Have you met the Creekmores? Talk about #couplegoals! Nita Creekmore is the founder of Love. Teach. Bless. who currently works as a K-5 instructional coach and believes that the foundation of education is building positive relationships. She is a Black woman of Creole descent and an Elementary Instructional Coach. Nita taught in grades 1, 2 and 5 for 13 years before becoming an Elementary School Instructional Coach. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2002 from the University of South Carolina and also received her Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership in 2013 from the University of Virginia. Love. Teach. Bless. has grown to be a true consulting business where Nita presents, coaches teachers, and collaborates with a variety of educational companies. If you follow Nita, you will see that her passion is diverse books with people and themes that allow you to see the beauty, hear stories, and learn from other races and cultures of our world. Her other half is Michael Creekmore, also known as the bearded school counselor who I like to call Mr. Love. Teach. Bless. Michael is a Professional School Counselor (4th and 5th grade), a Licensed Professional Counselor, and a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor. He earned his Bachelors degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina and his Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Clark Atlanta University. Mr. Creekmore has also served as Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor to community mental health programs and has been an independent consultant for the past 13 years. Mr. Creekmore has always promoted maximizing clinician opportunity through experience and leveraging expertise. In this episode, we’ll start by discussing what shaped Nita and Michael into the educators they are today. Besides this, we’ll dive into the topic of SEL, how educators can incorporate it in the classroom, and the importance of transparency and fixing our own “check engine” lights. In addition, I’ll chat with the Creekmores about integration in the classroom, parent and family engagement, and how the education journey goes hand in hand with the SEL journey. Last but certainly not least, we’ll talk about the way in which Black and Brown students are falling out of STEM courses and what we can do to create an identity for students to see themselves in. Keep listening as we talk about the power of social emotional learning as a lever for equity in STEM. Nita’s Instagram: @loveteachbless Michael’s Instagram: @bearded.school.counselor Check out Conversations with The Creekmores here! Rate, Review, & Follow on Spotify & Apple Podcasts “This is a great show for educators in STEM! Love Leena’s perspective on creating equitable classroom environments for STEM and the guests are always spot on!” <– If that sounds like you, ⁠⁠please consider rating and reviewing our show⁠⁠! This helps us support more people — just like you — move toward creating access and equity in STEM, #4Real. ⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! You can also rate the show on Spotify here: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/7CsBVUpmzwgvNsSYkWcJ4C⁠⁠  Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast here: ⁠⁠Follow now⁠⁠! Teaching STEM #4Real is a podcast dedicated to #4Real conversations on educational equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education hosted by Dr. Leena Bakshi McLean. If you’re interested in exploring what anti-racism and socially just instruction looks like in our classrooms, schools, and beyond, you are in the right place. Dr. Bakshi is also the founder of the non-profit,⁠⁠ STEM4Real⁠⁠. Please visit our⁠⁠ website⁠⁠ for information on how to partner with us. Thank you for helping us make STEM, #4Real.