1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,960 The Inspired Insights podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:06,940 not be considered health advice. 3 00:00:06,940 --> 00:00:10,860 This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice. 4 00:00:10,860 --> 00:00:15,120 Please note that this podcast may contain discussions on sensitive topics such as mental 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,360 illness, suicide, and substance use. 6 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,440 If you are experiencing a behavioral health crisis or need support, please contact the 7 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:30,160 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 9-8-8 or visiting www.988lifeline.org. 8 00:00:51,440 --> 00:01:02,320 Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Inspired Insights podcast. 9 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,960 We have two lovely guests. 10 00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:06,960 I am your host, Thorne Peterson. 11 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:09,400 Chris McAllen, welcome. 12 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,760 Wonderful to see you two around the fire pit side chat. 13 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,800 I think that's what we've been calling these. 14 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,160 Fire side chat, FDR. 15 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,800 And these two lovely ladies are... 16 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:21,800 I'll start. 17 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:29,680 I am Kelsey Sturinova and I teach English and I am also local Maine born and bred and 18 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,960 the 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year. 19 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:33,960 Woohoo! 20 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:34,960 Nice! 21 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:41,280 And I am Emily Frogmoren, also an English teacher in the state of Maine and have been 22 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,320 in Maine for 25 years now, even though I'm not from Maine. 23 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:48,920 And I am the 2024 Penobscot County Teacher of the Year. 24 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Yes, we are sitting with royalty. 25 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:58,120 It's so nice to have you for our listeners in the spirit of transparency. 26 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:06,040 I have known both of you for years, have traveled and vacationed with your parents and have 27 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,560 been connected with you and your family also for years. 28 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:17,000 And so we have talked about this particular episode for a while now and I'm just so excited 29 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:22,080 for you all and our listeners know that Sorin and I have chatted about issues of education 30 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:30,400 as far back as really our introductory episode as education having two parents being raised 31 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,760 by parents of educators. 32 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,160 This is a topic that's so important to me as well. 33 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,640 So I'm glad and so thankful that both of you could join us. 34 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:43,160 Yes, I know. 35 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,240 Well, let's start off with our inspired insights. 36 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:48,960 Alright, Sorin, lead us. 37 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,280 I'm going to go first. 38 00:02:52,280 --> 00:03:01,920 Earlier today, I was reading a bit of Albert Camus, a famous French philosopher, and I 39 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:04,320 read a quote that really struck me. 40 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,440 We must imagine Sisyphus happy. 41 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:20,400 And this is regarding how the fight against our seemingly unending issues and the turmoil 42 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:28,360 of life is what we should derive our happiness from, not our end state. 43 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:35,080 And that's something that drives me a lot and I find very powerful. 44 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,800 I actually followed that this time. 45 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,840 Yeah, that's a good one. 46 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,000 Embrace the absurdity of life. 47 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,000 I love it. 48 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,760 I love it. 49 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,760 My inspired insight of the week. 50 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,600 So we've been talking about this for a while. 51 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,440 My 50th birthday has now finally come and gone. 52 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,200 We've been leading up to it for a while. 53 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,200 And part of the birthday celebration was a new tattoo. 54 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:06,740 And we've talked about this idea of the let them philosophy for a while. 55 00:04:06,740 --> 00:04:12,040 And I think there's something about turning 50 that makes that click on a little even 56 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,920 bit more prominently. 57 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:26,200 And so as we approach what I anticipate to be a contentious election season, I think 58 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:31,640 let them is probably where I'm camping out in my inspired insight of the week. 59 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,960 Just the importance of that being a thing. 60 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,160 With the election already having happened. 61 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:38,160 Yes. 62 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,040 Already have happened, which is wild to even think about. 63 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:43,040 Yes. 64 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,320 What does the future hold? 65 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,920 Well mine piggybacks very nicely off of Chris. 66 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:49,920 This is Emily. 67 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:56,800 I also turned 50 this year and this quote actually dovetails nicely with yours. 68 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:03,000 So this is a Roosevelt quote, but it comes to the forefront of my mind this week because 69 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:09,760 I heard it again in a Brene Brown podcast and it is the man in the arena. 70 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:15,040 So we can, we can use, well, let's all read it as it's written, which is with man, but 71 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,960 we can just remember this applies to all humans. 72 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,800 It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles 73 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,480 or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 74 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,720 The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust 75 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:35,680 and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who airs, who comes short again and again. 76 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,760 And if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. 77 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:45,400 And that quote is a huge inspiration to Brene because she actually named a book after the 78 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,120 daring greatly quote. 79 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,440 Just as somebody who struggles with anxiety, I really have to remind myself constantly 80 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:57,420 to not worry about the critics, especially the critics that are criticizing from a place 81 00:05:57,420 --> 00:05:59,800 of not putting themselves out there. 82 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:04,840 And so in teaching, it's something I really strive to talk about with my students, but 83 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:10,080 also in my life, I have to remind myself that no matter how it goes, it's always better 84 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:16,280 to put yourself out there and try and that you're always stronger for the trying and 85 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:21,840 to sort of quiet those critics that are always around because maybe they're not trying it 86 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:25,040 themselves, but you're the one out there. 87 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:26,240 Yeah. 88 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:27,840 The magic of turning 50. 89 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:28,840 I know, right? 90 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:29,840 Curtain's part. 91 00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:30,840 Kelsey. 92 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:35,320 I'm going to take my inspiration from a student today. 93 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:40,640 Actually, I was thinking it connects really well actually to this idea of let them, but 94 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:46,440 also this idea of pushing through moments of difficulty or moments that you feel like 95 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,840 you can't accomplish because it's something you've never done before. 96 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:56,120 So end of the quarter when this was filmed, students are doing book talks right now. 97 00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:01,480 And I had a student who was getting close to the end of quarter hadn't read a second 98 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,640 book and I offered him a book called Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt. 99 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,680 It takes place in Maine. 100 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:12,240 And I said, you know, this is a book that I give to students and it's one that I think 101 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,640 every kid should read before they graduate high school. 102 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:16,760 It's not a hard read, but it's a really meaningful read. 103 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:17,760 I call it Small But Mighty. 104 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:19,440 I love a good Small But Mighty book. 105 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,920 And so today he presented his book talk and he had multiple books to choose from, but 106 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:23,920 he chose that book. 107 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:28,520 And so he gets up and he shares this book and he's getting increasingly passionate 108 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:29,520 as he's talking. 