Prince Johnson—NYTOTY2026: Championing Sustainability, Civics Education, Career and Technical Education (Part 2 of 2)

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You know, I, I think there has
been a shift across the country.

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It's still there.
I think that there's still this

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remnants of thought that CTE is
for only sort of kind of kids.

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So anyway, I, I feel what I
learned at Rikers was we need to

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break the system.
We need to, you know, this is

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not justice and really only
public education can afford like

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can focus on us, right?
And that's why I'm glad to be in

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public education 2627 years,
right, Because we have to

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educate everyone.
We, we don't have the choice,

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right?
We can't pick and choose who the

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kids are.
We we have to educate every kid

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who comes into my classroom.
And I'm proud of that.

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But I also want to make sure
that when they leave our school

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that they're employable, and not
just employable but have a

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career that they can be happy
about, that they can have joy,

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that they can support their
family and as a result, support

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their community.
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notes.

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Welcome, welcome.
Welcome to Add Up Accelerated

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Excellence, the podcast for the
advancement of educational

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excellence and equity.
And I'm your host, Jacob easily

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the second PhD P&P.
And thank you for returning as

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we engage with the second part
of our conversation with Mr.

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Prince Johnson, who is the 2026
New York State Teacher of the

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Year.
We left off with him discussing

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the importance of shifting
culture within schools for cross

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collaboration, interdisciplinary
work that leads to, from his

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perspective, joy, deeper
learning and deeper engagement

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among students.
So Prince, let's jump right back

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in.
So this is not your first stint

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in education.
So you're teaching teaching

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history.
Now, first of all, tell us what

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what courses are you teaching?
So you're teaching?

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I teach AP African American and
I also teach government and.

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Economics.
OK.

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All right.
And so I want to get back to

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that.
But before that, I understand

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you were teaching at Rikers.
So if you could tell us a bit

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about that experience, but
you're going to have to set it

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up for us because not everyone
would know what we mean when we

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say someone is incarcerated at
Rikers or teachers at Rikers.

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Right.
So I taught eight years in the

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Bronx.
That was my first year's

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teaching.
I taught at alternative high

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school and I decided the
opportunity through John Jay

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opened up too many teachers to
teach at Prikers Island.

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It's a Correctional Facility.
It's an island that houses

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multiple jails.
Each jail has a different

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population and so at night time
I would go to AM, KCAM, KC.

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They're all acronyms and across.
I believe it was called AM KCI

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would go there and I taught
adult men.

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These were, and this is when I
was about 23 years old, right,

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232425 years old.
I was their age.

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I was their age teaching them to
prepare for the GDP.

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Now, these men, I do not believe
for the most part were not in my

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class to work.
They needed, they just wanted to

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be out of their cells.
They really just needed some

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space to be out.
And so they would come to my

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class and I'll add a correction
officer right outside my

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classroom.
Really unique experience.

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And this was back in the early
2000s.

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So we would, I would literally
open up New York Times and we

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would just talk about what was
going on in the news.

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And sometimes I would have a
somebody accused of some white

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collar crime and they would
literally go through the stock

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market and explain to us, you
know, what's a good buy?

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It's a good sell.
It was a really education for

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me.
But what really what I realized

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though, is that many of the men
there had learning difficulties

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and learning disabilities
similar to.

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And obviously what I've also
noticed is almost were from

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minority communities, right?
And I really did not understand.

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And you know, I guess I was
sheltered, right?

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Really, my parents sheltered me
a lot.

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Even though I started my life in
Brooklyn, I really didn't.

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I didn't realize this was the
real situation, right.

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So one thing to like you need
about it or more about it, but

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actually see it to talk to
people who have families.

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But at that point I realized I
needed to learn about the

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system.
I didn't.

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I didn't understand this school
to prison pipe or and over time,

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I realized our school systems
were we're not doing justice for

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our children, especially the
ones like me who would easily

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hide and and fall through the
cracks if we if they don't have

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a Miss Alexander, right?
And a lot of us don't.

