Sayda Morales and Marc Lewis

00:03 Hi, my name is Sarah Morales. And I am 22 years old today is February 5th 2016. I am in Washington DC and here with me I have Marc Lewis who is my fellow Teach for America Corps member fellow Phoenix colleague and friend.

00:22 Hello. My name is Marc Lewis. I am 22 years old today is February 5th 2016. I'm in Washington DC and I'm with side of Morales who is one of my dear friends fellow colleague and support systems might have had the great opportunity of making sense being a teacher.

00:43 So Mark, I'm just want to know since we are both in Teach for America. When and why did you decide to become a teacher as part of a program College Summit and the program work to connect kids to make collagen accessible opportunity for them working the program. I realize there are a number of barriers that prevented many students from my community black many students of color and I wanted to somehow see what I can do. If it's a small a small approach towards addressing that issue. And so I decided that being a teacher be one of the many ways that I could help connect my community and others within those disenfranchised groups with resources that whatever reason or an accessible to them due to a number of political institutions and number of different carriers that Society has put on a number of things within our culture.

01:42 Great and what brought you specifically to Teach for America? Because I know there are different Avenues by which you can become a teacher for what Drew you to teach formica specifically a neurologist a pirate. He's had one of the leading Reasons Why students are not able to access education and I think a lot of times too many other programs in many other just education pundits and experts and those in the field ignore that issue of poverty while focusing more on with the finances or the teacher quality, but I think before we can talk about in those other issues we have to address the issue of poverty first.

02:18 And so coming in what were some expectations you had about being a teacher? What did you imagine teaching would be like, I definitely knew it was going to be difficult, especially given the community that we work with and I want to specify that not because of the students but because of the students having dope bad cards in life and they're not it would have access to resources which is completely inequitable. And so I knew that that was maybe the first Ford was trying to somehow

02:48 Penetrate those institutions that keep our students from being able to access those resources and I probably asked him. That's how I've been with the largest issues that I had to do it as a teacher describe your first day of teaching for me.

03:04 First day of teaching was at Lawrence High School and

03:09 I was a nervous wreck even though I like the whole Mantra that even you said, you know, fake it till you make it and

03:18 I was I tried to put on this very Stern voice. I just tried to make it seem as if like, I knew what I was doing. I've done this a while and even though I think I did a pretty decent job at putting that across to my students. I definitely felt that like even begin. I thought I wasn't serving my students if I should have been and I kind of felt way that I was almost the servicing them at a certain point example of a way you felt like you were just servicing your students.

03:46 I felt like my students does like for example of when we were going over ways of like writing a five-paragraph essay. And yes, I have done that in the past. But I've also had those types of privileges that have allowed me to understand what goes into those mechanics of writing and then just be able to work anywhere. I don't speak their native language and then had was also just do it how to help them with us. I did not study specifically on just made it seem as if I was not adequate enough to really give them the service if they needed but I kind of kept in the back of my head that so long as I kept trying and trying and I reached out to other people who I knew it had those resources and had those abilities. I could hone those skills and bring them in to help me better serve my students earlier right at the beginning you said that I was you know, someone is part of your support system and you and I have an interesting relationship because we went through Institute together and now we're the only to Teach for America Corps members at Phoenix.

04:46 I'm just curious. How do you feel? I've been a support system for you. And then in that regard like what are some other resources you had to support you in this endeavor. I think that we both can see that we've experienced and number of I think I didn't use base issues. I'm sorry that and a lot of times we enter the of these for us so far like me and Justin fields that those turn people me naughty nozzle issues exist. And so to be able to rely on someone with knowledge has the societal problems that we have and how they do affect our schools and how we need to make more initiatives that you focus on improving that as part of our school is great to know that there's someone there who also sees that same business you do.

05:30 All right. So now I got a fast forwarding to Phoenix Wright. We had art institute experience, which I'm hearing was challenging in a lot of ways. But how would you say teaching at Phoenix has been different from teaching at Lawrence High School during summer Institute?

