how do we reach our goals in ways that are sustainable?
Speaker 2:So I, in my earlier years of my career, spent a ton of time and I just shout out to all of the classroom teachers that are listening right now seven hours in the day, teaching and engaging with students or interacting with students, or eight hours, but then it takes at least that much more time to plan and prepare and recharge and get the inspiration to come back and do the work again, and so you know we have to create the conditions where that's sustainable, because people also should have lives outside of their mission, work as educators, and I know you talk a lot about that and you've referenced that in many talks that I've heard you share as being able to have that balance of time, and so I think the other part is not only being clear but being realistic with. It takes a lot of energy to reach the goals that we have established, and if we have that as an outcome, we also need to have appropriately aligned inputs so that people can sustain that can be missed in a lot of schools.
Speaker 1:I guess we ultimately know where we want to end up, but, like you said, do you have a clear way to get there? Not only that, are you clearly communicating it with everyone in the building so everyone is on the same page? And that is something that I've learned as I've grown in leadership. It's like I have a great idea of where I want to go, but does everyone else? Like if I took the time to ask our team, where are we trying to end up? Like, everyone can recite your mission, everyone can recite your school slogan. That's great, hopefully, but do you? But do you know what our goal is as a team? It's like any.
Speaker 1:Like I always try to use sports as a reference Cause that's how I grew up playing sports.
Speaker 1:Like, do we all know what the offense is?
Speaker 1:Right, Because if one person doesn't know the offense we're running, it's going to throw everyone off and it takes everyone working together to be on the same page to make sure we're all pulling the rope the same direction, because one or two people pulling in a different direction and I say that and it's not in a bad way way, because I ultimately don't think there's any teachers showing up like I just am going against the grain.
Speaker 1:I think everyone shows up and they're trying to do their best. I think sometimes we have people pulling the rope the wrong direction because there was not a clear direction they were given on which way we're pulling the rope. So I think that is something that I've seen that has been a challenge for some educators is and it's what you were talking about just making sure that we are very, very clear in what the expectations are, what our goals are, what our direction is, what our plan is, and sometimes we got to repeat it 10 different times, and that's okay. It's no different than with students. People need to hear things over and over and over again to make sure that they really, really understand what our goal is as a school, as a district, as a community, and what we're trying to accomplish Going with that with goals.
Speaker 1:What are some of the things when you think about we're in 2024, let's think about education in 2030, like down the road. We have AI going on, we have technology. I mean, these things are just have just kind of like taken a lot by storm. I use chat, gpt all the time for little things where I'm like, hey, here's my information, Can you help me make this look nicer, or can you generate and format this for me? What are some of the things when you think of five, six years from now? Where can you see education going with technology?
Speaker 1:I know literacy we're big on literacy. With the way technology is going, what are ways that we can leverage and use some of that? So in five or six years, I feel like I've been in some educational spaces where people are really against it. I'm not saying that's good or bad. I just think at times if we can embrace some of these changes like when the internet was first coming out, a lot of my teachers were against it, and now you look and it's like if there's not internet in a school, people are freaking out. So I'm just seeing the past trends. What are some of the ways that you think? Looking at the future. How can we leverage some of the ways that education is adapting to put ourselves in a better position to be effective five or six years from now?
Speaker 2:Well, I think the best way that.
Speaker 2:So we have to understand how technology will be used in in the world around us to accomplish tasks that right now maybe you and I or people in other, in medicine and I use the auto mechanics industry, for example. So we have to prepare students to be able to use the technology that will be relevant for them when they begin to explore opportunities. So right now, if a student really if I'll name a student his name is hypothetically Alex or her name is Alexandria, whatever. So Alex and Alexandria really love working on cars and they are passionate about fixing cars, repairing cars, and so their school auto shop should have the technology in it so that they're not working on a car from 2001 or 2002 or learning about car parts from 2002, because that way of that is obsolete, 2002, because that way of that is obsolete. So our programming has to adjust so that kids are learning how to program the computers and the sensors in cars or fix the program the sensors in cars, so that when they're in their career in tech class around auto mechanics and maintenance, they're learning how to use the technology that present day auto mechanics and shop workers are using. So when I go into career and tech auto shops around the country and also here in Oshkosh. I'm hoping to see students working on things and using technology that will prepare them for the field that they're going in when they become adults. So I think the ways that we could use technology is. One of those examples is being clear on what industry, like current industry, technology standards and applications are, and finding ways to provide students to get exposure to those opportunities. That's from a career side. I also think, when we are helping students learn the skills that they need, that they will need to be successful in high school, be successful in college, if that's where they choose to go. They'll make presentations, they'll use ChatGPT and other forms of AI to produce presentations and to produce papers and their work, and I think we need to prepare students to be able to do that.
