The Exit Interview Archive: Beta

A living archive of Black educator truth, memory, and possibility

The Exit Interview Archive is a new storykeeping project from The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators. This beta invites Black educators and former Black educators to leave short voice notes about their experiences in education: what brought them in, what kept them, what harmed them, what helped them leave, what helped them stay, and what future educators need to know.

This is not a formal podcast interview. It is a small way to contribute your voice to a growing archive of Black educator wisdom, memory, and truth.

Why this archive exists

Too often, the stories of Black educators are flattened into data points, HR files, resignation letters, retention reports, or institutional talking points. But our stories hold more than what systems record.

They hold the texture of what it means to teach, lead, care, survive, leave, return, rest, grieve, and imagine something better.

The Exit Interview Archive was created to preserve these stories with care. This beta is an early step toward building a larger digital archive where Black educators can share their experiences on their own terms.

What you can share

You are invited to leave a short voice note responding to one of the prompts below. You do not need to answer all of them. Choose the one that feels most true, useful, or urgent for you right now.

Choose one prompt:

  1. What brought you into education?

  2. What helped you stay as long as you did?

  3. When did you first realize education was costing you something?

  4. What was one moment that helped you understand it might be time to leave?

  5. What did you need from your school, district, institution, or community that you did not receive?

  6. What helped you heal, rebuild, or reimagine yourself after leaving?

  7. What do you want future Black educators to know?

  8. What do you wish schools, districts, or institutions understood about Black educator retention?

  9. What is one story from your educator journey that deserves to be remembered?

Before you record

Please begin your voice note by sharing:

Your first name, or the name you want to use
Your educator role or former role
Your city/state, if you feel comfortable sharing
The prompt you are responding to

Example:

“Hi, my name is Maya. I’m a former middle school teacher from Denver, Colorado, and I’m responding to the prompt: What helped you know it was time to leave?”

Recording tips

Find a quiet place if you can.
Speak from the heart, not from a script.
Keep your voice note focused on one story, moment, or reflection.
You can pause, breathe, and begin again if needed.
You do not have to share anything that feels too tender, unsafe, or unfinished.

A voice note between 2 and 5 minutes is ideal for this beta.

Consent and care

By leaving a voice note, you understand that your recording will be received by The Exit Interview team for review as part of The Exit Interview Archive beta.

Your voice note will not be published, shared publicly, added to a public archive, used in a podcast episode, quoted in writing, or included in research without additional follow-up and permission from you.

We're using this beta to better understand what kind of digital archive Black educators need, what stories educators want to preserve, and how The Exit Interview can build a more intentional storykeeping platform in the future.

You are always welcome to share only what feels right. You may use your full name, first name only, or a name you choose.

What happens after you submit

After you leave a voice note, Dr. Asia Lyons and/or The Exit Interview team may review it for themes related to Black educator experience, retention, racial battle fatigue, care, joy, harm, healing, and life after education.

If you're interested in using your voice note publicly or following up with a longer interview, we'll contact you first.

Submitting a voice note does not mean it will automatically become part of a podcast episode or public archive.

Leave a voice note

To contribute to The Exit Interview Archive beta, click the voicemail button on this site and record your response.

You can respond to any prompt listed above. You can also leave a message about why this archive matters to you.

Thank you for trusting The Exit Interview with your voice, your memory, and your story.

A final grounding invitation

After you record, take a moment to breathe.

Ask yourself:

What did I just release?
What did I just honor?
What do I need now?

Your story matters beyond what happened to you. It also carries wisdom for the educators coming after you.