TOWAMENCIN — In a time when our country is at a disconnect physically and socially, the value of conversations is more important than ever. But taking that first step can be difficult. For NPSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Todd Bauer and NPSD Assistant Director of Human Resources Dr. Marjorie Diegue, however, they’ve found a way to prove it’s possible.

In September, Bauer and Diegue launched Time for Dinner, a podcast featuring special guests leading discussions on race and cultural proficiency and social justice.

Prior to starting the podcast with Diegue, Bauer had his own podcast called Bauer Hour where his goal was to increase communication among North Penn staff. 

“When you have almost 2,000 employees, many people don’t know one another,” Bauer said. “Additionally, I saw that many people didn’t know what was going on at the district level. Most folks’ understanding of what is going on is very narrow in their building. The podcast was focused on the inner workings of the district and summaries on board meetings. I would also interview folks.”

He chose a podcast as his medium of public communication due to the fact that it’s more accessible as it allows people to include it in their busy schedules. You can play it while you’re in the car, on a run, or eating dinner.

In the midst of the social unrest that occurred as a result of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others, Diegue, along with North Penn High School Assistant Principal Mr. Nick Taylor, were invited to speak about the topic.

After the tremendous feedback Bauer received for his episode with Diegue and Taylor, he reached out to Diegue asking if she would like to work together and start their own podcast.

The name Time for Dinner was inspired by regular conversations held at the dinner table. Over the years, Bauer and Diegue have had candid conversations involving race and culture. One day, when Diegue asked Bauer what he and his family talked about at home and during holidays, he said “anything but race and diversity.”

For Diegue, it was typical for her and her family to discuss race and culture.

“We came up with the name Time for Dinner because at the dinner table, that’s where you have the most vulnerable and open conversations with your family members about things that are going on. We thought ‘why not bring the dinner table to North Penn?’” Diegue said.

Starting up a new podcast was not an unfamiliar task for Bauer. However, the two decided to step things up, especially when they featured a legitimate public figure as a guest on their first episode.

“I got new software and Dr. Diegue and I have purchased some hardware so that we could do this the right way. We found free source music so that we could have theme music and transitions,” Bauer said. “I also wanted to get the podcast up on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast, so I had to learn how to do that.”

“The first podcast we did with Mr. Taylor and I was easy because we were talking about our personal experiences, but now with Time for Dinner, there is more work in making sure we do our research by doing more reading prior to having a guest,” Diegue added.

Their first guest on the podcast was Bakari Sellers, an American attorney, political commentator, and politician.

“It just worked out with Bakari Sellers. Dr. Bauer reached out to him on Instagram and he actually responded,” Diegue said.

After every episode, the two hope to have their guest recommend another person to “bring to the dinner table.” Off air, they also have frequent discussions on future guests and topics.

In regards to their setup, the podcast is essentially a recorded Zoom meeting where the audio is transferred to an audio editing software. 

Moving forward, the two plan to have a more concrete schedule where they will interview a new guest every week or two. Currently, they are working on balancing work and the podcast.

When it comes to discussing race and social justice, the conversations are often viewed as taboo, mostly because many people are fearful of the outcome of initiating these discussions. For Diegue and Bauer, they believe that these conversations may be uncomfortable, but they are absolutely necessary.

“There’s a commitment to be culturally proficient and equitable in our school district. I’m very proud of the conversations that Dr. Diegue and I have had behind closed doors. I have grown so much as a result of our friendship and our collegial relationship that I thought it was important to share it with other people. I think people could benefit from it,” Bauer said. “I hope that we could be leaders in the district to make more people feel more comfortable discussing these issues. So many people avoid the conversation around race or ethnicity because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing, and I want to be the model that we don’t have to be afraid. I want to create an environment where people are comfortable in having these discussions, and I thought what better way than to try and lead that and show people how to do it and do it well.”

Diegue started at North Penn in 2008 as a school counselor and worked as an Assistant Principal for a short period of time. Now, she works in Human Resources. One of the consistent things that would occur from those three different lenses is that there would be many instances where race and culture would be involved, whether it’s in the classroom or through conversations with parents or staff members.

“Race and culture would come up a lot, but 9 times out of 10, people are very unsure of how to approach it. I think race and culture are not conversations in the past that we felt comfortable speaking freely about, so I think, especially with what’s going on in the world with the social unrest, while it isn’t as though these things haven’t been happening for many years, right now these issues are in everyone’s face. We want to lead the way, set the example, but make it about what’s really relevant and what’s really happening and what has been a concern in the past,” Diegue said.