109 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,080 And I'm looking at and he was the last one to go, by the way, which was also making him 110 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:34,080 anxious. 111 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:39,720 But he gets up there, he talks about this book and immediately after two kids came up 112 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:41,320 and said, well, I need to read that book. 113 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,600 I need to read that book because I was in foster care when I was younger. 114 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:46,200 And I think I really I know how it is. 115 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,800 And another kid said, well, I need to read that book because my life wasn't always easy. 116 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:51,920 And I want to see how this kid's story was. 117 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,440 And this was all happening real time and I'm like, what? 118 00:07:54,440 --> 00:08:01,160 Like, you know, these are like unintended successes of pushing kids to share and letting 119 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:02,160 them read. 120 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:03,960 And I hope we'll talk more about that as time goes on. 121 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:08,160 But this idea of let them and let them read and let them let them be out there and share 122 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,040 themselves in all of their in all of their humanness. 123 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,160 And so that was my inspired moment that I didn't even expect to have today. 124 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:16,800 But that's so beautiful. 125 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,760 And you know what it also makes me think about? 126 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:24,240 Zorn and I in our first premiere episode of this season, our topic was around collecting 127 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:30,360 joy and the importance of intentionally finding those moments of joy and then packing them 128 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,620 away and hanging on to them. 129 00:08:32,620 --> 00:08:40,000 And I imagine, well, for for educators similar to social work, you have to be really on your 130 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:47,380 game to grab on to those moments because they don't sometimes come as often as we would 131 00:08:47,380 --> 00:08:48,680 like them to be. 132 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:53,400 And so when you see them get really intentional about packing it away so you can come back 133 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,400 to it. 134 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,520 What a great success. 135 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:57,520 Yeah. 136 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,280 Thank you all for that. 137 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:09,320 So when we were prepping for this conversation, you had a topic that I thought would be awesome 138 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:10,720 to kick us off. 139 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:17,240 And I think it's a bit of a retrospective and forward look of teaching. 140 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:24,160 Yeah, so I think today we've addressed the topics of trials and change. 141 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:30,880 And right in that wheelhouse, I'd like to start the conversation off by asking how you've 142 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:39,680 noticed the teaching space change both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and what that's 143 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:44,880 looked like for your students, for your teaching style, and for your interactions with the 144 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,120 public and the like. 145 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:49,560 You want me to start, sir? 146 00:09:49,560 --> 00:09:50,560 Okay. 147 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:52,040 Oh, my goodness, this is a big topic. 148 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:59,040 So March 2020, you know, sent us all home and we would have had no way to know that 149 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,280 we were not only not going back that year, but that the following teaching year would 150 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,440 be different and really just things would be different from then on. 151 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:12,040 I would say, and Kelsey, you can jump in any time, but that there are some things that 152 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:14,560 are better and some things that are harder. 153 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:19,000 Some of the things that are harder is that the relationship with school changed because 154 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:25,200 kids were home for over a year and therefore we are now struggling with attendance in a 155 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,840 way because of that relationship. 156 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:34,480 Some students feel that they can access education from home because so much of what we do is 157 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:39,400 also offered online in Google Classroom and classroom websites. 158 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,720 So there's sort of a mentality shift that's not always positive, which is that kids don't 159 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,400 feel that they need to be in the building and they're missing out on a lot and we're 160 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:50,200 missing on having them. 161 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:51,840 So that's one of the negatives. 162 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:56,080 One of the positives is that it forced us to really be creative and think outside the 163 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:02,320 box and to do things that we before would have said, well, you can't do that. 164 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:07,440 So we have been more creative in the way that we present material, the way that we reach 165 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:08,480 kids that are at home. 166 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,640 We have more options for kids because we were forced to create them. 167 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:17,040 So maybe a hybrid situation for a kid that's struggling with mental health. 168 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:22,480 We may be able to offer an online class here or there, whereas before that wasn't available. 169 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:30,080 And so in some ways it brought out the best in us as educators because we survived that 170 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:35,360 and that was crazy that our kids were just at home and we weren't with them anymore. 171 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,840 And then we figured out a way to make it work. 172 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,400 So I think it allowed us to think, okay, well, if we can do that, then we can do this and 173 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:44,400 this and this. 174 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:45,400 Yeah. 175 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:52,080 I think it also, like speaking to that, it also really solidified for everyone outside 176 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:59,440 of the school realm, just how important relationships between students and teachers really were. 177 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:04,960 I think, you know, you've always asked kids from the youngest age, who's your favorite 178 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:05,960 teacher? 179 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:06,960 What do you love about school? 180 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:07,960 Like those types of things. 181 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:15,960 And then COVID came and the ways in which we had to engage students, it was really, 182 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:16,960 really different. 183 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:21,760 And a lot of us were doing some of those things before, but it became clear that that was 184 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:23,400 the way forward. 185 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:31,160 And so I would say to like, I look at every assignment now and I look at every kid and 186 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,800 I'm like, okay, how is this going to be successful for them? 187 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,760 How am I engaging them to be their best selves? 188 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:44,040 And the options that we offer kids now are so varied, whereas I think it was a lot more 189 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:45,040 rigid before. 190 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,040 Agree. 191 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,560 And that was a lot of that was due to policy. 192 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:51,000 And I think that's an important piece too. 193 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,840 I think by allowing the outside world to come into our virtual classrooms, they saw our 194 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:01,360 creativity and were able to be like, hey, that's really working. 195 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:02,860 Thanks for what you're doing. 196 00:13:02,860 --> 00:13:04,360 And then we got to keep doing that. 197 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,720 Whereas before it was like, you have to do this, this and this because this is what's 198 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,560 expected of you. 199 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:15,280 The hardship around attendance, I think is something that's very real. 200 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:19,640 And I think it alleviates this or not alleviates. 201 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:20,640 That's the wrong word. 202 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:21,640 Let's cut that. 203 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,720 English teachers saying the wrong word. 204 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:34,920 It really shines a light in a not so great way on the lack of structures that are in 205 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:41,320 place for kids that need support beyond the walls of a school. 206 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:49,320 I have been a part of many conversations around what systems do we have to make sure kids 207 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,960 can access school in a way that suits them best. 208 00:13:53,960 --> 00:14:00,720 But there is no policy that exists around attendance and what that looks like for each 209 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:01,720 individual kid. 210 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,440 And I think that's what we're really going to come up against because no matter what, 211 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:07,800 I think the squirrel just threw an egg for me. 212 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:12,000 That was fantastic. 