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A lot of us just get passed on.
A lot of children just get

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passed on.
They don't have the reading or

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writing ability.
They get passed on to the next

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grade, the next grade, the next
grade.

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They grad, they graduate, but
they have no skills and they

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really can't function properly
and they have no skills.

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There's no career technical
education.

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They have no, how can they join
the workforce?

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And So what opportunities are
going to really be not just for

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them, but for their families and
for their communities.

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And that's when I started taking
a look at CTE as a pathway.

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I feel that CTE really is the
pathway.

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And it's not just for minority
communities.

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It's not just for black and
Hispanic and Indian communities.

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When I've traveled through the
state, I went to certain rural

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areas of New York State who
honestly are living much more

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poor lives in a lot of ways than
anybody in New York City is

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right.
That the risk, the resources in

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some areas in these rural areas
of the state are really a lot

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lower than what we have here.
And they are suffering the same

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situation with less resources.
And these are white communities,

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you know, And you know, it goes
back to the Rust Belts, right?

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All these factories leaving and
leaving behind high levels of

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unemployment that that these
areas have never recovered from.

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And what I see between those two
communities, whether urban or

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rural, is CTE can be the answer,
the bridge between high school

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to workforce, right?
Whether they have, you know,

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whether they want to go on to
college like most of our

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students at Food and Finance,
most of them more than 90% go on

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to college.
All right.

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So it's not that CTE and, and
this is something I think

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parents are starting to come
around and I think America is

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coming around.
CTE isn't this backup planning.

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It isn't this, well, it's only
for certain kind of kids, right?

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It's literally for every every
And I have a nine year old son

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and I'll tell you right now, I
wasn't thinking that way before

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he was little.
I really wasn't.

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I was like, he needs to go to
college just like me.

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He needs to, you know, become an
academic like me.

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But my mind has changed about
that.

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And if he decides he wants to do
career technical education and

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he wants to be an electrician or
a welder and or a Clumber and he

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wants to make more money so he
can pay my credit card bills, I

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have no problem with that.
So, you know, I think there has

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been a shift across the country.
It's still there.

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I think that there's still this
remnants of far that CTE is for

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only sort of kind of kids.
So anyway, I feel what I learned

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at Rikers was we need to break
the system.

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We need to, you know, this is
not justice.

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And really only public education
can afford like can focus on

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this, right?
And that's why I'm glad to be in

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public education 26 times still
marriage, right, Because we have

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to educate everyone.
We don't have the choice, right?

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We can't pick and choose who the
kids are.

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We have to educate every kid who
comes into my classroom, and I'm

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proud of that.
But I also want to make sure

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that when they leave our school
that they are employable.

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And not just employable, but
have a career that they can be

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happy about, that they can have
joy in that they can support

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their family and as a result
support their their community.

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So, yeah, that's that's why I
have been so strongly.

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And sometimes, you know, I have
the sometimes I, you'll see me

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in a chef coat, you know, you
know, I don't wear that in the

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in the class, right?
I'll wear that in the kitchen

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when I'm in the kitchen, but I
wanted to make sure even in my

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New York National State Teacher
of the Year pitcher is with all

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the other state Teacher of the
Year award, I wore my chef coat,

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right?
I could have wore a suit like

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everyone else.
I purposely wore a chef coat

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because I wanted to give
visibility to C team, right?

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Because even as a civics
teacher, I realized this is the

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path to justice.
This is the path to breaking the

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cycle that we've had first way
to law of injustice for so many

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communities.
Well, you know, that's

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beautiful.
So wearing, wearing this chef

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coat for the ceremony speaks to
in some ways, I'm just going to

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throw this out.
There's the importance of

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breaking bread as sort of the
foundations of civics in some

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ways.
And I, I really like this

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approach because as you were
talking about the importance of

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CTE, a career and technical
education, which if I'm going to

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date myself and I'm going to do
it now, we used to refer to that

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as vocational Ed.
Yeah, yeah.

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But.
There was a schism and there has

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been.
I think you're right.

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I think that's starting to erode
somewhat, but it probably does

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exist in certain corners of the
world.

