Episode 164 | Before We Teach, We Should Learn

As educators, we often focus on what we're going to teach. But what if the most important part of teaching happens before we ever step into the classroom?

In this solo episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on preparing for an upcoming workshop with the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska. As he revisits his presentation, he realizes that the workshop isn't really about poetry—it's about humility, listening, and honoring the stories that already exist within every community.

Rather than arriving as the expert, Roberto shares why he's choosing to enter as a guest and what that shift has taught him about culturally sustaining teaching, place-based education, and the importance of helping students tell their own stories.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Why every community already possesses wisdom

The difference between teaching as an expert and teaching as a guest

How place shapes identity

The power of listening before speaking

Helping students become experts on their own communities

Why culturally sustaining teaching begins with humility

Questions every educator should ask before teaching in any community

Whether you teach across the country or across the hallway, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and recognize the knowledge students already bring into the classroom.