This week on Melanated Mom Talk, I am inspired to think differently about the leaders in our children’s schools. And I do love the title of “leaders” instead of saying the principal or the teachers because calling them leaders keeps them in front of the process of learning and growing, but it doesn’t place them above it or separate from it. And to honor the women who walk in that space daily we welcome the Director of School Support at Fulcrum Education Solutions and the Founder and CEO of the Wouldn't It Be Cool If? Organization, Dr. Chandra Sledge Mathias to the conversation.
A North Carolina native, Dr. Sledge Mathias is the person who teaches the teachers.
All of the parents and parent allies who have been homeschooling these last few weeks during our nationwide quarantine due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, I believe (if you’re anything like me) are having a whole new perspective on what the day in and day out of a classroom syllabus is really all about. I’m seeing brand new sides of my kids in terms of their mental endurance and the overall ability to sponge in critical thinking. So kudos to the educators. You truly are not compensated enough. #EqualPayToday!
Chandra is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and NC State University with a Master of School Administration and Doctorate of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Administration and Supervision. Currently coaching and developing 10 principals spread across the Chicago Public Schools district, Dr. Sledge Mathias is also on course to becoming a global educator, inspired (in part) by for husbands worldly love and support and her "bonus" son who lives and is in school overseas.
One of her proudest honors was being asked to be a founding leader in opening a brand new school in Memphis, TN. This experience was a crash course in school development from the bottom to the top and has been essential knowledge Chandra plans on using to open her own school in the near future.
This is fascinating to me especially now that parts of the world as we knew it are on pause with many aspects slowly crumbling down. This pandemic has opened our eyes and our hearts to the nurses, the farmers, the educators- the people who give to society like Dr. Chandra Sledge Mathias who will be in the forefront of rebuilding educational communities and youth academia with fresh ideas, sharp skills and a colorful perspective.
Chandra inspires me and I truly hope she inspires you too. Listen to this episode on the welm.co/podcast page, on your Apple Podcast App or where ever you tune in!