213 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:19,800 No matter what's going forward, we need to look at how school functions. 214 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,760 And at the end of the day, even though we have changed as educators, the time structure 215 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:25,640 of school has not changed. 216 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,640 And I think that's something that needs to be talked about at a higher level than just 217 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:33,360 an individual school, an individual department, an individual state because this is something 218 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:42,600 matching the school environment to the developmental levels and needs of kids. 219 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:51,220 You both are talking about innovation and creativity and still bumping up against some 220 00:14:51,220 --> 00:14:55,680 of the rigid structures that exist of business as usual. 221 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:59,520 And I hear that as a social worker all the time. 222 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:03,800 Okay, COVID is done, back to normal, back to usual. 223 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:04,800 We hear it all the time. 224 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:05,800 Let's get back to normal. 225 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:10,600 And that's my big question is, why go back? 226 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,640 Why is it always let's go back to something? 227 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:19,840 Why are we not saying let's look forward, let's evolve, let's see what's working and 228 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:24,120 let's have conversations around the fire pit? 229 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:25,120 I agree. 230 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,120 And can I jump in? 231 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:27,120 Sorry. 232 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:33,200 I also think that it's not, I hear this comparison all the time of pre-COVID, post-COVID teaching. 233 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,960 I can't think of, and if you can then throw it out there, I can't think of a way that 234 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:42,960 that benefits our students now to compare them to what it was like four years ago or 235 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:43,960 two years ago. 236 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,440 I just don't know, their reality is their reality. 237 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:54,920 We asked for COVID, the struggles that kids have today are definitely impacted by the 238 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:00,640 year and a half that they missed from COVID, but they're also impacted by technology and 239 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:06,560 their cell phones that were literally created to cause them to become addicted. 240 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,080 The same pressures that existed prior to March of 2020. 241 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:11,080 Yeah. 242 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,280 And the mental health issues, which are so much worse now. 243 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:20,080 So these students that we have now didn't ask for any of this, they're just products 244 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:21,080 of their time. 245 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:26,600 And it doesn't, I just can't figure out why it is beneficial to keep going back to how 246 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,400 we used to do things. 247 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:30,400 That's just not the world we live in anymore. 248 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,360 And those kids, these kids have different needs. 249 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,840 And one thing that I do differently now is I teach a little bit slower. 250 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:42,920 I don't cover as much material as I used to, but that is also not a negative. 251 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:50,000 I think diving in really deeply and spending more time on a text is not a negative, but 252 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,160 it is constantly compared to the pace at which we were going before COVID. 253 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,160 Yeah. 254 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,160 Right. 255 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:57,160 Yeah. 256 00:16:57,160 --> 00:16:58,160 I could not agree more. 257 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:04,180 And I'm somebody that often talks with different industries that COVID has perhaps forever 258 00:17:04,180 --> 00:17:10,480 changed the way we do the things we do, whether it's teaching, whether it's hybrid or remote 259 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:19,480 work settings, whether it's how we grocery shop or how we collect our paper supplies 260 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,400 and always thinking about having more or extra. 261 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:24,400 Yeah. 262 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:30,640 Soren, as a student during that time, when you hear Emily and Kelsey talk about like 263 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:37,680 innovation, creativity as an end user, did you feel, I'm curious, did you feel that shift 264 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:42,760 in doing things more uniquely? 265 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:46,960 I think that things have certainly transitioned online more. 266 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:51,540 I don't very much remember my education pre-COVID. 267 00:17:51,540 --> 00:17:56,480 And during COVID, I'm going to be honest, I failed every class. 268 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:03,760 I failed the last half of seventh grade and then I failed all of eighth grade. 269 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:09,440 I think your class included. 270 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:17,080 I think that the most pronounced impact that I've seen is like precipitous psychological 271 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:27,160 shift in the students that I am interacting with and that are in my classes. 272 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:34,840 I think that online has, or the internet rather, has allowed students to diverge in interests 273 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:42,200 and personalities and psychological conditions a lot more than they previously were. 274 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:47,600 And I think that that is a net neutral shift. 275 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:55,240 I think it's good in that it's allowed students to express themselves more fully, develop 276 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,920 more unique and individualized personalities. 277 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:05,440 But I think it has hurt a lot of students in that the education system in the US right 278 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:10,760 now is still designed for homogeneity. 279 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:23,400 And a very heterogeneous group being put into a homogeneous school system is creating a 280 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:29,640 lot of conflict and causing attendance issues like you guys were mentioning. 281 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:36,040 I don't have the opportunity to interact with a large portion of the student body because 282 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,520 of the classes that I'm taking for the most part. 283 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:44,360 Like I, it's the same group of like 40 kids that I've been taking classes with my entire 284 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:49,040 career at school. 285 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:55,160 But I'd be interested to hear what you guys' perspective on how education is going to shift 286 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,560 to meet the needs of students. 287 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:04,680 But I don't see a future in which the same homogeneous treatment of students will continue 288 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,520 being successful in the future. 289 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:16,480 I think we're going to need to hyper specialize education in order to produce a diverse body 290 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:20,000 of laborers, right? 291 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:27,420 Because ultimately in my eyes from the utilitarian perspective, school is primarily to produce 292 00:20:27,420 --> 00:20:31,600 an economically productive population. 293 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,080 You guys might have a different perspective on that. 294 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:34,080 Well, that is true. 295 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:38,360 But I think there's happy and healthy people. 296 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:39,360 Right. 297 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:40,360 Yeah. 298 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:41,360 Also prepared for adulthood. 299 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:42,360 Prepared. 300 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,360 Yeah. 301 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:44,360 Responsible. 302 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:45,360 Productive. 303 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:47,320 Engaged in the world. 304 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:48,320 Curious. 305 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:49,320 Yeah. 306 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:55,200 Regardless of host, like regardless of secondary education or vocational training or hanging 307 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:56,200 out. 308 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:00,760 You know, I think for me, what I like a theme that the three of you are talking about is 309 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:08,440 this idea that maybe through COVID, the attention shifted to get really much more student focused. 310 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,360 Like what does this student need? 311 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:16,160 And Emily, you're talking about how you're even seeing that now of being able to adjust 312 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,340 and bend and flex. 313 00:21:18,340 --> 00:21:24,560 So maybe half day attendance, maybe some remote, some in person, maybe only this day or this 314 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,800 day, maybe coming on site for these classes. 