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. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's selection of The Exit Interview for preservation affirmed that Black educators’ stories belong in the historical record. The Exit Interview Archive Project builds on that moment by creating more ways for Black educators and former Black educators to document their experiences in their own voices and on their own terms. 

This beta is collecting short voice reflections from Black educators and former Black educators. These recordings will help document Black educator experiences and may inform future research, policy recommendations, public writing, presentations, archive development, and educator wellness work. Public use of your name, voice, or direct quotes will require follow-up permission.

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.  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 (2 minutes or less) 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, full 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

Please do not share student names, confidential student information, or details that could identify a child or family.

You are welcome to name institutions or systems if that is part of your story, but please understand that stories naming specific people or workplaces may require additional review before any public use.

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 voicemail can be no longer than two minutes.  If you leave more than one voicemail, introduce yourself on each one.

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.  Public use of your name, voice, or direct quotes will require follow-up permission.

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 we are 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 at the bottom or top of this page 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.