Speaker 2:So I think about old school grant writing classes. We shouldn't teach people how to write grants in an antiquated way that nobody's using anymore, where it takes you 30 or 40 hours to write a grant. Nobody's doing that anymore. 30 or 40 hours to write a grant Nobody's doing that anymore. Like they're leveraging technology and AI to write the foundation of their grant or to write IEPs and other things, and so we need to prepare to leverage technology and help people learn how to use that, because that is what they're going to be expected to do in the workforce and the educational landscape that is ahead of them five years from now.
Speaker 2:The way that I wrote my dissertation for my doctoral program a year ago and two years ago is not going to be how students five years from now write their dissertation. They're going to have access to so much more information and so much more. They're going to have access to so much more information and so much more like the just. So I shouldn't give them assignments and projects and tasks that prepare them for what I had to go through in my journey, because it doesn't matter, that's not what they're going to experience, it's not what they're going to go through.
Speaker 2:So I think being able to anticipate as educators and as as just within the system of education, we have to anticipate the technological advancements that are underway and that will be students' realities, and then preparing them for that. We can't look behind and say this is the old time way and this is the way that we used to do things and expect students to fall in love with that and get really good at doing what used to work. Fall in love with that and get really good at doing what used to work. If that is our mission, then we're not setting our students up to be competitive in a rapidly changing, technologically quickly advancing world.
Speaker 1:And it's changing fast. And I think one of the things I was just talking to someone the other day some of us are becoming our parents. Well, when I was in school, yeah, but we weren't in school, we were in school 20 plus years ago. Like it's a much different world. And, you know, we have to make sure that we are preparing our students for the world that they're going to walk into, not the world that we walked out of, because the world that we walked out of it looks much different than the world that our, you know, 14, 15, 16 year olds are walking into.
Speaker 1:Even just looking at the last 10 years, how much technology has changed the world and it's only going to continue to change it.
Speaker 1:So, instead of, you know, giving our students a bunch of busy work like I remember writing papers and it would take me two months to write, you know you got these 200 page things and you got to research and like, like just teaching our kids, like there are ways to do it, but they we also don't want our kids to to not understand Like it's still good to know how and where to find information we just also have to understand that that information is much more readily available for our students, but also teaching our students that not everything you find is the real information.
Speaker 1:Like that is, I think, something that schools are going to have to learn really fast. I saw a TikTok video that someone sent me and it took me a good two minutes to be like is this AI? It was like a plane about to hit another plane. I kept watching and it ended up being AI, but it was so real that I had to really stare at it. If I would have just looked and kept it moving, I would have believed it was so real that I had to, like, really stare at it, and if I would have just looked and kept it moving, I would have believed it was a real video.
Speaker 2:And we have to make sure students understand the difference between AI and real, because this world is going to be fooling a lot of people the other skills that we're going to have to be very deliberate about teaching our students is how to consume information and decipher what is credible and reliable information from what is deceiving, misleading, distorted, inaccurate information.
Speaker 2:So as the access to information continues to increase and influence the thinking and the perceptions of society, we have to make sure that we're doing our work to make sure students are critical things not even just students, everybody in our system as adults too that we are able to critically analyze and consider the information we're consuming and make a decision about the legitimacy and accuracy of that information, because there's so much out there that is designed to be misleading, to taint perspective and points of views or to influence ideology or political perspectives and orient all of that. So if we don't get ahead of, I think, helping advance our skills to be able to decipher quality of it and I'm very much so a conspiracy theorist, so I have probably another podcast for another time but certainly the information that students are and just society is receiving, we have to have a filter to be able to determine what's real and what's not, what's motivated by some other real and what's not, what's motivated by some other interest and what's not.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's almost something I think schools are going to have to. It's almost something that, this day and age, it's going to have to be a requirement of. We're talking about financial literacy being a requirement in schools. We almost need to have media literacy as a requirement as well to really understand, like everything that we are consuming, to know what's real, what's not, what has a bias behind it from one direction, what has a bias behind it from another, because ultimately, you know, as a society, it's like information overload, so you have to make sure that you're consuming the right information and as so, man, we flew through this time. We're going to get ready to wrap up what I like to do. I got a couple of rapid fire questions for you.
