1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,200 Welcome to the Classroom Narratives Healing and Education podcast, the space where education 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:12,000 meets resilience. I'm Joey Weisler and in each episode we dive deep into the personal stories 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:19,120 of educators, students, leaders, and frontline advocates who are navigating the complexities 4 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:25,440 of modern education. Whether you're just starting your teaching journey or are a seasoned professional 5 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:31,040 looking for inspiration, we'll explore how to foster meaningful change, prevent burnout, 6 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,160 and build trauma-informed communities in our schools. Now let's take a seat at the front of 7 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:42,800 the classroom and get started. Welcome back to the podcast everyone. Today I am so privileged 8 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:49,360 to be joined by Colleen Crisan, a dedicated educator with over 19 years of experience 9 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:54,720 teaching middle and high school English. Colleen brings a unique perspective having taught in 10 00:00:54,720 --> 00:01:00,720 Parkland near Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during a tragic time and she uses literature to 11 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:06,560 help students navigate their emotions in safe and open ways. Colleen has a really powerful approach 12 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:13,200 to integrating trauma-informed practices within education, especially by using stories as mirrors 13 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:19,200 and windows to foster dialogue and healing among students. And I'm so excited to dive into this 14 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:24,240 conversation with her because not only is she supportive and guidance students through the 15 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:29,360 power of storytelling, but she was also my sixth grade language arts teacher. Colleen, do you 16 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,920 remember what year that was? I do not remember what year, but I remember little Joey sitting in 17 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:42,560 my classroom. We're talking 2006-2007. Oh my gosh, that was my second year teaching. Wow, 18 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,480 and look how quickly time flies. Well it's great to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much 19 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:52,800 again for joining us. So the first thing I wanted to ask is in terms of education, you mentioned 20 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:57,840 that your first year teaching was 2005, right? What were your opening years like with teaching? 21 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:02,960 What were you experiencing during that time that even I was your student? And how have some of the 22 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:08,240 lessons from that time helped you now 20 years later for something maybe new educators can think 23 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:14,640 about as well? Well, there was so long ago. I remember just the enthusiasm and coming straight 24 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:20,960 out of my master's, I had all of these new skills that I wanted to share and some of them worked 25 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:30,320 and some of them totally flopped. And through the years, I just learned to inventory those skills, 26 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:38,880 those lessons, the texts that resonated with kids, the ones that were unexpectedly triggering 27 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:45,120 for some kids that I didn't think about. I think it's just an overall awareness of the age group 28 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:52,400 and the varying perspectives that are sitting in front of me in the classroom. And through the 29 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:58,720 years, I've learned to be more aware of that and more conscientious of that and make sure that I 30 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:04,640 use texts that I can reach all kids from all different backgrounds, all different experiences 31 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:13,200 with. I had this misconception that I needed to pick streamlined text that were kind of generic 32 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:20,640 and what I've found over the years, it's actually the more diverse texts that are more powerful 33 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:28,480 because they work on so many levels as windows and mirrors, as helping kids see themselves 34 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:35,360 in the literature and then helping other kids understand differing perspectives as well. 35 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,840 Absolutely. And Colleen, you reminded me of a conversation that we had with Enma 36 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:45,040 Leyva on the podcast series here that talks about the power of empathy within literature. 37 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,400 So Colleen, what are some of the different texts that you've used in your classroom 38 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,120 that you feel students have been most receptive to? And first of all, when I had you, you were 39 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,760 just teaching standard and advanced sixth grade language arts, but over time you've evolved into 40 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,000 gifted level instruction. Tell us about the difference in those students and how they've 41 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,160 received those texts and which ones worked the best or the ones you were trying to reach. 