Teachers as Interpreters: Listening to Every Student

Teachers as Interpreters: Listening to Every Student

Author: Ethical Schools August 9, 2025 Duration: 40:31

We speak with Dr. Cynthia Ballenger about her recent book, “Teaching is Inquiry: Observation and Reflection as the Heart of Practice,” in which she explores the role of ethnography in inquiry-based teaching and learning, i.e., cultural practices in terms of speaking, storytelling, and conveying information. Teachers can discern a lot more about students if they listen to them in the context of their ethnic/ cultural styles of communicating. Dr. Ballenger also addresses the children she calls “puzzling.”  Each of them has something to offer, she says, even those who seemingly have social-emotional challenges.

Overview

00:00-00:58 Intros

00:58-01:45 “Teaching Is Inquiry”

01:45-08:56 Ethnography of education

08:56-11:12 “Every child has something to offer the class.”

11:12-20:45 The “puzzling child”: more stories

20:45-24:10 Cultural and individual differences

24:10-27:43 Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

27:43-30:17 “Stopping time.”

30:17-31:17 Importance of stories

31:17-34:41 Strengthening systemic support; ethical implications

34:41-36:45 Testing culture as anti-democratic and unethical

36:45-38:13 More reflections on OCD

38:13-38:37 Jerome Bruner on negotiating meaning

38:37- Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

References

Book “Teaching is Inquiry” by Dr. Cynthia Ballenger

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear


Conversations about education often focus on test scores and curriculum, but there’s a deeper layer that truly shapes a student’s experience. Ethical Schools digs into that layer, exploring what it means to build a learning community grounded in integrity and care. Each week, hosts Amy and Jon sit down with educators and innovators who are actively reimagining schools. You’ll hear specific, grounded discussions about the practical work of creating environments where every student feels safe and respected. The dialogue frequently addresses how to support young people dealing with trauma, moving beyond theory to share actionable strategies that teachers are using right now. More than just problem-solving, this podcast highlights how to empower students themselves to become advocates and changemakers in their own communities. It’s a series that connects philosophy with daily practice, looking at the social and cultural structures within schools through a lens of ethics. For anyone invested in the future of education-whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or simply a concerned community member-this podcast offers a thoughtful and necessary perspective on the foundational values that make education meaningful.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 240

Ethical Schools
Podcast Episodes
Police and metal detectors in schools: Student perspectives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:30
Nia Morgan and Anahi Ortiz Fierros of Urban Youth Collaborative describe how police and metal detectors humiliate and traumatize students. The story of the “fork in the backpack” illustrates the system’s absurdity. And w…
*UPDATE* Civics education: A Constitutional right? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:05
Last year we interviewed Mark Santow, one of the plaintiffs suing the State of Rhode Island under the 14th Amendment for failing to provide some students civics curricula and other components of an adequate education. Af…
Too Late For Reform: Abolishing the Police in Schools [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:15
Toni Smith-Thompson, Senior Organizer at NY Civil Liberties Union, discusses the importance of replacing police presence in schools with restorative practices. Toni envisions ethical schools, in which all students feel b…
Reimagining college admissions: Performance assessment pilot at CUNY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:00
Dr. Michelle Fine speaks about better alternatives to standardized tests for students to demonstrate college-readiness. NYC’s Consortium Schools, which use Performance Based Assessment Tasks, collaborated with CUNY to op…
Why teach history? Knowing “why” shapes “how” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:30
Richard Miller, who taught in progressive NYC secondary schools for 28 years, talks about teaching students to think like historians, weighing different sources and drawing their conclusions from evidence. The past gives…