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And it Harkins back to the great
debates between Booker T

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Washington and WE around should
We I?

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Was thinking that too.
You know, it really is an

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interesting thing, but I think
there is this middle path,

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right, between Booker T and WDD
Dubois, right?

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That this idea, yeah, Booker
obviously thought, you know, got

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to get those skills, right?
You got to be employable and you

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got to start your own
businesses.

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That's how we lift the
community.

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And then we got the boys with
the talented temp, right?

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But I think we can have it both
ways.

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Why not educate our students in
both pathways throughout high

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school and then let the kids
decide, right, whether they want

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to continue on?
I mean, a lot of our students

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end up, you know, and end up in
other fields, right?

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But there's so many soft skills
that they learn while they're

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learning these certifications,
right?

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That it's an it's employable
skills in any field.

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So why not allow our kids to get
those gifts?

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I had to to see what the real
world is like before before they

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go ahead.
So, Prince, I understand that

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during your interview you said
that you wanted your legacy to

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be that of being a great dad.
Can you said shed some light on

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that?
And.

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Yeah, yeah.
That was a question.

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They asked me what my legacy
wanted my legacy to be.

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And I knew the right answer, you
know, I knew that, you know, the

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the status quo answer was to be,
you know, this great teacher.

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00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:44,560
I impact education throughout.
But what came out was, and I

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00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,760
wasn't planning this at all.
I was just I just folk.

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00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:52,000
And I said, I want to be known
as a Greek death.

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00:15:52,800 --> 00:16:02,000
And the only way truly I can, I
feel like I can do that is this.

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00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:07,040
I don't want to leave this world
worse than I done right.

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00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:12,760
And whether it's the environment
or the politics or the

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00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:19,160
conditions of education, I can't
leave it worse than I got.

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00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,320
And my hope is that I can be a
change maker.

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00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,840
I am a change maker, right?
I have this opportunity now.

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00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,160
I know this is a very special
soapbox I have.

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00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,720
I'm very special that most
teachers never get the chance to

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00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:38,320
right?
And a lot of teachers probably

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00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:41,360
deserved it.
But I'm not wasting it.

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00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,280
Let me tell you, Jake, I am not
wasting this opportunity because

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00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:53,240
I feel that it's my obligation
as a as as a man who wants to be

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00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,240
a great dad, who who wants to
leave this world in a better

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00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,960
place.
I have to try to make Jake and

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00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:02,920
and push for sustainable
approaches.

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00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,160
You know, every time I'm really
worried about how this will be

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00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:12,319
where the world is going.
But to wonder and what's

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00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:14,200
wonderful Jacob is I'm meeting
likewise.

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00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,440
And you know, sometimes we were
like, Oh my God, the the world,

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00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,839
Oh my God, look, look at all the
pollution and look at this and

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00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:23,300
that.
And then you meet other like

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00:17:23,300 --> 00:17:25,200
minded people.
And there's a lot of people.

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00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,800
In fact, my students, when they
come into my classroom, they're

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00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,720
already well versed in
sustainable approaches, you

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00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,880
know, so the education is
happening, you know, and, and I

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00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:40,400
can say from when I first
started teaching, it's not like

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00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,360
pulling teeth anymore about
talking about sustainability.

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00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,760
They know it.
Well, the kids know about it and

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00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:47,400
they want to do something about
it.

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00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:52,320
So this generation, I have a lot
of hope for this generation to,

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00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:58,240
to move forward and make the
changes necessary to make to, to

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00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,240
alleviate some of these
conditions that we're living.

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00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:05,560
I I appreciate that and I'm
going to ask you a question that

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00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,320
I find that I'm beginning to ask
of teachers when they're, when

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00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,480
they appear on this show.
And in your case, I think this

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00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,480
is profound because you are a
male teacher of color.

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00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:22,600
You are the current New York
State 2026 teacher of the year.

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00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:32,160
What can society and school
communities do to not only

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00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:37,520
recruit, but to retain talented
male teachers of color?