05:48 Duffy's are the hours the hardest thing about it was just very very very tiny titans. Even the ones that we had. It was definitely very time-consuming and I just felt as if I was always kind of scatter and just trying to kind of just crunch out lesson plans, even though I might not have to leave Boston through which is the kind of make the deadline and so I'm just grateful now that I have a more natural and organic experience where I'm able to really think through the things that I'm doing to make sure that they are as beneficial to my iTunes if I hope they would be but what about you how would you say that experience has been back and forth. So I think like you said Institute was very jam-packed and a lot of it which is being thrown into the deep end and seeing if you could sink or swim but knowing that there was like a life raft floating nearby that you could latch onto if you needed it and I thought that was for useful thing for me.

06:48 I graduated from college immediately went into Institute and I had all this energy and passion that I carried with me from from college, but then moving into the year it was that Mark the transition into adulthood because it Institute we lived in dorms and we got to still hang out with their friends. And even though it was a time crunch a lot of the times we did have meals provided to us some transportation for a lot of things and then I felt like there were a lot more opportunities to unwind and less stress has compared to you know, moving into Phoenix. We're now we live in apartments and learning how to be an adult and manage time and money and all those different kinds of things and it is it to be only taught one class a day for an hour and 10 minutes. I'm in the rest were just professional development sessions, but now it's you know, we teach at Phoenix about 3 to 4 hour and 10 long classes and and there's just a lot more work and there's a lot more prep that goes into that and it feels a little bit more like that raft.

07:48 A little farther out like you have to swim a little bit more to it. And there's a lot more just invitation onus on us to get the job done. So that in that regard. It's a little more stressful but I think on the other hand, I do feel like I have the tools they didn't have coming into Institue and I have now and have a confidence as a teacher but it didn't have back then and that helps me do my job.

08:12 Alright, so Institute is a 728 week 8-lb long program. Where are all the incoming Corps members are housed in dorms, and then they have about a week of just professional development where they learn how to be a teacher and how to make a lesson plan in Justin of a crash course 101 in education, and then you start to rub out for weeks, but a month you teach summer school at a local school and depending on what grade level your assigned to, you know, we taught at a high school, so we taught a class at a local summer school for students were trying to get credit card failed the previous year and now we were coming in and trying to remediate that and I don't know if you want to

08:59 I think the Austin Wine Institute was it also work to get you acclimated to the neighborhood that you are working in? So when we were working in Lawrence, we not only just how I like the schools in the area. But we also had these days by the community days would actually go out into the Lawrence Community meet with some of their like advocacy groups that are out there meet with the actual diagnosis advocating for their acts like families and friends and really get a sense of like what they're doing to help improve the community to see how this is a it's a larger issue at hand, but it's all so we can all work together as teachers as Mothers and Fathers as committee members not come together to help address the problems that are within these communities and you know now that you say that I think Institute made me feel like I was a lot more involved in the community because they were facilitating that relationship with the local community itself. And I almost feel like I don't have that as much in Springfield because our hours are just so long and we don't have that kind of outside help facilitate in the relationship with the community and I honestly think that that would help

09:59 Feel a lot more connected to the work that I'm doing.

10:04 But that's just something that you know thinking now that you're bringing up the Institute also brought in that component as well.