42 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:14,000 Well, as far as specific texts, I don't know that I can think of any off the top of my head, 43 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:22,480 like specific titles, but what I do know is I make an effort to choose from varying religious 44 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:28,800 backgrounds, from varying ethnic backgrounds. We chose texts from different countries. "A long 45 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:36,000 Walk to Water" is actually a really good one because it gives the kids a whole new perspective 46 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:44,000 that they likely have never seen before. And the main character, the protagonist is their age, 47 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:51,520 but has such a different experience than they do going through war and the violence. 48 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:57,120 Teaching in Parkland, at the high school, I have much more diversity. Teaching in Parkland, though, 49 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:06,160 you don't really see as much diversity. So as the years went on, I made a really, really conscious 50 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:13,280 effort to make sure that I included texts with protagonists that I knew were different from them 51 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:20,080 so that they could understand other people and other people's thoughts and feelings and 52 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:28,640 experiences better. And then I was in Parkland, so we would also teach texts that were about 53 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:36,560 the Holocaust. And that is so powerful with the demographic out there because many of them had 54 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:45,200 relatives who survived. And that was one way that they would share because typically they're a little 55 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:53,120 closed off. But when you get such a tragic event like the Holocaust and they actually know someone 56 00:05:53,120 --> 00:06:00,240 and their families have spoken to them about this, they really start to open up. That was one of the 57 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:08,320 ways, but we just recently, I did a long walk to water and that was really powerful. Linda Sue Park 58 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:14,240 has a bunch of different books that are really great. I think when it comes to having a full 59 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:18,800 classroom of students, one thing that we think about is that they all have their age in common. 60 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:26,320 So as time went on in your more recent years of teaching, how have you noticed the climates change? 61 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:31,520 One example being from the Stoneman Douglas tragedy, which you were also on campus for with me, 62 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,600 by the way, I was also on campus that day as well, as well as even COVID, you were also still teaching 63 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:41,040 middle school during the COVID era. How have different recent events altered the way you 64 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:47,440 present stories in classrooms? Well, one of the ways, and this is something I'm actually really 65 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:56,240 excited about, is there's a lot more resources and a lot more of a focus on resiliency for both right 66 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:06,560 after Douglas, there was a huge push for teachers to be trained and to get the resources that they 67 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:14,960 needed. And for lack of a better word, previously a lot of the emotional management type strategies 68 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:21,120 might've have been seen in schools just kind of woo woo for lack of a better word, like, you know, 69 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:28,480 it like a waste of time. Like you should be teaching them academic skills, not stress 70 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:36,320 management skills. You shouldn't be spending your time doing meditation with the kids or doing 71 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:44,960 lessons that are not academically focused to your core subject. And since then, not only has there 72 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:56,240 been this amazing push for overall wellbeing for teachers, but for students as well. So I really am 73 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:02,800 loving like the district mandated resiliency training that they do, because now I don't feel 74 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:08,320 bad when I do the meditation, when I look around my classroom and I see that the kids are stressed 75 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:16,480 out because their course load is so heavy and they have three tests and they're overwhelmed. 76 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:25,600 And now I can put on a meditation and I can do it with the class and dim the lights and go over ways 77 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:32,800 that they can manage their stress. And now it's not frowned upon, which is amazing. And not only 78 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,200 that, but because the kids, it's been a few years now that the kids have been doing this in an 79 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:46,640 academic setting, they now are used to it. And so they participate and they see the benefits of 80 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:54,400 using all of these strategies. And I see clubs popping up about just making people happy, 81 00:08:54,400 --> 00:09:01,120 spreading kindness, spreading wellbeing clubs. They focus on what you can do 82 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:10,080 when you're feeling overwhelmed. I am so happy to see that because I think for so long, school was 83 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:20,240 the sterile place where you came in and you learned the subjects and there was no room for the rest of 84 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:28,960 the child. And when you're a teacher, the rest of the child is who's in front of you. I mean, 85 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:37,280 if you don't reach the whole child, then you're not going to get much growth or learning out of them 86 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:45,760 because their mind is elsewhere. So I'm really, really excited that now I can, not only is it 87 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:51,520 something that the higher ups have made time for in the school day, but I can also supplement it 88 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:59,200 without feeling like I'm a bad teacher. I'm not using my time wisely. So I'm just so thrilled 89 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:04,240 to see the emphasis on that. It's amazing. I'm so glad you brought that up because as we go 90 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:09,760 through the series, I will start to slowly disclose a part of my own story where in 2019, 91 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:14,000 we're talking within the year of the tragedy happening, where I moved to another part of the 92 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:21,680 district and I was entirely shamed by my leadership for continuing to use the meditation strategies. 