315 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,360 I'm going to let that burn. 316 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:32,320 See, let them. 317 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:41,000 But I think that you, the ability to, instead of the collective student body, here's what 318 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,920 is good for all kids. 319 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:45,280 Honing that in. 320 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:46,440 What does Chris need? 321 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:47,440 What does Sora need? 322 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,960 And how do we flex the system to support the kids? 323 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,360 Which is really difficult in big schools, especially. 324 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:58,200 But I feel like the spirit is moving more in that direction. 325 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:03,400 And there's a lot more conversation about creating options to tap into every individual 326 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:04,400 kid's needs. 327 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,600 One of the things, I mean, I start every year and I've done this for many, many years now 328 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:12,200 with just saying to students, one of the things we're going to think about and talk about 329 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:16,520 all year is how does what we read as English and an English class, how does what we reconnect 330 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,720 to ourselves in the world around us? 331 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:25,320 And the idea of that being that my, one of my primary roles is to help you engage in 332 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:32,480 this safe space with ideas and themes and topics in a way that you feel comfortable 333 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,640 being a productive reader, writer, thinker, speaker. 334 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:44,120 And if I can help each individual kid feel confident in those aspects before they leave 335 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:47,000 my classroom, then I'm going to call it a success. 336 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:52,280 You know, then for some kids that might be, I want to focus in on being a better speaker 337 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:53,680 and what that looks like. 338 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,120 And maybe that's just being able to have a conversation with three people about something 339 00:22:57,120 --> 00:22:59,280 that I'm passionate about. 340 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,800 Or maybe it's, I want to be a better writer. 341 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,920 And then they produce something that they feel is so profound that they bring it home 342 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,920 and share it with their family where they might not have before, you know? 343 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:16,240 And so I think a big part of this push forward in education is ultimately we are trying to 344 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:23,360 help children grow into adults that feel like they can be productive in a way that they 345 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,920 have success and they leave their mark. 346 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:26,920 Right. 347 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:27,920 Yeah. 348 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,060 And that will look different for every kid. 349 00:23:31,060 --> 00:23:35,880 And so I think at the individual classroom level, we are working our butts off to make 350 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:43,760 it a more heterogeneous experience, even if the structure itself doesn't necessarily say 351 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,200 that we can, so to speak. 352 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,200 And at the end of the day, you have, you only have the tools that you have. 353 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:56,600 And so whether you're a giant thousand plus school kids, school district, or a K through 354 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,160 four school with 60 kids in it. 355 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,640 Like you only have the tools you have. 356 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:07,040 And we have our, I don't know how many students you have this year, Kelsey, but I have about 357 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,320 85 or 90. 358 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:11,800 And that's my focus. 359 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:12,800 I can't do it all. 360 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:19,360 I can't change the entire system, but I can work with every kid that I have. 361 00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:24,640 And that totally links to safe spaces because that's our goal is to have every kid feel 362 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:30,160 like we see them, we see how they learn a little differently than the people sitting 363 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:31,520 right next to them. 364 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,800 We may offer them an opportunity to show us what they know in a slightly different way. 365 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,080 And we can really empower each individual kid. 366 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:44,480 So it's frustrating when we feel like we have great ideas that, you know, the system's just 367 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,960 too big to fix it all, but we can offer our own insight and we can also just be in our 368 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,200 classrooms with our awesome kids and one kid at a time. 369 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:54,200 One kid at a time. 370 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:59,880 Yeah, Sorin and I talk about allyship all the time as well and the importance of representation 371 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:04,400 and inclusion and safety in all spaces. 372 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:11,640 And I know that's a big mantra of mine in the work that I do, especially with queer 373 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:18,260 youth, but kids of all measures of diversity from the left-handed kids to the neurodiverse 374 00:25:18,260 --> 00:25:24,000 kids to the differently abled kids to the BIPOC kids to, yes, the queer kids. 375 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:32,920 And so I'm curious, what are some of the things you both do intentionally to create that environment, 376 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:38,080 recognizing Emily to your point, like my scope of influence is my classroom and every kid 377 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:39,880 that enters this room. 378 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:45,160 And we do a lot of talking to other teachers and we work with pre-service teachers in some 379 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:46,160 capacity. 380 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:52,480 So we do try to spread our web a little wider. 381 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:57,200 I know I can speak for both of us when free choice reading and putting books in kids' 382 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:00,200 hands is super important, but Kelsey's really the pro on that. 383 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:01,880 So I'll let her talk about that one. 384 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:07,880 And both of us have really amazing classrooms that are super cozy and safe and everything 385 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:12,480 physically, I mean from tables instead of rows of desks. 386 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:18,840 I mean, turning off the fluorescent lights and having actual lamps in there, having everything 387 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:24,880 from having blankets available for kids that are cold, a snack drawer, you know, just then 388 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,840 books of bins, bins of books that they have chosen for themselves. 389 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:35,040 A teacher that says hello and talks to every kid, tries to talk to every kid every day. 390 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:43,400 All of that is, might sound generic, but it's so key to offering a kid a space in the building 391 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:48,040 where they feel that they can breathe and relax and let their guard down. 392 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:54,200 Obviously, they're going to learn the academics so much easier and more in depth if they feel 393 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:55,200 that way. 394 00:26:55,200 --> 00:27:00,960 But just on a human level, I like being a place where kids are relieved to walk into 395 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:01,960 that space. 396 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:02,960 Yeah. 397 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:03,960 It's super important. 398 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:11,400 I can attest to the value of a more like casual learning environment because I like to talk 399 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,600 a lot in class. 400 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:21,440 And when a teacher makes me feel comfortable to do so and when the setting is more familiar 401 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:28,600 and casual, less like authoritarian, I am so much more driven to become interested in 402 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:34,760 what we're discussing and engage with it on a deeper level. 403 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:41,680 And I think teachers who have done that have really brought me from a place where I hated 404 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:50,160 the education system and had a loathing for material that I was being taught into a place 405 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:55,080 where now all I want to do is pursue the things that I'm learning outside of class. 406 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:56,400 And do more of it. 407 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:57,400 Yeah. 408 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:58,400 Yeah. 409 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:05,000 Kelsey, I know watching your 2022 journey as the main teacher of the year, one of your 410 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:11,000 platforms was really what Emily referenced around representation and reading. 411 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,080 Do you want to speak a little bit about the power of that for you? 412 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:15,080 Absolutely. 413 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:21,000 You know, I think, well, first of all, I will say I was really fortunate to have earned 414 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:28,680 a book love foundation grant back in 2020, 2021, like it was in the process there. 