10:16 Would you say that you had the same type of relationship to Lawrence as you didn't Springfield as you would have it spring phone now, I sometimes feel like I was Stronger relationship to Lawrence, but I think it's it's the sort of you know, when you lose your virginity to someone you have that special connection because they were your first you know, and so for me, it's like Lawrence was the first city where I moved to as it as a young adult and where I first taught my class and I often think back to my students and you know what I'm almost romanticize way and this is it was like, oh it was all roses and you know Funtime put it a you know, honestly wasn't I mean bottom line is that I'm stressful and I made a lot of mistakes and like I don't like you sometimes I feel like I did more with the service and then then then then actually serving them and helping them but but I thought that it comes with perspective leaving the Lawrence was my first and that was the first place where I started teaching what's different is that Springfield is where I actually live

11:16 And it's we're in some kind of way. I'm putting down more Roots because I spend more time with my students and I I should contact their families and their adult supporters and I see their parents come pick them up from school or I see the little brother go to their basketball game. And in that sense. I have a little bit more of a connection with the Springfield Community. I just think that it'll come with time and I'm sure that once I you know finished my first year I can look back and be like wow. Yeah. I am a part of the community.

11:49 Now the teacher you have Eucerin tattoos itching to have when you were teaching Institute, what would you say probably one of the most effective she was a shoe kind of developed at this time. And that's just the kind of tool that comes with time and comes with actually doing the work itself. You know, I I feel like I came in with a passion I came in with the drive for me education reform is an issue that I'm very passionate about having passion about since I was 5 years old and so I already kind of had that drive but what I lacked was actually being able to say, oh, yeah when I taught this class when I did it this way, I learned X Y and Z and now making those mistakes and learning from them has made me a much better teacher because I can say, you know, what I was missing from Institute was that I didn't update my students on their progress and I didn't have Lexie's one-on-one meetings. I could have really strengthen their their performance in class. And now I tried to hold it on that and I'm more attuned to that those kinds of conversations. So for me having that experience of being able to say to my current

12:49 Oh, yeah, when I taught this back then we even though it wasn't that long ago. It was only for a short. Of time at least being able to say that I've done this before it gives them some comforting in the last time to trust me that they can believe that I know what I'm doing.

13:06 Now outside outside of the hole developing experience within the teaching as a teacher in the classroom have there been any other?

13:16 Areas that you had to navigate as a professional in as a teacher or within Phoenix itself. And then what have been some steps you have taken too kind of address those situations having to deal with her having to encounter when I became a teacher was Behavioral Management. I think teacher America does stress that enduring Institute. We did do a lot of simulations where we practice managing a classroom, but at our particular school because our students, you know, we talked about like on a larger level shouldn't have been dealt less-than-ideal cards particularly students of color in low-income. Neighborhoods are students more than most because there's a lot of them have dealt with trauma and a lot of them, you know have dealt with drug addiction and homelessness and a whole host of issues in about 100% of our students who deal with these kinds of things Behavioral Management aspect is very necessary and I'll often find myself doing about 75% Behavioral Medicine.

14:16 25% teaching knowing that getting the contacts and getting the behavior down will lead to higher and better academics, but it's just making that initial investment can seem difficult at first because I want to get to the continent want to get them college-ready. But I also know that they can't be College ready if they're throwing pencils at each other and I need to know first of all the system to address that and so something has helped me of consistency. It's figuring out how can I be consistent with my Behavioral Management so that they could come into class knowing what to expect and there are no surprises and that's difficult to maintain and the way I maintain that is self care because if I can take care of myself than I can't do my job and I can't serve them and they need me. You know, I I honestly do think that having an adult especially a woman of color that they can look up to and they can see in the model of success success is important to them in order to maintain that I really have to take care of myself and my ability to be present and engaged with them and I'll have to go

15:16 With that one thing I definitely didn't anticipate when you come and teach was the idea of South Carolina mental health. I like always consider myself a really just kind of be like a person who gets there be issues with whatever anything that you do and you can have the move along with it and get over it. But I've reached a point where there been days where I just really struggle with the kind of comprehend everything that's going on and really be able to kind of be who I feel like I am like mentally and physically in

15:43 I think that's something that's not really discussed Latin the teaching room all the way. We think about it the trauma that the students are actually bringing in that Dennis put on you like when you find out that a student's lost their friend over the weekend with him right in the community that you live in what are you fine with that student, you know, they have your having a child in like they eat their like kind of browsed going to take care of it. All those things kind of got to wait on you on top of the other issues that you might have in your own life. And so I think I've probably and I still don't answer to it. Like, how do I effectively you practice good soak here? And how do I know? How do I add a teacher find the resources to seek out Services? I need them and then other channels and I just I can pay the finance them because we know

