This week Laura talks with Freedom Siyam. Freedom has been a classroom teacher, principal, adjunct faculty member and so much more! For decades he’s also been a community organizer for social justice and international human rights causes both in the U.S. and the Philippines. Freedom shares honestly what he sees kids going through and his colleagues going through. By looking closely at the systems and structures that make up education, he offers his analysis of a few reasons why we are where we are today. He has real and compassionate advice for those coming into the field as well as those who have already dedicated themselves to this noble work. And no conversation with Freedom is ever complete without some good laughter.

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About Freedom

Freedom Siyam is a lifelong educator from The Rainier Valley in Seattle. He taught History and Ethnic Studies for 9 years in West Seattle and was a Dean in three schools before becoming an Assistant Principal and then the Principal of Balboa High School in San Francisco. He supervised the K-12 History, Social Science and Ethnic Studies curriculum for San Francisco Unified School District before becoming the Director of Human Resources for the Sequoia Union High School District in California where he is committed to the continued development of the field of education and promoting the skills that he believes are the cornerstone of a developing democracy: critical thinking, communication and collaboration.