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Hi Roadtrip Nation, here I am doing one of my favorite things which is exploring all of the natural wonders of Utah. My name is Mike, I am in Orem, Utah, and I teach social studies and I've been teaching for eight years. The reason I got into teaching is because I wanted to provide a safe space for students from all walks of life. What matters to me most is that people know that they are important and that someone out there cares about them. Some days I'm feeling that same excitement as I was on day one and other days I'm feeling tired, worn out, and I'm unsure of why I'm doing what I'm doing. I think in order for me to stay in the classroom for the rest of my career, I really need to find my purpose in being in the classroom. And kind of that larger goal. I am really excited to talk to educators who hopefully have experienced some similar things that I've experienced throughout my career. So I'm really excited to have another teacher joining me in the interviews. Akilah has had teaching experience for a while and she and I seem to have similar hurdles that we're trying to overcome right now in terms of our teaching career. So how are you feeling about this, we have an interview. &gt;&gt; We have an interview. &gt;&gt; The leader that Akilah and I are going to interview is Tray Robinson, who is a special education teacher in California. I'm feeling excited, so I don't know what you know about Tray. But just in a little bit of research that I've done, he was recently awarded the GLSEN Teacher of the Year award. [MUSIC] So I think for me, a lot of his story really resonated with me being a member of the LGBTQ community. As a gay teacher it's kind of hard to have conversations openly with other people about our experiences so I'm curious to kind of pick his brain and so I'm just excited. &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; To talk with him. &gt;&gt; Yeah, absolutely. &gt;&gt; Tray, I am so excited to be talking with you so thank you for taking time. &gt;&gt; Absolutely. &gt;&gt; I am excited to pick your brain. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; So if you're willing to kind of share your story and how you got to where you are. &gt;&gt; This is my eighth year as a master teacher. When it comes to why I teach and who I am, I have to live my truth as a teacher and that's why I chose to teach. I got a random request from a friend of a friend that said, hey my school is looking for an intern teacher in special education, do you want to interview? I interviewed, didn't realize I was going to be teaching every single subject 9th through 12th grade except electives in the same classroom at the same time. To multiple students. &gt;&gt; What? &gt;&gt; That sounds illegal. &gt;&gt; Yeah, how do you even. &gt;&gt; How do you teach six subjects in the same room at one time? &gt;&gt; You had to have pulled it off because you're still here. &gt;&gt; Was that motivating to you or was that totally just like? &gt;&gt; It was a challenge and I loved it. &gt;&gt; How did you even stay in that? What compelled you? &gt;&gt; I was also going to school at the same time. &gt;&gt; Wow. &gt;&gt; What did that balance look like? Because honestly, you saying this right now makes me feel like just a little small because I'm tripping now. &gt;&gt; It wasn't a balance. &gt;&gt; Okay, it wasn't. &gt;&gt; No. &gt;&gt; What do you mean, tell me what do you mean by that like. &gt;&gt; Burn the candle at all ends, there were not enough hours in the day. Eventually it catches up to you. To teach is to run an iron man. You don't just sprint anymore, you go run 30 miles and then you gonna swim. And you thought you was tired, you not, you better have an energy gel because you don't get the chance to pee and you don't get to eat. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Now swim. &gt;&gt; That is so true. &gt;&gt; You get to the end of that swim, good job, you got a bike to ride. The kids were probably the best part, the kids is what got me through that part of my life. There is a humanity in your students, if you can connect with them, that will get you through those really bad days. &gt;&gt; Can I ask you about that and your experience with that, I mean as a member of like the LGBTQ community and you've talked a lot about speaking your truth. And I'm curious if that's ever become a challenge for you as you're then trying to connect either with students or you're presenting your true self and that's something I have a really hard time with. As I'm so worried about the response my students will have if I'm true to myself but not maybe considering how comfortable they are with who I am. Does that make sense? &gt;&gt; I had to confront so many of my own demons about my identity and my internalized, whether it was homophobia or transphobia, or just phobia of anything being different. You get to a point as an LGBTQ person where it's just like, I've come out once, I've dealt with this once, I don't have to do this again, but I couldn't do that. Because here's this kid saying, well, aren't you, you can't tell me to be proud of who I am if you're going to hide and feel ashamed I got to this point where it was more important to me to show the kids. You don't have to be ashamed of any of your differences. Be you, I will treat you as you and you need to treat you as you because if you cannot be you, you will not survive, that is it. That is the end of it. If there is one person in this life you have to love, it is you, and