16:30 Salary in Texas teaching can be very difficult thing to the kind of try to find those services to call sweetie even more of another barrier. So I don't think that is something I'm going to focus on one thing and education is the ID of mental health in self-care as teachers, right? Cuz I think something that's our strength is that we're both of color and I know that at least for me I grew up in a low-income community and I've dealt with similar trauma as they have in that makes me more suitable to be able to relate to them but on the other hand that can really where where is down because we can more easily absorb it because we can empathize because you can be so compassionate girls are more likely to absorb some of that because I want to take care of them and I want to help them and I but that might come at my own expense. So I think it is that balance kaymin. Honestly. Nothing can prepare for that and Teach for America like is is changing as we speak and there are more more core members of color who have had Teach for America Corps members and one for another in their life and

17:30 Coming into this work carrying some of the baggage of their own upbringing and trying to trying to get back in and try to change their own communities, but you have to figure out that balance of taking care of yourself and also take helping take care of others. And I think that's just a fine line that you tread and sometimes you cross and you fall but you get back up and and just continue working on it.

17:52 So what kind of change of lolbit what do as a teacher what has been one of the most crazy things went through this have done in your classroom. I brought up Donald Trump and we're going to have a debate a political debate and I had no idea that the response to the name. Donald Trump would evoke such a visceral emotion from my students. They just went me know in an uproar they were yelling at each other like it's trying to threaten one another because one student said, you know, I don't really mind Donald Trump so much and I had another student kind of say kind of just him and call him out on it and sort of attacked who he wasn't the person which had nothing to do with Donald Trump, but I just think that it really riled up the students so much and so the student shot back another just something about like her having a lot of boyfriends or something like that and she got so upset that she grabbed my drawer of paper clips and Flow.

18:52 At this kid and the paper clips went flying everywhere and then trying till I grabbed onto her she was trying to choose really tiny to double her size. But she was like, are you like this me or whatever I have it was honestly a day like I thought it would really think a systems and it didn't gauge them but in a totally like an appropriate way and that was like a moment as a teacher where I felt like I had lost complete control and it's terrifying because I wasn't sure what to do with that moment if it weren't for the other students who stepped in. I honestly I don't know how the rest of the gun down but we don't talk about Donald Trump if we mention him we say DT because it was just too much chaos and too much turmoil, but that just been really fast because I did not expect them to be so passionate and for them to get so emotional that goes to show like we often think about these students in this neighborhood is not having that political content and not understanding the political world, but they totally do and they totally feel it's negative ramifications.

19:51 Any understand that there are certain candidates who are simply not here to Starbucks and that inspires me because our population is almost at that or some of them are at that voter age and they will constantly talk about it ever since then, you know, we'll bring it up like we need to register to vote like we can't have DT when and that's really inspiring for me because that's ultimately what I want for them and for them to be empowered citizens were they can advocate for themselves and and change the world for themselves in their community. So out of the paperclip drama arose the sort of conviction that we have that they have power in their in their politics and that there was matters and then you know, where is it to me? Even if I have to pick a million paper clips off the floor think students pay I think we have the same experience because I had shown my buddies and Bernie Sanders video on when we're doing a math assignment on housing.

20:51 And then one of them was like what's this guy talking about Donald Trump knows more about money than he doesn't accept the entire classroom off wherever you came from. I was like, oh my God and then all of a sudden out of nowhere one of my students starts tapping on the table with two a beat the same beat that everyone else it does the same thing too and they start rapping a song about down with Donald Trump. And so we can't assume that our students no matter what don't know what's going on there very much aware and King about what's happening on the world. And so I just like you said I much do love the fact that they are so passionate about these issues and they do care about like what the impact and have on their families but she like immigration and things like that and so it just as much as a crazy moment. It pleases me to see that they do have

21:51 How much passion about?