415 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,200 And even before that, obviously the power of reading and the power of students selecting 416 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:37,840 what they read, I saw how that was the foundation of my classroom. 417 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:42,400 But I also want to put out there that it is not always possible for teachers to be able 418 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:48,360 to facilitate the ability to help kids choose books the way that I have been able to, because 419 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:49,360 I've been able to. 420 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,680 I'm fortunate enough to have been able to build up a classroom library like I have. 421 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:55,400 Because of the grants and other resources. 422 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,240 Including the supportive people when I was named teacher of the year. 423 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,120 And so I'm really thankful for that. 424 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:06,160 I think that a lot of kids do a lot of reading when they're young, if they are fortunate 425 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,120 to have supportive systems that allow them to do that. 426 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:14,960 And then oftentimes when they get to middle school, there's this drop off. 427 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,280 And that's when you start hearing, I hate reading. 428 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:18,600 I hate to read. 429 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,360 And I always came back and said, I don't think you hate to read. 430 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,720 I think you haven't found the right book yet. 431 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:31,040 And I think once I started processing with students, like, let's just pass some books 432 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:32,280 around. 433 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:37,180 Let's decorate our walls in our classroom with the books that you love. 434 00:29:37,180 --> 00:29:40,960 One of my favorite things that I do every year is I have our shared shelf and I have 435 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:45,060 students decorate book spines of their most right from the start, their most impactful 436 00:29:45,060 --> 00:29:46,240 book from the last two years. 437 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,060 It could be favorite or most impactful. 438 00:29:48,060 --> 00:29:49,560 Sometimes those are the same book. 439 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:54,840 And when they come in after doing those book spines and they see their their shelf all 440 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,480 in place, they go over and they're like, oh, that I've read that book before. 441 00:29:58,480 --> 00:29:59,480 That's such a good book. 442 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,560 Oh, you know, that looks really cool. 443 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:02,560 I had a student come in. 444 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,120 He's like, I've never seen something like this before. 445 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,800 This is actually way cooler than I thought it was going to be when you told me I had 446 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,400 to color this rectangular paper. 447 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:18,880 And so a lot of the book pairing that I do comes from getting to know students and knowing 448 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,760 what they care about and who they want to be and what they are right now. 449 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:28,680 But the students themselves do a lot of the work to matchmaking matchmaking. 450 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:35,080 And to Emily's point with the classroom, I'm glad she brought that up because I was without 451 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,560 my own classroom for a year. 452 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:42,400 And one of the things that I missed the most was putting things up on the wall from my 453 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,760 students so that they could then interact with each other through the work that they 454 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,080 did. 455 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:53,040 And that in itself, I find, creates a safe space because they are able to facilitate 456 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:58,520 little independent conversations where they learn so much about each other. 457 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,840 Last year, more than ever, I've heard a lot of students after congratulating their peers 458 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:06,120 if they're presenting something or if they're in discussion, that was a really good point 459 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:07,120 you made. 460 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:08,760 They guys just little aside, they think they're not supposed to be talking. 461 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,880 But I all of a sudden, I love that you just supported each other. 462 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:13,880 Thank you for celebrating each other. 463 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:14,880 And I make a big deal out of it. 464 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,000 And they think that I'm so cringe. 465 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:18,000 And it's also cringe. 466 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,000 They say cringe now. 467 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,000 But it's, you know, I just. 468 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:21,000 Well, you're creating a community. 469 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,000 They're seeing their own work on the walls. 470 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 And they're like, they're like, oh, I'm going to do this. 471 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:24,000 And they're like, oh, I'm going to do this. 472 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,000 And they're like, oh, I'm going to do that. 473 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,300 And so they're in a community, right? 474 00:31:29,300 --> 00:31:30,300 This is my space. 475 00:31:30,300 --> 00:31:31,300 I belong here. 476 00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:32,300 Yeah. 477 00:31:32,300 --> 00:31:33,300 And that is so powerful for kids. 478 00:31:33,300 --> 00:31:35,900 I'm curious, and I know we have listeners thinking this right now and I hate to put 479 00:31:35,900 --> 00:31:40,120 you on the spot, what are some of the titles that come up year after year that you've 480 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:41,440 been building this shelf? 481 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:42,440 Absolutely. 482 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:48,240 So Hey Kiddo by Jarrett Krzysztofia is a graphic novel that comes up every single year. 483 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:52,480 That is so I do this thing as an aside, I have students when they finished, I put the 484 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:53,760 book cover on a Google Doc. 485 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,320 I print out all of the book covers 486 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:56,640 and I put them into a collage. 487 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:58,120 And so I can see pattern, 488 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,360 well, they can see what each other is reading, 489 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,000 but I can see patterns of books that appear more than once 490 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:03,480 and so on and so forth. 491 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,360 So I'm pulling that from this right now. 492 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,440 So, Hey Kiddo, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 493 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:09,840 is another really big one, 494 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,560 whether it's the book in verse version 495 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:13,520 or the graphic novel version. 496 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:15,120 Those are definitely two that come up 497 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,760 over and over and over again, 498 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:21,760 year after year, probably since 2020, 2021, I would say. 499 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:23,720 So they've kind of stood the test of time. 500 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:25,880 Do you think that's kids like sharing with each other 501 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,440 and kind of like passing the favorite titles down, 502 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:29,840 class to class to class? 503 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:31,240 Yes, I definitely think so. 504 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:36,240 I will say with the overpowering TikTok as it is, 505 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:39,360 there's been a lot more TikTok reads 506 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:40,680 in the last couple of years 507 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:45,680 that have kind of infiltrated the typical common reads 508 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:46,800 that I've seen. 509 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,520 And I think that there's some pros to that 510 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,120 and some, maybe not, but the pros are, 511 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:53,400 kids are talking about books more 512 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:54,720 than I think they ever really have, 513 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,120 which I can appreciate. 514 00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:57,440 So those two for sure. 515 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,800 And then I would also say there's some authors 516 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:03,040 that kind of have stood the test of time. 517 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,680 People like Kwame Alexander and Nick Stone 518 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:11,680 and Tiffany Jackson and just to name a few. 519 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:15,080 And then the 1984 graphic novel 520 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:16,720 has kind of come around recently. 521 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:18,600 1984 was my favorite. 