268
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:43,000
That is a great question
actually.

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00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:49,400
I gave a speech at an event for
men to teach, which is an

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00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:56,080
organization that tries to
attract specifically I'm already

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00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,440
men, black and Hispanic men into
the classroom.

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00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:04,320
And there's studies shown that
for children of color, which is

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00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,640
the majority of our students in
New York City, if they can just

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00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:16,880
have one teacher, 1 male teacher
of color, it has a profound

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00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:22,120
impact on the rest of their
educational per student.

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00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,560
I think there's a lot of
situation, there's a lot of

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00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:35,400
things we can do.
One is we, I feel like we do

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00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:42,160
attract commitment of color.
The problem is we can't retain,

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00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:49,120
we're not retained because the
system that we have set up

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00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:56,080
doesn't give the support that
easement, right?

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00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:01,360
And so there needs to be a
better culture and better

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00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:07,400
awareness from administrators,
super superintendents of how,

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00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,600
what, what their needs are.
And the only way to do that is

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00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:15,360
to actually have conversations
like pointed questions, right?

285
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:21,600
Pointed discussions about what
their needs are to retain them.

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00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,400
And, you know, I'm actually part
of that trying to attract

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00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,120
teachers to New York City, you
know, right now.

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00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:36,120
Well, actually what's coming
out, I think next month is New

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00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:39,760
York City Public Schools is
coming out with a whole campaign

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00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,040
to attract teachers.
And I'm actually one of the

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00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,400
teachers involved in that.
So you'll see Jacob Sue and

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00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:52,960
billboards of me on the subway
and commercials and, and, and

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00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:58,040
radio sound bites of me.
It's going to be surreal, I'll

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00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:02,800
say that.
But I think that is one thing

295
00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:09,800
that we need to do is and, and
also get into the colleges, you

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00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:15,240
know, I, you know, really target
men of color and, and create a

297
00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,600
culture where it's OK to become
a teacher, right?

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00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,360
Pay is important.
I think that's a big portion of

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00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,440
it.
You got to put food on the

300
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,440
table, right?
And there's definitely, and

301
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,480
that's also a problem with CTE
teachers too.

302
00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:35,960
It's not just men of color.
But you know, why would you go

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00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,480
into a field where you can get
paid better in another field,

304
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,760
right?
Even for CTE teachers, you know,

305
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,400
if you're a welder, why would
you teach when you get paid much

306
00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,480
better as a little bit, right?
I'm in the in the private

307
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:54,400
second.
So, yeah, I mean, I think the

308
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,160
unions are working on this.
The UFT is working on this.

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00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:58,120
I know that.
Nice.

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00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:00,720
It is working on it.
You know, trying to attract.

311
00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:05,200
I know a lot of colleges from
Brooklyn College, Queens College

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00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,920
are working on it.
The CUNY system is working, but

313
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:11,960
it is a big problem across the
country.

314
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,720
And you know, there are many
times when you can go, oh, your

315
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:22,200
whole education without one
black man as a teacher.

316
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,640
And in New York City, how can
that happen, right?

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00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,520
It's not even statistically you
would think impossible.

318
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,480
And honestly, I'll say this,
Jacob, I did not have a teacher

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00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:38,120
of color till I got to college,
right?

320
00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:44,480
I did not have.
And when I finally did, it was I

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00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,600
open, it was another Miss
Alexander moment, right?

322
00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:54,320
I had a doctor Furon, Dr. Owens,
absolutely phenomenal to

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00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:59,520
professors, filled up
classrooms, so engaging and also

324
00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:02,480
showed a different side to
history that I really didn't

325
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,520
know.
I never was exposed to those

326
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,160
ideas.
And they they actually, even

327
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:11,320
though I'm not a black man, they
took me under their wing, under

328
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:14,840
their wings and, and helped me
and guided me and was a mentor

329
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,680
to me.
And as children, you need that

330
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:20,880
too.
You need vendors.