Speaker 1:All right, let's do it so the first question I have best movie of all time? I guess not, let me say the best movie. Your favorite movie because it may not be the best movie, your favorite movie of all time? What is it?
Speaker 2:American Gangster. American Gangster, that's a good movie.
Speaker 1:My favorite movie? Yes, all right. So I think I may know the answer to your next question. If your biography is a movie, who's playing you as an actor?
Speaker 2:I heard the last part, so as an actor, I'm going with Denzel.
Speaker 1:Oh, so who is playing you? I'm getting a little buffering on my end too. Oh, who's playing me?
Speaker 2:as an actor.
Speaker 1:I thought that was still good. Listen, the answer still works who is?
Speaker 2:playing you. Yeah, denzel, yeah, yeah, yeah, go with it. I would pick him and play me, even though I'm light-skinned, it's all right.
Speaker 1:He's going to have to figure it out, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, denzel Yep.
Speaker 1:Well, man, I appreciate you taking time to jump on. Man, again, I appreciate the work that you're doing. It was an honor sharing space in your district. But again, just hearing your principal that I was fortunate enough to work with, hearing how much she respects you and how much she beams about your leadership, it is not a shock that Oshkosh is a better place because you are up there doing the work that you're doing. So, man, again, hats off to you. I appreciate that you're up there doing that. I appreciate just, you know, just even just being connected to you and all the work that you're doing, man. So I just again want to give you your flowers because, man, you're doing some great work. So I just want to make sure that I again share that with you.
Speaker 2:Man flowers received. I appreciate it and likewise I'm thankful for you and all the work that you do to amplify the voices of our educators and our leaders. I certainly want to give Emily Isenchenk a shout out. Emily was recently acknowledged by our school district as a new administrator of the year.
Speaker 2:And so she has certainly hit the ground here and made a tremendous impact quickly, and she is an example of the honor and the privilege that I have to be able to work with a team of leaders and educators who are so serious about doing that work doing the best that we can with our full heart and all that we have because it connects to the purpose and the divine purpose that we are set on this earth to fulfill. So Emily is just one example of that and I'm one person in a huge ecosystem here that is connected to great work happening and with humility I accept those flowers and say I'm honored to be a part of an amazing team of people, an amazing community, an amazing educational body here that is focused on getting better and better at what we do every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, emily, I'm going to make sure you hear this because when this comes live I'm going to send it to you. But you are an awesome leader. If, if, there was an Emily in every single school, this country would be a better uh, would be in a better place educational wise. Because she is not only someone that walks the walk, she talks to talk Absolutely. She supports her staff Um, she hears her staff, she picks them up. Man, she was just an absolute, incredible leader to be able to sit and spend time with. So, emily, thank you for all that you do for Reed Elementary. I enjoyed my time there, sam. As we get off sorry, dr Coleman let me make sure I keep that respect out of you.
Speaker 1:You earned that doctor in front of it, respect out of it. You earned that. Doctor in front of it. Man, let everyone know where they can find you your Instagram, your website, wherever If they're looking for support or help. I know you do some consulting. Where can the listeners find Dr Sam Coleman?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so LinkedIn is a good place. Just, sam Coleman, my Instagram is S underscore Coleman dot X, again S underscore Coleman dot X for Instagram. And then, through my consultant work I see as equity dot org, you can reach out to me and my team there, or here, just at the Oshkosh Area School District, or here, just at the Oshkosh Area School District. So either one of those ways are good ways to reach me or text me 414-810-8. I'm not giving out my number, but, yeah, those ways, that's how you can get in touch with me what I'll do.
Speaker 1:I'll make sure those that are listening you look into the details of this, whether you're watching this on YouTube or looking at it or listening to it on your favorite podcast platform. Check in the description. I'll make sure that it's detailed there for you to find them. Dr Coleman, again, man, I appreciate you for jumping on. I appreciate your leadership and just all you do, not only for your students, but just the influence you have on the entire state of Wisconsin. Man, it's an honor to have you on here. Continue to do the great work, and that is we will wrap up Again, if you are listening, please make sure you like. Please make sure you subscribe to this podcast. Go, give Dr Coleman a follow, connect with him and we will see you all back here next week.