21:54 People who mostly make decisions for them and they want to have some control in some buying about who is going to be doing that representing them cuz I'm in America and I camouflaged it as teaching my students how to write a 5 paragraph argumentative essay through a reading articles about racism in America. And then I was challenging them to pick an issue of a particular case in an argue as to whether or not a concert with racism and discuss its like ramifications of society and like it was a really complex tasks and I scaffolded, you know, what the heck out of it and kind of build up and they had no idea that they were actually writing a five-paragraph essay but little by little day by day, they were gathering data and information like that, but I think most importantly what came out of that was it if you ask one of my students was taking that class with me what racism is most of them will tell you it's a system of Oppression in the witness. That isn't here students in the hallway yelling. No, that's not racist cuz that's not part of the sea.

22:54 Pregnancy don't know what you're talking about. Like you can't say that because this person is talking to this white person like that. That's racist Prejudice. Right? And that's so that's so fabulous to me because I think again it goes back to like, what are we currently preparing our students for and we want to teach them like, okay, if you get upset don't start making a b and rapping about Donald Trump and all sorts of paper clips, but like channel that energy in that passion into writing like write an argumentative essay write an op-ed the changes the world, you know that the challenges people's point point of view into the kid who said Donald Trump has more experience with money. I say you're right, you know, like Donald Trump as a businessman and that is why we went on to have a debate where I asked you to DT right like licking the Republican party with have to offer argue for that side cuz everyone needs to hear both sides and all sides of the story cuz they're more sides than one and that's why I think debates are so awesome. Even though they said students off. I guess I'm engaged against Morgan because a real world is full of all different kinds of perspective.

23:54 I had prepared me for that because I went to a charter school and I was just accustomed to other students of color and being part of the education reform movement. And when I transition into an all-white private high school in the Upper East Side of New York City. I was like a slap in the face because suddenly I was a minority and suddenly there weren't people who could understand my struggle. They have completely different life story than mine and then transitioning the college I'm going to cause I was predominantly white and upper class yet again also made me realize that that I'm sort of the what's the word the like when you're at your in a fight and it's the dog the underdog exactly. Yes so that I that I was like essentially the underdog if I didn't know how to articulate my oppression that will continue to stay in it and suffer in it. So being helping us with articulate their oppression is such a powerful too and weighs it they don't even know yet. So I was

24:54 Ask you if you could describe the moment when where you felt like you were a teacher because I know you've talked about and I think both of us experience this where we're just everything is chaos. We don't have control over everything that we're doing. I don't think we ever will but describe a moment. We were like, yeah, I'm a teacher and I'm kicking butt right now.

25:16 It probably during one of my like instruction part 2 of my class when we're going over this idea of solve the equation by substitution and I think would have made me which was a point where one of my kids was like all of these bags that I was like, oh my gosh, you're getting it cuz there's a point where I just think about.

25:44 Sometimes when they don't take the notes, they don't do the homework light are they actually getting it in might just not being effective in this role? But my thing is if you're able to use that academic language and apply it to whatever we're learning and you actually going to call or take like what does that mean? What is it doing that to me demonstrate that you actually are grasping it and that's what I thought. I have done a service at Justice to these students and there was another opportunity of time when like apparently I had a student who was roaming the hallways and one of the atom have found him and later on that day. She wants my class and then she told me mr. Lewis I was talking to someone so and they said that they were not going into class but your class has nothing to do with that. But okay. She was like, well, he said it like he goes to your class cuz like that he's a class that like you he learns the most of that's what they're learning happens and I was like

26:35 Okay. Well, even though he hasn't really produce much for me the fact that he is saying that he done learning in here in a few to getting all in his head while then perfectly fine. Great. So those little moments to have kind of allow me to see like okay. I'm doing something positive here and I feel as time goes it would just probably get better. I have this memory of going through the lesson Monday and and being surprised it actually went relatively smoothly and I hadn't sent anyone out and part of it was I had my transitions down real tight. We're moving from activity to the next and then I turn around for the exit ticket and I noticed that everyone is silently working and this was during the first week of a new quarter. So we are School runs on a quarter system. This will work currently teach and it was the first week of the first quarter and saw them at their new students and their there were sort of having to reteach reset the classroom.