331
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,600
You need somebody who might look
like you or who might understand

332
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,800
the same situations you're going
through or what your community

333
00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,720
is going through.
And when you go through all

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00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,080
these years and you never see
Someone Like You, you got to

335
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:39,080
wonder like, well, you know, how
can you blame the kids for

336
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:43,120
feeling unengaged or not feeling
like school is for them or it's

337
00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:47,560
not representing who they are?
And also, I think there is in

338
00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,240
importance not to say that you
have to be a certain community

339
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,360
to teach a community.
Obviously I'm indie, right?

340
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,600
I don't fit any community.
Most of my kids, I've rarely had

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00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,560
an Indian student.
Let me just tell you that right

342
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:03,800
now, OK.
But I I can also say I've

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00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:10,760
experienced things that may help
me understand other children,

344
00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,440
how children of color a little,
a little bit better.

345
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:22,080
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Are you listening?
We are join the XE listening

369
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tour at edupxe.com.
And Prince, I have to ask you

370
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:21,160
because AP African American
History is actually a new exam.

371
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:28,160
So if you could, because I, I,
you're actually probably the

372
00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,080
first conversation I've had with
someone who teaches AP African

373
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,480
American History again, and this
is a relatively new development.

374
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,640
Can you talk about what your
experience has been?

375
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:44,120
Have you had any any, any
resistance?

376
00:26:44,120 --> 00:26:46,720
That would have been some of the
joys in doing so.

377
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:54,640
So I think the, the whole AP
African American nationally only

378
00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:59,280
started developing, no, not
developing, but first offered a

379
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:03,000
meal piece about four years ago
in a few schools of accepted.

380
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:08,480
And about 3 years ago, I really
wouldn't say I found out that

381
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,840
this was something happening on
the AP level.

382
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:16,160
And I've taught other AP courses
before and you know, I went back

383
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,040
to Rutgers University in a
sabbatical many years ago to

384
00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,680
learn more and engage more in
African and African American

385
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,240
history.
I realized, hey, this is

386
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,120
something that has to be taught
in our school.

387
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,680
Like where we are title one
school, right?

388
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,680
Over 85% of our kids are
receiving free or reduced lunch.

389
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:40,160
It's just a measurement of
poverty.

390
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,760
Vast majority of our students
are black or Hispanic.

391
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,560
And then yet we're teaching U.S.
history, but we don't have the

392
00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:52,680
perspective of what African
Americans don't, which I believe

393
00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,520
is so vital for every American
tongues.

394
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,680
And I think we're still living
and you know, the politics of

395
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:06,320
today is that we're we're still
living in a in a country where

396
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,880
we have not dealt with our ugly
history.

397
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:15,160
Now, I went to Germany this past
summer and I saw how Germany

398
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,080
deals with Holocaust.
They're not.

399
00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:19,840
They're not shy about it at all.
It's everywhere.

400
00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,280
You can see it on the ground.
They have cobblestones or

401
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:28,200
tripping stones.
They call it of actual the

402
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,840
location.
They marked the location up in

403
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:36,480
front of any place where
individual were taken from where

404
00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,400
they used to live and they're
hit their hit.

405
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,880
Their name is there the year
they were, they were murdered

406
00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:45,320
and and bought the death camp
that they were.

407
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,960
And in America we're still
dealing with some this history.

408
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:57,440
And so I got to teach it and it
was a dream come true for me

409
00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,320
because this is what I would
want to teach 5 periods a day or

410
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,720
two.
And the kids want it.

411
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,920
In fact, we have a higher demand
for that than we have seats for

412
00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:13,120
right now.
I know across the country it's

413
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,960
not offered at places like
Florida, for instance, there's

414
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:22,600
been pushback of including some
of the curriculum, specifically

415
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:27,720
things like Black Lives Matter
or anything dealing with gay or

416
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:33,600
lesbian history, right.
So then I think the AP they they

417
00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,760
might have Colin Gordon might
have edited to make it more

418
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:45,160
appealing.
But even then it is a it is not

419
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:49,120
allowed to be taught in in many,
many districts across the

420
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,920
country.
But luckily, Jacob, I teach at

421
00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,640
New York State, all right.
And that's a little thing I can

422
00:29:55,640 --> 00:30:00,440
say is that I do have the
freedom and we do have push to

423
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,520
make sure our students get this
education, which I'm lucky.