522 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,320 1984 was my favorite book in it. 523 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:21,920 Yeah, so that one hit, 524 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,000 the graphic novel version came out. 525 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,040 I don't know what year it came out, 526 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,720 but that one has started to kind of take off a little bit. 527 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,240 What does that graphic novel look like? 528 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:33,000 Because I saw it's huge. 529 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,360 It's like this big, it's heavy. 530 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,520 I've only ever read 1984 as like a book. 531 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,680 And the most impactful part for me 532 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:46,240 is just the multiple chapters where it's like verbatim. 533 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,640 The book that Winston was reading 534 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:50,960 to his girlfriend at the time. 535 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,480 So they really kind of, 536 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,000 the choice of color in it is very stark. 537 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,800 Like it hits you, like you've got the reds 538 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:01,720 and the neutrals, but it's very, 539 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:03,040 it's not full color. 540 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:04,920 It's very like in your face, 541 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:08,760 this is sameness in its entirety. 542 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:11,320 They separated by chapter, 543 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,320 but it's not as clear cut as the novel for sure. 544 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:18,840 But they do a really good job of 545 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,320 kind of making you feel a little scared, 546 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:23,480 I guess is the best way to put it. 547 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,320 It's got like a mood to it. 548 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,680 Yeah, it's definitely got a mood through color symbolism. 549 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:28,720 So I'll have to pick it up, sorry. 550 00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:32,000 Yeah, you know, as you're like graphic novels, 551 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,360 I heard you reference TikTok. 552 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:37,720 We talk about AI from time to time, 553 00:34:37,720 --> 00:34:42,720 as the shifts in technology and pop culture advance, 554 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,880 I'm curious how you see that play out in your classrooms. 555 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,400 And I can tell by the look on your face, Emily, 556 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,080 that it's not always a great thing. 557 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:52,240 It's not always a great thing. 558 00:34:52,240 --> 00:34:54,720 There are some great things that we can talk about. 559 00:34:54,720 --> 00:34:59,400 There are some great ways to use AI in the classroom. 560 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,640 Overall though, it can be very frustrating 561 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,960 because, and I don't blame kids for being tempted by it. 562 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:10,160 It's very easy to, you know, I just tried it today. 563 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:13,920 I cut and paste my entire assignment that I had given 564 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,040 into chat GPT to see what it would spit out. 565 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,480 And it confirmed what I was hearing. 566 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:20,760 Oh, like to produce a- 567 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:23,520 Yeah, so I had written this really, 568 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,520 we're reading a book that's an adapted version 569 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,880 of the Odyssey, and I wanted them to create their own story 570 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,160 that could fit into the, it's called the missing chapter. 571 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:33,440 It's just a creative writing idea 572 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,360 where they try to mimic the style of the writing 573 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,520 and they insert it in, it could be inserted into the story. 574 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,280 So they, it has to have all these qualities 575 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:43,080 of the story that we're reading. 576 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,680 So I wrote this great assignment 577 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,000 and I think that I shot myself in the foot 578 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,160 because if I had given it orally, 579 00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:53,520 then they wouldn't have been able to replicate. 580 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:57,240 So I, several kids used chat GPT and got caught 581 00:35:57,240 --> 00:35:59,440 because it's very easy to tell 582 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:01,440 when a ninth grader is using it. 583 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:06,440 Yeah, large language models, their specialty is adapting 584 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,280 other people's work and especially like an assignment 585 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:12,560 like that where they're attempting to create something 586 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:13,400 in a similar voice to- 587 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,960 It's worth it, chat GPT did it very well. 588 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,200 So, these are kids that I know struggle 589 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,080 with grammar and punctuation 590 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,280 and they're writing these flawless, long, complicated. 591 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:28,120 So it's very, and I tell them at the beginning of the year, 592 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,960 I can smell it from a mile away, so don't try it, 593 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,000 but they didn't believe me. 594 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,160 So it was a good life lesson. 595 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:38,560 I was, I don't punish the first time I just say like, 596 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:40,760 look, you cannot do this, it's not your work, 597 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:43,480 it's cheating, it's plagiarism. 598 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:45,480 And it's not why we're here. 599 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:48,640 We're not here to see what the computer can spit out. 600 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:49,680 I wanna see your thinking. 601 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:51,760 So even if it's poorly written, 602 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:53,160 I'd rather see your writing. 603 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,840 So I give everybody a first warning 604 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:58,440 and then hope they don't do it again. 605 00:36:58,440 --> 00:36:59,520 But I had the thought today, 606 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:01,520 like I wish this didn't exist. 607 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:06,080 It is very frustrating that students think 608 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:09,160 that this is a way to do an assignment. 609 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,800 And I know that, you know, it's not, 610 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,040 this is not the, certainly not the first time 611 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,960 that we've dealt with possible plagiarism with students. 612 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:22,400 And they need to be educated about how it can be used 613 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:24,800 because it can be used as, if you, 614 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,640 somebody recently said, think of it as a peer 615 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,200 or a colleague that's going, you can bounce ideas off of, 616 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,120 you can use it as a tool, 617 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:35,320 but you can't let it do all the work for you 618 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:36,560 and then turn it in. 619 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,080 So it's too easy for kids. 620 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:44,280 It's like the shortcut that they think 621 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:46,400 is going to solve other problems. 622 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:50,680 And so there are some really cool assignments 623 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:55,240 that I've heard of and done in class that use AI, 624 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:56,080 which I can talk about, 625 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:58,360 but do you want to talk first about how it's frustrating? 626 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:00,800 Yeah, no, I think, I think you've kind of, 627 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,400 the last piece you said is a piece I want to expand upon, 628 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:07,760 this idea that like, I am trying now, 629 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:11,160 especially I would say last year and this year, 630 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:13,600 to be more transparent from the get-go 631 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:17,920 about how I've used AI as a tool, as a teacher, 632 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,680 how they can use it as a tool. 633 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,400 But at the end of the day, I want to see their thinking. 634 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,840 If I wanted, if I wanted the computers thinking, 635 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:26,840 I wouldn't even give them the assignment. 636 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:31,280 And I also have like, similarly to Emily, 637 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,440 if somebody does use it, 638 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,160 I have the conversation around trust and, you know, 639 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:41,720 and respect for themselves and for like their own learning. 640 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:44,440 And a lot of times I think it's that learning moment 641 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:49,320 that allows them to almost appreciate what happens next, 642 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,880 even more maybe. 