Recorded from Panama City on the day of arrival, this episode of Our Classroom is a quiet, journal-style reflection on what it means to teach while still orienting—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Host Roberto Germán explores the idea of arrival as both a physical and professional experience. Through travel, observation, and humility, he draws parallels between navigating a new place and navigating the uncertainty many educators are facing right now.

This episode isn’t about answers or strategies. It’s about permission—to slow down, to pay attention, and to remain human in the work.

• Teaching while still “arriving”

• Humility as a professional posture

• The pressure to perform certainty in unstable times

• Paying attention as a form of care

• Why slowing down can be an act of wisdom

• Community as a place to hold complexity

Teach in Truth.

Lead with Courage.

Belong to a Community That Gets It.

If you’re looking for a space to continue reflecting, learning, and navigating uncertainty alongside other educators committed to equity, truth, and impact, you’re invited to explore My Classroom Gold.

https://www.multiculturalclassroom.com/founding-member

No pressure—just an open door.

• Follow @multiculturalclassroom

• Subscribe to Our Classroom wherever you listen

• Share this episode with someone who might need permission to slow down

In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán reflects on what it means to teach in truth when the ground beneath education feels unstable. Sparked by a powerful question raised during a Teaching in Truth masterclass, this conversation explores fear, uncertainty, and responsibility in today’s classrooms—particularly for immigrant families and communities of color.

Rather than offering quick fixes or scripted responses, Roberto invites educators to sit with the tension: how do we stay human, ethical, and grounded when schools no longer feel universally safe? This episode centers history, names systems, and reminds listeners that clarity and courage are often cultivated in community, not isolation.

Chapters

0:00 – Welcome to Our Classroom
1:20 – When School No Longer Feels Safe
3:45 – Teaching in Truth Means Naming Systems
6:10 – Why Neutrality Isn’t Neutral
8:30 – Community Is Not Optional
11:00 – When There Are No Easy Answers
13:30 – Sustainability Over Solutions
15:30 – Teach in Truth. Lead with Courage. (CTA)

• What tensions am I currently holding in my teaching practice?

• Where have I felt pressure to have answers instead of asking better questions?

• Who do I turn to when the work feels heavy or unclear?

Teach in Truth.

Lead with Courage.

Belong to a Community That Gets It.

My Classroom Gold is a community of educators committed to equity, truth, and impact—designed for those who want to keep learning, reflecting, and leading with integrity in complex times.

https://www.multiculturalclassroom.com/founding-member

• Follow @multiculturalclassroom

• Subscribe to Our Classroom wherever you listen

• Share this episode with a colleague who’s navigating uncertainty

In this episode of Our Classroom, host Roberto Germán explores how emotion and identity serve as the gateway to authentic literacy engagement. Drawing from his presentation Reading with Purpose, Writing with Passion, Roberto invites educators to rethink what truly keeps students — especially reluctant and multilingual writers — from fully engaging with reading and writing.

Through student testimony, classroom strategies, and reflections from Blue Ink Tears, this episode centers literacy as a human experience before it becomes an academic one. When students are seen, heard, and affirmed, reading and writing transform from tasks into tools for expression, healing, and connection.

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Welcome to Our Classroom
1:10 – What Keeps Students from Engaging with Literacy
3:00 – Emotion as an Entry Point to Writing
5:00 – Identity, Language & Student Confidence
7:00 – Books as Mirrors, Not Just Texts
9:00 – Instructional Strategies that Humanize Literacy
11:30 – A Writing Invitation You Can Use Tomorrow
13:00 – Patterns Across Classrooms
14:30 – Teach in Truth, Lead with Courage (CTA)

Featured Student Voice

“When he talked about his feelings, it made me more confident to talk about mine.” — José Reyes, 9th Grade, Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School

Resources & Next Steps

• Blue Ink Tears by Roberto Germán

• Author Visits & Workshops: multiculturalclassroom.com

• Follow: @multiculturalclassroom

Join the Community

Teach in Truth.

Lead with Courage.

Belong to a Community That Gets It.

Join My Classroom Gold — a community of educators committed to equity, truth, and impact.