When it comes to addressing race in a school environment, many districts choose to not get involved because they have the perspective that anything that involves race also involves politics. Considering that Diegue and Bauer have chosen to use their platforms as representatives from the district to discuss these issues, they think otherwise.

“A lot of it is historical, and there isn’t a political agenda behind it. There’s a purpose in educating people on what this is really about. Perception is reality. People will perceive things in a specific way, but giving them the background to say what the intention really was could educate themselves on a different lens,” Diegue said.

“I don’t see the issues of the unrest that we’re watching on television as political issues. I see them as humanitarian issues,” Bauer said. “It’s disappointing that as adults, as our generation leads the country, this is where we are. I am hopeful that this time is different and that the younger generations see that they can make a difference and have an impact.” 

Bauer also hopes that both he and Diegue are representatives of different viewpoints. The podcast will highlight all different types of experiences people could have to ultimately educate everyone on race, equity, and cultural proficiency and its overall impact it can have on a wide variety of people.

“On these issues, I think we can have open and honest conversations about the experiences of those who don’t look like us. That doesn’t need to be political. It can just be real life,” Bauer said.

One of the major points they want to address through this podcast is these conversations are important, whether you agree or disagree. 

“Someone could come up to me and have a perspective that is completely different from mine, but that doesn’t turn me off. It makes me curious. I want to have those conversations because oftentimes, as human beings, when we are different from each other, it can cause us to want to grow a part. We think because we don’t eat the same foods or listen to the same music or do the same things that I do that we can have a commonality. That’s so wrong. I think we can be polar opposites but develop great relationships, or even just be neighbors. Even if you don’t end up agreeing, you learn something. Even if you don’t end up on the same page, you still had the conversation that you wouldn’t traditionally have had the conversation about. You can only grow from learning more,” Diegue said.

Bauer and Diegue believe that the best time to start these conversations is now, especially with every event leading up to today. When it comes to having these conversations, however, many people feel uncomfortable because they fear saying the wrong thing or not knowing enough. 

“I’m nowhere near where I ultimately would like to be [on the scale of cultural proficiency], but I am further along because of my relationship with [Diegue],” Bauer said. “Dr. Diegue said to me in the first conversation that we referenced with Mr. Taylor that I needed to do something. If they’re not comfortable with having the conversation, that’s okay. They may be comfortable listening to a podcast or reading an article or researching and expanding their understanding of different people. You don’t need to be ready. I wasn’t always ready to have those conversations, but I am very comfortable now.”

“I think for those who aren’t ready, I would just challenge them to ask themselves why. Why do you not feel ready in 2020 to have these conversations? That answer can open up another whirlwind of answers. When you start asking yourself the why, then that leads to more conversations,” Diegue added.

While opening these conversations can benefit others, it can also leave a great impact on both Diegue and Bauer.

“As much as I’m saying that I want people to feel comfortable having these conversations, as a professional member, it can be hard. I don’t want to be that person who only talks about race, but at the same time, I want to be able to acknowledge that that is my everyday. I want to get to a point where I am more comfortable having those conversations within the professional atmosphere and I hope that the podcast will help get me there. So far, we’ve gotten so much positive feedback. I’ll have a meeting for something completely different and the meeting starts with, ‘by the way, I listened to your podcast and I thought it was great,’ and I would ask them, ‘what do you think about it?’ It’s opening these conversations with people I would’ve never had the conversations with before,” Diegue said.

“I genuinely get some level of fulfillment doing this because I’m learning and helping others at the same time. It feels good to make a difference. At the same time, I’m excited to see the growth in the district. We had a district administration meeting last month and we broke into groups and to see people who wouldn’t normally speak up have conversations about equity is inspiring to me. I don’t know that Dr. Diegue and I made a difference in giving them the courage to do so, but I’m hopeful that there may be a little bit of an impact,” Bauer said.

One thing that the two have learned thus far is that many people in the district have wanted to speak on these topics for so long, but they never had the courage to do so until now. For the most part, Bauer and Diegue have helped open many doors for many of their colleagues to take that first step. 

For the future, while it may seem ambitious, Diegue hopes to have Michelle Obama on their podcast. She also hopes that the listeners will expand beyond the North Penn area and that other schools will decide to follow their footsteps.

“I just hope that we could make a commitment to this. I would like to see us represent countless perspectives, whether it be students, faith leaders, celebrities, authors,” Bauer said.

Listen to the podcast now on:

Spotify

Apple Podcast

Virtual Recording

PodBean