New ventures: A podcast is born

Six months ago, my podcast partner Mickie Dumont and I started a new project for our local union, United Teachers of Lowell 495: we started a podcast that we hoped would be a short listen about some local and state issues that affected members.

We also wanted to highlight some of the great things educators in Lowell do. As an active teacher, I knew about many of the great ideas implemented by teachers in my own building, but it was really rare to hear about what colleagues in other schools were up to. So armed with a digital microphone and open-source audio editing software, we started the weekly podcast "Straight Talk".

Along with issue-based recordings, we've met some terrific people of course. One of our recent podcast recordings was with AFT-MA Director of Organization, Brian LaPierre.

One of the most talented and passionate advocates for public education, Brian is a member of the Lynn Teachers Union. He formerly taught at the Thurgood Marshall Middle School and at Lynn English High School. Tireless, enthusiastic, and resolute, Brian’s energy, enthusiasm and support for public education makes him a force to be reckoned with. As a political organizer, and now as AFT-MA’s Director of Organization, Brian was our go-to for the 2015 First Book Books on Wheels event here in Lowell, he was on the frontlines of the No on Two Campaign, and he's already deeply involved in pushing for Chapter 70 Foundation funding through the Fund our Future Campaign.

Brian has twice been elected city councilor-at-large in Lynn, MA. In both 2015 and 2017, Brian topped the ticket in Lynn.

It is the passion and energy of people like Brian who will help shift the punitive test-and-privatize culture of public education today to what some of us remember.