424
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:08,360
So I haven't received any
pushback at all.

425
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:13,960
But in fact, I've received a lot
of support for the Muslim but I

426
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,440
know across the country and I've
talked to other teachers across

427
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:20,600
the country.
They it is it is a fight in

428
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:26,240
front of our school boards.
You know it is very political to

429
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,240
you can offer.
Well, thank.

430
00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:33,520
Thank you for that.
And so again, we're speaking

431
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:40,120
with Mr. Prince Johnson, who is
the 2026 New York State Teacher

432
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:47,640
of the Year and the 2025 Gilder
Lehrman New York History Teacher

433
00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:52,920
of the Year.
So what is next for you and how

434
00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:56,120
might the Add Up Accelerated
Excellence community engage with

435
00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,360
that work?
Well, I'm hoping well.

436
00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:05,320
I'm already advocating for
changes within sustainability

437
00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,360
and CTE.
These two fields with civics

438
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:14,080
hand in hand, need to be pushed
throughout the state.

439
00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,400
There needs to be more funding.
There needs to be more support

440
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:23,320
in hiring teachers, especially
CTE, and to retain them just

441
00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,480
like men of color and in
education.

442
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,800
So I've been working on my
public policy chops.

443
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:37,160
Right now I'm in a fellowship
called the EPFP Fellowship.

444
00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,520
And you might know it.
I don't know, Jacob, if you do.

445
00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:47,080
And so I think next week I'll be
going to DC, to Capitol Hill and

446
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:51,280
meeting with Rod Menendez from
New Jersey and other

447
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,160
congressmen.
I'm trying to still line them up

448
00:31:54,400 --> 00:32:00,240
on that day next Wednesday.
But also I didn't going to local

449
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,200
community boards.
And really that's where a lot of

450
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:09,080
the change happens is local,
local politics really has direct

451
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:12,280
impact on every.
So I've been going to the

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00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:18,120
Community Board that is of the
Upper West Side directly that,

453
00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:22,360
and where our school sits in
Hell's Kitchen and they live in

454
00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,920
the community.
And when they hear, they've

455
00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:30,160
asked me to speak there, I'm
just, I think last week and they

456
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:36,160
are very, very receptive of, of
everything I've grown up and

457
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,200
they, they believe, OK, well,
how can we help?

458
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:44,440
And so I'm constantly
advocating, obviously for me,

459
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,640
you know, I'm in this
transitional space, learning

460
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:53,000
what my opportunities are from
everything from looking for an

461
00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:59,920
EDD program, possibly, you know,
to go into, to do a little bit

462
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:04,920
more research into the field to,
to just networking.

463
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:08,560
And I'm seeing the kind of
advocacy and work I can really

464
00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:12,680
do.
So that's what I'm hoping to do

465
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:17,800
more advocacy work.
And here continue my education.

466
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:23,640
That's something is credited to
me is that education is is is

467
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,520
quiet.
Prince Anne, it's clear that you

468
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:34,760
are a lifelong learner and of
course, just in that vein are a

469
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:41,000
role model or yes, you would be
a role model for students to

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00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:44,360
nurture their own sense of
lifelong learning.

471
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,200
So that's something that is
absolutely commendable.

472
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:53,240
But I want to thank you for this
time to learn with and from you

473
00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:55,840
here at Add Up Accelerated
Excellence.

474
00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:01,080
Thank you.
Thank you for engaging with Ed

475
00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,680
Up Accelerated Excellence, a
member of the Ed UP Experience

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00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,560
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Jitters, and we encourage you to

477
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:12,040
participate in our XE Listening
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00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:15,360
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us at EDUP xe.com.
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A special thanks to our research

486
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assistant, Emma Worthington, a
PhD student of Fordham

487
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,639
University School Psychology
Program, and we want to hear

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