you have to be unashamed and unafraid to stand up and scream, I love me. And I think for you, it isn't your identity as a gay person that they are going to protect. It is your identity as the individual who cares enough to ask them if they had something to eat, and who might have been the only person who gave them a hug that week. When you do those things, you become a whole person and not just a teacher. I have a question. What is it really that makes you think you might want to leave education? Every teacher that decides they want to leave feels as if the reason that they came is no longer something they are attaining or is going to cost them something they're not willing or able to give. So what is it really that's making you feel like you might need to step away. &gt;&gt; I'm just at the point where I'm like, is it, is this working? Am I even doing this right, there is this box, I feel like that teachers generally have to be in. I want to impact kids, I want to work with them, I want to make sure that they have the tools that they need to be successful, but I don't want to do it like this and now the push to change is a fight. Not saying that I'm afraid of the fight but it's hard when when it feels like the system that you are working for is working against you. &gt;&gt; So as an educator, if you want to pioneer a new change if you want something different in your classroom, make it work. &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; And know it well enough to make it repeatable, that will inspire in you a willingness to create, right? You have to feel creative about what you're doing. I've seen the standards go, I've seen the new standards come. You cannot look at it as if I don’t now, it will not. Because if you try to do it all right now, you'll be exactly where you are. Feeling like you can't, because it's a Sisyphean, it's a Herculean task. You're pushing that thing, pushing a boulder up that mountain and every day it's sliding back down. &gt;&gt; Yes, thank you so much. &gt;&gt; Yeah, I think I got into education because I wanted to make a difference. But over time as I was committing to more and more and more because I felt like I could and should. The amount of energy that I had to put toward my students has gone down. After a certain amount of time, I feel like my joy is lost and I'm trying to find that again. &gt;&gt; I've had that experience and that feeling it is enough to make you wonder if what you're doing is worth it. If pouring your soul into this thing is worth it and my answer to both of you, especially you, is going to be, you have to make time for you, you cannot be a hero teacher. It is depicted in our movies and that's why I don't watch teaching movies, I hate them. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Because but look at what you see, Freedom Writers, she looses her husband, her marriage, her livelihood is threatened. You sacrifice everything to get one class load of students through, one, one that is one year, in your 30 maybe years that you wanted this career. It's great to be in the programs, it's great to do the after school stuff, if you have the time, do it. But if you would be better suited with a gym membership. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Going and working out for your health every day, you need to do that even if it is your first year as a teacher, you need to set up healthy habits. &gt;&gt; Tray, you are amazing. [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; I know, it definitely got me turning, now I'm going stay up all night making lesson plans for next week. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Thank you, actually, this was really cool, and I'm really glad that I got the chance to do it. When I thought about leaving teaching, I needed a teacher to talk to me and say, look, this is the way you go and I didn't really have one. I just kind of had to stumble through it so. &gt;&gt; I really appreciate it. &gt;&gt; Yo. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] I know. &gt;&gt; First off, Tray's energy. &gt;&gt; Right from the beginning. &gt;&gt; I loved him. &gt;&gt; So I just felt like he was seeing the positive in every kind of negative that was thrown his way. And that was like amazing to me that even after all he's been through, he's still smiling. &gt;&gt; So what was your biggest, like okay, I'm going to go home with this one for real? &gt;&gt; Yeah, one thing that he said was, if you can't be you, you can't survive. And I think just knowing and understanding, I can be true to myself. And if I'm not, chances are five, ten years down the road, I'm not going to be a teacher, will burn out. I really feel like this is where I need to be as a profession. So that was really encouraging for me. &gt;&gt; Yeah, I am just grateful for this energy, like we were saying, we're stuck and now the oil has been put on the rust and our wheels are about to start turning. &gt;&gt; So I'm excited. &gt;&gt; I thank you. &gt;&gt; Yeah, thank you. 

Tray Robinson is a special education teacher who specializes in teaching youth with severe emotional disturbances. He was also named the 2020 Educator of the Year by GLSEN, an organization focused on creating affirming learning environments for LGBTQ youth. He and fellow teacher Mike Morrell discuss the importance of authenticity in education, teaching and living holistically, and much more.

GLSEN Educator of the Year on bringing your whole self to the classroom

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