643 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:54,000 And I think when it comes down to it, 644 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:55,800 there are so many, like I've seen, 645 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,680 I've gotten so many emails in my already full inbox 646 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,000 about professional development around AI 647 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,960 and what are we going to do and what does this mean? 648 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:08,680 And how can we, you know, accept essays anymore? 649 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:10,320 Maybe we'll have to stop doing essays altogether. 650 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:13,360 Like all this stuff coming to my inbox. 651 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:15,480 And I'm like, okay, hold on. 652 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,280 There's gotta be a way to approach this 653 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:20,640 with a structure and system that works. 654 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:22,600 And I think that's what we keep coming back to 655 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:26,160 is this idea of everything's evolving. 656 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,120 We have to evolve our structures that, you know, 657 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:29,960 historically have been. 658 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:31,000 And it's a thing that exists. 659 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:31,840 So how do you? 660 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:32,680 It's not gonna go away. 661 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:33,520 Right. 662 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,120 I said that kind of, you know, tongue in cheek. 663 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:35,960 I wish it would go away. 664 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:37,960 But I think mathematicians said that 665 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:38,960 about the calculator too. 666 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:39,800 Right, right. 667 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,000 Just anything that is considered a shortcut. 668 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,400 And there are ways to work with it. 669 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:46,680 And so teaching students responsibility 670 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,040 around this new powerful tool 671 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:50,400 that we're so figuring out. 672 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:51,400 Oh, sorry. 673 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:52,480 Sorry. 674 00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:54,800 Regarding that calculator example. 675 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:59,800 So I've never used AI for the synthesis or adaptations, 676 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,880 adaptation of ideas or the development 677 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:04,840 of anything that I've submitted. 678 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:09,800 But I am awful at spelling and I'm awful at punctuation. 679 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:14,400 And every single assignment, I run it through ChatGBT. 680 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:17,240 Do you think that it's still valuable 681 00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:20,040 to teach kids grammar and stuff? 682 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:21,800 Like I think an understanding of linguistics 683 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:23,240 is really important. 684 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:24,160 And I really like that. 685 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:28,360 But like the rote memorization of spelling and stuff. 686 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:30,160 And that's your analogy with the calculator. 687 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:31,760 Like this tool exists. 688 00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:36,280 Kids no longer know how to do a ton of brute multiplication. 689 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:37,720 And I'm an AP calc right now 690 00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:39,680 and I never do brute multiplication 691 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:40,960 because I can just do it on my phone. 692 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:41,920 Yeah. 693 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:43,920 Yes, I still think it's important to teach grammar. 694 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:45,840 But I do also think that, you know, 695 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,080 I encourage them to use the tools 696 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:50,880 that are on their laptops to proofread. 697 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:55,880 And I think teaching grammar is not just spelling 698 00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:58,480 and where to put a period and when to use an apostrophe, 699 00:40:58,480 --> 00:40:59,840 which your computer can help you with. 700 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:03,880 And by all means that students should use all those tools. 701 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:07,040 But I think learning grammar can teach stylistically 702 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,240 some interesting ways to put a sentence together that. 703 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:10,680 Which is what I was addressing 704 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:12,840 with an understanding of linguistics, right? 705 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:16,680 Like I think learning Latin has helped my English 706 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:19,520 become far more interesting, 707 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:21,800 developed and varied. 708 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:23,840 And I think that's very important. 709 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,360 But I'm thinking more like punctuation. 710 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:29,800 I never learned how to apply punctuation 711 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,160 and or I never absorbed how to apply punctuation. 712 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:34,760 Maybe because you didn't have to. 713 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:35,600 Yeah. 714 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:36,440 Because the computer was your friend 715 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:37,280 and tapping you. 716 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:38,840 I mean, it's a great time to be a poor speller 717 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,600 because the computer will fix everything pretty much for you. 718 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,120 That's right, instantaneously. 719 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:44,680 I also think this brings back again, 720 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:46,600 that overarching theme of like, 721 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:48,720 how do we teach young people 722 00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:53,720 how to use tools so that they can still represent themselves 723 00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:54,560 the way that they want to, 724 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:56,880 express themselves the way they want to. 725 00:41:56,880 --> 00:42:01,280 I think, I was teaching citations the other day 726 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:04,200 and we ended up talking about how 727 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:06,560 you can remove the period from a citation 728 00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:08,080 to put it at the very end, 729 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:09,600 but you shouldn't remove a question mark 730 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:10,480 and an exclamation point 731 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:12,920 because that's a part of expression, right? 732 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:13,760 It means something. 733 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:14,600 It means something. 734 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:18,120 And so there's this idea of showing the meaning 735 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:21,120 beyond just the skill itself. 736 00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:23,880 Like, what is it doing for you? 737 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:26,400 How is it showing what it is you want to say, 738 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,200 what it is you want to be heard as, what it is, 739 00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:32,880 whether you're talking grammar or really anything. 740 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:36,320 And then the tools that we have absolutely use them. 741 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:40,240 And I think my bigger hardship 742 00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:43,360 is when students have the tools, 743 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:44,920 I've taught them how to use them 744 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:46,360 and then they still don't get used. 745 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:47,600 Yes, that drives me crazy. 746 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:48,960 And then I have to figure out, okay, 747 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:51,400 what next step do I have to take 748 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,080 to make sure that everything kind of comes together? 749 00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:56,400 You know? 750 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:57,600 Yeah. 751 00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:58,440 Yeah. 752 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:03,280 So as we start wrapping this discussion up, 753 00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:08,080 I wanted to kind of end on this note of 754 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:11,680 that teachers are human 755 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:14,800 and you all are people with lives 756 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,120 and interests and things 757 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:21,160 and just like all of us in every other profession, 758 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,240 a tough day can, you know, that tough commute, 759 00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:26,600 that getting stuck in traffic, the flat tire, 760 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:28,360 the slip on the ice, whatever that is, 761 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:30,160 it impacts our day. 762 00:43:30,160 --> 00:43:33,360 And so to balance that, 763 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:37,920 I'm curious about what your most joyful 764 00:43:39,120 --> 00:43:40,800 moments of teaching have been 765 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:44,840 that remind you that this is why I do what I do. 766 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,120 And it comes back to maybe your how you started 767 00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:49,280 with that inspired insight, 768 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:52,800 but I'm just thinking about giving you a chance 769 00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:57,800 to share a moment in time that kind of summarizes your why, 770 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:01,640 why I do what I do, why I chose this 771 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:05,560 and keeps you motivated to that other Brene Brown quote 772 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:09,000 about collecting joy and fueling resilience. 