Anthony Swann

Anthony Swann has been in education for 16 years as a classroom teacher and instructional coach. He has had the privilege of teaching every elementary grade except kindergarten. In 2021, Anthony became the first sitting teacher ever to be appointed to the State Board of Education by the US Governor of Virginia.Anthony is currently the assistant principal of Monterey Elementary in Roanoke, Virginia. In 2018, Anthony began a program entitled “Guys with Ties” to teach boys the importance of honesty, integrity, and character inside and outside of the classroom. In 2021, Anthony was elected by his peers to be the Teacher of the Year in two different schools. Anthony then went on to become the 2021 Virginia State Teacher of the Year. "My dream was to become a teacher and I would play school every single day. And I could go places in my mind. All when I was in foster care, although I was not having the best situation with my life. I began to dream and I would play school every day and when I would play school it would take me away from foster care. It would take me away from the abuse. It would take me away from the neglect. It would take me away from the feelings of wishing that I was dead, and so playing school was my safe place. And so I just realised that I could go anywhere if I just dream." To stay up to date, follow me on Instagram and X (Twitter) @smitatharoor. Stream and follow us on your favourite podcast platform.

Om Podcasten

I'm Smita Tharoor and I ask guests from around the world to share their seldom told stories and to reflect on their life experiences. We are defined by our narrative, our personal story, our experiences. These have an impact on how we make judgements and form opinions. A lot of time that’s just fine but every once in a while, we make snap conclusions that have a negative outcome either for the other person or ourselves. Just one particular experience can lead to a lifelong belief. That is our unconscious bias.