Dr. Johnson, superintendent of the Bedford City School District, interviewed Bakara Robinson, a health and physical education teacher at Bedford High School, on the district’s first podcast. Robinson described more than two decades in the district and explained how she connects classroom standards to students’ lives.

Robinson said she has been with the Bedford City School District for 23 years and called teaching “a blessing,” adding that she teaches health and physical education and has served as a content-area specialist. “I love what I do. I am passionate about what I do,” she said.

Robinson told listeners that effective teaching begins with explaining the “why” behind lessons and creating mentally and emotionally safe environments. “When students feel comfortable enough to be able to make mistakes, to be brave, to be bold, to express themselves, then … we get into the critical thinking,” she said. She emphasized transparency with students, modeling vulnerability and showing why the subject matters.

As an example of curriculum integration, Robinson described an eighth-grade health assignment that asked students to choose a song, analyze lyrics and connect those lyrics to mental and emotional health standards. She said students identified signs of anxiety and depression in lyrics and used notes as evidence linking classroom content to their world. “That just having them have a connection with the music that they like and the things that we've been learning in class … now you can recognize it in a lyric,” she said.

Robinson discussed how the classroom has changed over time, citing a shift from lecture-style teaching to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and collaborative work, and naming technology and COVID-19 as major challenges. “We had to learn how to teach in person and online. COVID hit,” she said, adding that phone management in class and funding issues remain ongoing concerns. On emerging tools she stated she is exploring how to use AI to enhance instruction while keeping human teachers central: “I don't think that AI is ever going to replace a teacher, a person in a classroom.”

Robinson also shared personal influences and anecdotes: she attended Shaker Heights schools, earned a sports medicine degree from the University of Michigan, worked as a student athletic trainer, and completed student teaching in Ann Arbor. She named Mrs. Pryor, Dr. Morgan and Mr. Woodard as teachers who shaped her and recounted meeting former students working at a local Bigby Coffee as examples of lasting impact.

Dr. Johnson praised Bedford teachers and discussed leadership influences, noting he re-reads books by Anthony Muhammad and John C. Maxwell for guidance on school culture and leadership. Asked about work-life balance, Dr. Johnson cited delegation, trusted staff, family support and faith as essential to sustaining a long career in education.

The podcast closed with thanks to Robinson and behind-the-scenes staff Gary and Jamar and a request that listeners subscribe to the BCSD YouTube channel for more district podcasts and updates.