Dr. Marjorie Diegue, left, and Dr. Todd Bauer, right.
North Penn School District (NPSD) is proud to announce the launch of a new podcast hosted by NPSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Todd Bauer and NPSD Assistant Director of Human Resources Dr. Marjorie Diegue. Strategically titled Time for Dinner, the podcast will feature a variety of guests who will lead discussions about social justice, race and cultural proficiency in both the educational realm and beyond.
Time for Dinner is the second-generation evolution of an internal podcast for North Penn staff started by Dr. Bauer in September of 2019 called Bauer Hour, which discussed current happenings in the district. In June’s episode of Bauer Hour, Dr. Bauer invited Dr. Marjorie Diegue and North Penn High School (NPHS) Assistant Principal Nick Taylor to join him in some uncomfortable, but necessary dialogue. In light of national events, the episode addressed topics including the social justice movement, race and the unrest being broadcast in the media during that time.
“The response from the North Penn staff was overwhelmingly positive and dozens of people asked for more conversations like this,” said Dr. Bauer.
Off-air, Dr. Bauer and Dr. Diegue regularly engage in conversations about race, diversity and culture. “So to me, it was obvious that Marjorie would be a great addition to the podcast and I'm thrilled she agreed.”
While selecting a new theme song for the show was pretty simple, coming up with a title proved to be much more challenging. In Time for Dinner’s first episode, Dr. Diegue recounts the process. When she asked Dr. Bauer what he and his family talked about at home and during holidays, he mentioned sports, work, school, etc. “But, not that [race, diversity],” Dr. Bauer said.
Dr. Diegue then explained that black people and people of color talk about diversity and culture every single day. “It’s just part of our norm,” she said.
It was this conversation that sparked the idea for the podcast title. Dr. Bauer and Dr. Diegue played this script around about coming together, “coming to the table,” and having open and honest dialogues that would occur at home.
“We want to have these conversations here, on air, for everyone to listen to, learn from and hopefully participate in,” said Dr. Diegue.
“I have no idea where this will ultimately go,” said Dr. Bauer. “But it’s exciting to acknowledge that it’s time to talk about real issues; to be brave and courageous; to ‘walk the walk’.”
And NPSD couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Bauer and Dr. Diegue for walking that walk, as the district’s recently implemented cultural proficiency plan seeks to develop a community that values and adapts to diversity. The district strives to acknowledge, respect, understand, and celebrate the dynamics of racial and cultural differences.
Co-hosts Dr. Bauer and Dr. Diegue noted that they look forward to exploring their views and expect to encounter situations during which their opinions differ.
“We want to lead the way in showing that it’s okay to agree to disagree on some things,” said Dr. Diegue. “What’s most important is that we bring this dialogue to the table through healthy discussion.”
The first episode of It’s Time for Dinner dropped on Friday, September 25 and features guest Bakari Sellers who brings to the table his experiences as a black man in the public eye. Sellers was a state representative in South Carolina at age 22, ran for Lt. Governor, and authored My Vanishing Country. He currently serves as a CNN political correspondent and hosts his own podcast, The Bakari Sellers Podcast, on The Ringer podcast network.
NPSD invites the community to tune in to It’s Time for Dinner and join in this important dialogue as the district pursues cultural proficiency and true equality for all of its students, staff and families. Listeners can access the first episode on PodBean, Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch the virtual recording here.
To learn more about NPSD’s cultural proficiency efforts, click here.
See also:
North Penn School Board Votes On Return-To-School Timeline, Dates Announced
Discussions Continue Regarding How And When To Reopen North Penn Schools
North Penn Holds Preliminary Discussion On Potentially Reopening Schools Under Hybrid Model
Parents Express Concerns, Frustrations With Distance Learning At North Penn School Board Meeting
Editorial: North Penn Continues To Show It’s Up For Challenges Posed By COVID-19
