For the Kids, Not the System with Akil Parker
What does it cost to teach with integrity in a system that demands your silence? In this powerful episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Asia Lyons sits down with Akil Parker, a former finance major turned math educator, tutor, and founder of All This Math, to explore his 20-year journey through classrooms, charter schools, and community spaces. Akil shares honest reflections on being pushed out of schools for challenging harmful norms, the emotional toll of being separated from students he deeply cared about, and the moment he realized he was no longer working for the system but for the kids.
From surviving toxic school cultures to creating culturally rooted math content for families, Akil's story is both a warning and a call to action. Whether you're a Black educator facing similar challenges or someone interested in proper retention, this episode serves as a poignant reminder: real education centers on the child, not the institution.
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Amidst all the conversations about recruiting Black educators, where are the discussions about retention? The Exit Interview podcast was created to elevate the stories of Black educators who have been pushed out of the classroom and central office while experiencing racism-related stress and racial battle fatigue.
The Exit Interview Podcast is for current and former Black educators. It is also for school districts, teachers' unions, families, and others interested in better understanding the challenges of retaining Black people in education.
Please enjoy the episode.
Peace out,
Dr. Asia Lyons
Akil Parker
CEO
Akil Parker is a Black man playing his part by teaching math to anybody who will listen either in-person, virtually or on YouTube. He is the founder and CEO of All This Math, an educational services company with a mission to improve the relationship between math and the Black community. He provides physical and online math resources for parents, youth and math teachers. In addition to the All This Math YouTube channel, he has written a math resource guidebook for parents and guardians entitled, 'How To Use All This Math, Volume 1'. One of his major initiatives is to help empower parents to feel comfortable and confident in assisting their children with math homework in order to improve student math outcomes.
Akil Parker currently is an adjunct professor at Cheyney University where he teaches math courses such as Elementary Algebra and Math Methods for Teachers. He has been a math teacher for the past 20 years in Philadelphia and beyond in the classroom, as well as in virtual spaces. He has nearly 200 podcast/radio show appearances in an attempt to re-brand mathematics in a more positive light and has been featured in multiple magazine and newspaper articles regarding his work.
He is also the father of 3 wonderful children that have greatly inspired his math instruction over the years. Mr. Parker is a firm believer in mathematics being a conduit for the development of highly necessary problem solving skills and critical thinking ability which can ultimately improve humanity overall.