27:35 Expectation turning around and seeing every single student diligently working and having a supervisor come in and witness that and being like woah, this looks like you know a college classroom. Like everyone is just tell me an independently working and that for me felt really good because it happened organically. Like I didn't even give the directions to so they can take it. I just put it on the board and suddenly everyone was on point. That's one story. Another really quick story is I was sitting in my classroom after school and they were giving tours to incoming students. There was one of my current students. I hear her coming down the hallway saying this is Miss paralysis room. She's a tough bee words because she has high expectations and she'll hold you to them. So don't think you can get away with not doing your work in her class cuz she will make you do it and and like, you know, basically hearing her talk about me as a bad B words in a positive way, you know her own language and I would have demanded her for using the b word for butt

28:35 Who's behind because I was like, well, I'm glad that my students, you know, see that has a strength and they don't hate me all the time because you know, sometimes I'll complain that I'm really strict but I just I do have high expectations for them. And I know that they can meet them when they know it too. And that's that's really reassuring to me. So so yeah, I was talking to someone else about something and I came over and the guy was like out by the time so I can get some of their work and then I was going to do it you said no the high for Tatian. I was like well as long as you know of anything else that I will always hold them to the highest degree possible. That's the most I can ask for from them. Right? Like I've been cousin that goes that's what you're saying about consistency in the support and they care if they know that there's someone there who's never going to let

29:35 Down there. I can taste of what they can achieve now what level to get itchy vat no get together at some point. It may not be what you want me to get it together, but they will get it together cuz they will know that you will always be there for them no matter what brings me to the question. So we talked about what brought you to teaching, but now what keeps you here.

29:53 It's definitely the fact that I'm a special education teacher as well and I acknowledge the fact that there is a huge issue when it comes to the over-representation of African-American and Hispanic boys. And until that situation has honestly just been rectified in some way and I can kind of make some type of Denton to addressing that issue. I don't see myself ever leaving education because to me that's just too much of a problem to tell us what they have a difficult if they don't have is so negatively impacting on their life and makes me feel less of a person than what they are. And so we need to make sure I put I need to help make sure that we are actually making the right diagnosis when making the correct labels and we're making sure that we're holding kids to have vacations and not using race as some type of Define or what they're capable of but what about you? Yeah, I mean and you know me I thrive on this Montrose like we can we will we must and that's something that I took away from message.

30:53 And that motivates me every single day I wake up in the morning. And if I just feel like the work is so tremendous and it's just you know, I feel like I'm just making a tiny little Dent if that I just remind myself it like I can like make a difference just by the simple fact that you don't succeed in a community like coming from the South Bronx, which is where I'm from where 1 and 17 students graduate from high school like that kind of statistic being able to defy that and be where I am today a college grad now a teacher and my age is really impressive until I I have the ability to teach and enter into do something about it and I will do it, you know, like I have the will to do it as well and at a time when sometimes as soon as do not necessarily have to build they need that motivation because they may not be getting it in their own lives or may not always come internally just yet and then it's also the final like we must do this work for ourselves and for the world because like you said until we can change the fact that most

31:53 Sense of color just simply don't have the same access to resources as their white counterparts were going to see an equity throughout our society. We're going to see a lot of you know poverty in ways that is very clearly racialized and I think that we just need to empower the use so that they can do better than us and change the world for the better because I ultimately and firmly believe in that ends with this like I can I will I must and we must do it all together can't just be me at you know, I need help to and then that's where they they come in there that important key part as a part of the not just us. It's like not to let this is the students. Is there a Dell supportassist their parents is the queen members. Like I think the whole way of addressing the problem of Education as we all need to come together as one big room and noticed we all can see like where I was coming from politicians with the queen members and so Forbes, you won't see a change happen at a more larger-scale. It takes everyone contribution no matter what your age

32:53 Teach my boys no matter what your income is. Everyone has a part in play the role somehow in that issue.

