374. Teaching in Color: Featuring Brandon Jenkins

About this episode

Brandon Jenkins discusses the power of storytelling and humor in education, emphasizing community and representation.

What does it look like when a third grade STEM teacher from Houston uses comedy, creativity, and storytelling to pull back the curtain on the real life of an educator and build a community that refuses to feel alone? In this episode of Aspire to Lead, Joshua Stamper sits down with educator, podcaster, and doctoral student Brandon Jenkins to talk about the power of authentic storytelling in education and why laughter might be one of the most underrated tools in our profession. Brandon shares how social media became a lifeline for connection in a career that can feel deeply isolating, and how his comedic content gives educators permission to laugh at the hard stuff while sparking real conversations with people outside of education who had no idea what teachers actually face every day. He also unpacks why representation in schools goes far beyond skin tone and covers zip code, access to programs, arts, technology, and the profound impact of seeing yourself reflected in the adults who show up for you. The conversation goes deeper as Brandon shares his doctoral research on trust within Black and Brown communities in education, the inspiration behind his podcast Teaching in Color now…

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Stamper

Guest: Brandon Jenkins

Topics covered

• education
• storytelling
• comedy
• community building
• representation
• leadership

Keywords

• STEM education
• authentic storytelling
• teacher experiences
• social media
• Black and Brown communities
• leadership challenge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teaching in Color

Places: Houston, Texas

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