773 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:14,000 So a moment that reminds you that I'm an educator, I matter, 774 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:19,160 and this is why I do that. 775 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:23,440 So I have a very specific answer to that question, 776 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:28,320 which is that about probably 12 years ago, 777 00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:31,400 I said out loud to my class for the first time 778 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:35,800 that I have anxiety and it was such a relief for me 779 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:40,800 to say it and to own it and it actually made me feel better 780 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:44,040 at the time because one of the ways 781 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:45,680 that anxiety manifests itself for me 782 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,880 is just sort of a performance anxiety. 783 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,480 And then here I am in front of kids all day 784 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:53,360 and feeling like I have to constantly act like 785 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:55,480 I have it all together and everything's easy 786 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,320 and I'm very capable and this is all no problem. 787 00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:01,360 And I went through a stretch of my life 788 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:04,760 where I was getting panicky in the middle of my teaching day 789 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:08,080 and I finally just owned it and told my students 790 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:10,360 that I was feeling that way and that it's something 791 00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:11,480 that I have struggled with. 792 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:16,480 And it became completely my superpower as an educator 793 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:20,440 because first of all, it made me feel better, as I mentioned, 794 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:23,640 but I had so many students approach me 795 00:45:23,640 --> 00:45:26,960 that they couldn't believe that I was anxious 796 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:28,320 and that I was talking about it 797 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:30,360 and that they, and then they would share 798 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:31,880 how they were anxious. 799 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:35,560 And so I guess just being human in front of my students 800 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:39,000 and realizing that I really enjoy their company 801 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,800 at the end of the day and that if they just see me 802 00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:46,800 as somebody that also struggles sometimes, but shows up, 803 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:48,680 then they're gonna feel safe. 804 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:49,680 Yeah. 805 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:50,680 Oh, thanks, Emily. 806 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:56,880 You know, I think of a lot of different small moments, 807 00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:00,200 but one moment that kind of keeps coming back up to me 808 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:04,560 is when I switched positions at school districts 809 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:06,240 a couple of years ago. 810 00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:10,840 When I told my class, it was near the end of the senior year 811 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:14,040 and this was a class that we often had, 812 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:17,040 Harry Oakey Friday, we'd spend the last five 813 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:21,960 to 10 minutes of pause with our pencil microphones 814 00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:23,400 that had like, safe flowers on top 815 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,280 and we would just kind of jam out whether. 816 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:26,560 Taylor Swift, of course. 817 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:29,400 They were big fans of the belonging. 818 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:30,240 Yeah. 819 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:32,440 Love story, but they also put some Miley Cyrus 820 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:33,760 to climb in there, so. 821 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:36,520 With that class in particular, 822 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,600 I told them that I was moving to a different position 823 00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:41,840 and a couple weeks later, 824 00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:44,120 they had their end of the gear field trip 825 00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:47,440 and when we got back, we were on the bus 826 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:51,000 or we were turning into the school parking lot 827 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:54,480 and someone started playing, 828 00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:57,040 You Belong With Me on their phone 829 00:46:57,040 --> 00:47:00,160 and the whole bus started singing 830 00:47:00,160 --> 00:47:02,960 and most of the kids were kids that were mine, 831 00:47:02,960 --> 00:47:05,200 but there were some kids that weren't in my class 832 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:06,600 that they all just started singing 833 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:11,040 and one girl that was sitting across from me started prying 834 00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:13,280 and I moved over and she just hugged me 835 00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:15,040 and she wouldn't let go. 836 00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:15,880 Yeah. 837 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:17,320 And then we get off the bus 838 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:19,240 and they all just kind of come around 839 00:47:19,240 --> 00:47:23,240 and it was just kind of that moment of, 840 00:47:23,240 --> 00:47:25,760 Oh, I have chills, yeah. 841 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:28,960 And there were lots of tears had 842 00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:33,960 in the last day, but it was that moment 843 00:47:33,960 --> 00:47:38,200 of this is why taking five minutes to sing karaoke 844 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,280 or taking 10 minutes to teach them a line dance 845 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:42,640 before winter break, 846 00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:49,160 photo bombing, whatever picture it was they're taking, 847 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:51,760 it's why it all comes together and makes sense. 848 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,320 You know, and it's exactly why. 849 00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:57,280 Yeah, well, that's awesome. 850 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:02,280 And I can say with a hundred percent honesty 851 00:48:03,240 --> 00:48:05,920 that it's not only because I know you both 852 00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:07,680 and our lives have interconnected, 853 00:48:08,560 --> 00:48:11,720 it was important for Soren and I to have you on this episode 854 00:48:11,720 --> 00:48:16,440 because you are two of the most impactful educators 855 00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:19,840 I've ever met, having educated family members of mine 856 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:21,280 who still talk about you. 857 00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:22,240 I'm trying to use that as a- 858 00:48:22,240 --> 00:48:23,280 I know. 859 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:27,440 And who listens to this podcast, Bella, if you're listening 860 00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:33,720 and having friends whose kids have had you, Emily, 861 00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:39,280 who still talk about you and what you do matters 862 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:43,360 and how you show up for kids each and every day 863 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:48,360 is just so inspiring and keep doing what you're doing. 864 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:51,360 And thank you so much for being part of our little podcast 865 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:52,640 with Soren and I. 866 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:54,720 Yeah, thank you guys so much. 867 00:48:54,720 --> 00:48:59,280 I really love what both of you guys have said 868 00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:01,640 and I'm sure your classroom environments are lovely. 869 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:03,440 I can attest to this, I know. 870 00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:05,640 Yeah, oh, I love this conversation. 871 00:49:05,640 --> 00:49:07,680 Well, we could go on and on. 872 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:10,840 Thank you both so, so, so much for being here. 873 00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:14,240 I'm Chris McLaughlin. 874 00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:15,480 I'm Soren Peterson. 875 00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:18,080 This has been Inspired Insights podcast. 876 00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:18,920 Thank you. 877 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:21,640 Thank you, that was really fun. 878 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:23,760 The Inspired Insights podcast has been brought to you 879 00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,320 by Inspired Consulting Group, LLC. 880 00:49:26,320 --> 00:49:29,920 Edited and produced by Amanda Seidel and Derek Carter. 881 00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:32,280 Marketing support for the Inspired Insights podcast 882 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:34,920 by Elizabeth Keenan, music by Derek Carter. 883 00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:39,800 Please visit www.inspiredcg.com to learn more. 884 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:53,640 Copyright 2024, all rights reserved.