33:00 Right eye and I completely agree because for me education/academic spend on such a like a strong and powerful force in my own life that I want every student every child in this country to have the same opportunity, even if they don't choose College because I don't believe that this really saying you have to go to college is the answer but telling them you have the option to go to college and you can if you want to or you can go just become an artist or you can go and study car mechanics and that is awesome. And we're going to support you and love you through all of that. I'm still going to ask you though to write a Haiku and I'm still going to ask you right to solve this equation and and maintaining that I think is is really key until I thinking of right now we are in this pivotal moment where we've just finished. We're like a halfway point in our first year. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? I will likely be education and most likely hopefully be serving.

34:00 More adding admin role of special ed because I feel like an app so I can track your special education for school for district or something cuz I just feel like there a larger issue that I think I couldn't tackle lot better. Now we have to teach but now over single group of teachers to help kind of shift their minds that ship our processes and what we're doing to support students in a more effective way while also like taking the advice and inside from those lepticore doing it now and kind of implementing that

34:28 Yeah, so for me before coming to Teach for America, I was very involved in political action and advocacy work. And so like I did a lot of work in Seattle to the Washington bus which is a nonprofit organization getting young people involved in voting and involved in your local politics and at my college I was a vice president of the student government and so I've always kind of been at the Forefront of a movement like I started a consent movement on campus. Like I just like really firmly believe in movement in the power of movement movements and I'm getting people on board until I see myself a little bit more in the like that leadership role whether it's like running for office or whether it's a Grassroots organization like black lives matter, but in some form or another just being at like the Forefront and I'm not alone in the Forefront me to look at the team and it's like a community and its it's a whole bunch of folks. I'm still figuring out how that what that might look like. But I definitely see myself continuing to do the work that I do an education and continuing to advocate for the advancement of our youth and particularly are low-income youth of color.

35:28 Because that that for me is just is what I feel like I owe you no have been meant for like thinking back to you know, when I was 5 years old and my teacher asked me what I want to be when I grow up and I wrote teacher and then think about doctors visits where I would be with my younger sister and they would be like a chalkboard and I would gather all the other kids waiting for the doctor and I would like teach them their ABCs and like I just really liked kind of being the leader and being at that front but then stepping down having them kind of teach me as well like because I know that the strongest voices tend to be the ones that are unhurt because they have something really powerful to say and the strongest leaders tend to be the ones who are able to follow when it's time when it's time to end. So that's why I enjoy teaching right now, but I definitely want to see myself. I'm also fulfilling leadership roles in the future.

36:23 Well, I just want to say thank you to mark because I honestly couldn't do this work without you there been a lot of moments where I didn't think I can make it through in a lot of time for a question stores that I was doing whether this was the Avenue by which I want to do this work in accomplish. The mission of one day all children will have the opportunity to take an excellent education, but you remind me that it is possible and that we especially need to be here for students. I'm in for communities because not only do we look like them but we also have a lot to offer that makes us unique. I think most could be my social identity Compass. I've never met someone as invested in that like portion of herself and then other people and opportunity to be able to get to know you and kind of the sounding board and really get your advice and get your Insight regarding those types of things that I'm not too familiar with and still kind of filling up on my

37:23 Has been a really great resource to me in my life. You're my rock. My keep me grounded and is sometimes I invite you to fly a little bit, even though it might be a little scary cuz I'm a little bubbly. I'm happy you're on this journey with me.