93 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:25,920 I was actually told it was a waste of time if they're not on iReady working through that. 94 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:32,560 And I was told that it is about the brain and not the child's heart. And it shamed me so much and I 95 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:37,520 was frowned upon so greatly for trying to work through those strategies that eventually it led 96 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:43,120 to me having to resign from that position because we were no longer a good match for me trying to 97 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:49,120 incorporate the whole child into my own learning. So for our listeners today that are facing any 98 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:55,840 kind of discouragement from any sort of resistance to approach a full child's being, what advice or 99 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:01,200 motivation can you give as educators listening today? I would say find some research. A lot of 100 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:08,400 times when you have the cold hard facts and you have peer-reviewed research that backs you up, 101 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:13,360 that's always a great place to start because then you have something that you can present them. 102 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:23,120 Find organizations that you can rely on to get some resources and then find the research. Find 103 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:30,640 other districts that have implemented something like this so that you can show how it's successful. 104 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:37,920 Get your data. If you see learning gains in your students after using these strategies, 105 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:46,560 get that data and show them this is from teaching the whole child. The teacher makes or breaks the 106 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:53,360 classroom. If the kids feel connected to the teacher, they're gonna work harder. But if you 107 00:11:53,360 --> 00:12:00,160 have a cold teacher up there and the kids don't think that you care about them and think that 108 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:07,920 their only life is the life that they have with you in that classroom, then you're gonna lose them. 109 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:13,440 It reminded me of Rita Pearson, a very renowned educator on a TED talk who says every child 110 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:18,640 needs a champion. And she says again you can have a student in their favorite subject but if they 111 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,640 don't click with the teacher you're not going to like it. And likewise you can have a student in 112 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:27,200 their weakest subject but a great teacher can turn that around for them. And it makes me wonder when 113 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:32,640 it comes to focusing with literary instruction using some of the methods that you've already 114 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:38,640 shared with us, what are some trauma-informed practices that you incorporate into teaching 115 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:45,760 stories? So this is a tricky question because teaching in Parkland after there were a lot of 116 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:54,080 texts that I wanted to teach but when I read them over they were too close to home. I mean they were 117 00:12:54,080 --> 00:13:02,000 too triggering for kids who had lost a sibling or lost their dance team member or close friends. 118 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:12,320 So I would find shared emotions or in other words if the character in the story lost a pet and then 119 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:22,400 use that as a starting point to open a dialogue about loss in general. That created a safe space 120 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:29,120 for them. A lot of times and a lot of people they don't want to talk about trauma because it brings 121 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:34,800 up all of their emotions. They just kind of want to push it down and get on with their day and 122 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:41,520 there's a place for that for sure. But I think and I'm not a psychologist so there's no authority in 123 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:48,240 what I'm saying but I think after a while if you don't let it out then you turn to some other 124 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:56,800 unhealthier ways to deal with those emotions that are bubbling up. And by talking about a character 125 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:05,360 it indirectly gives them an out. They are able to talk about this character without having to talk 126 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:10,560 about themselves. They're not talking about their emotions they're talking about the character's 127 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:18,160 emotions and how that character probably felt. And eventually if you talk about the characters 128 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:26,480 enough with them they'll start to feel safe with you and open up. I have found that finding 129 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:34,400 similarities that are not too similar to make them feel like you're targeting them. They just need to 130 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:42,560 be a commonality that they can piggyback off of to talk about their own experiences their own struggles 131 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:49,360 without feeling too emotionally overwhelmed. When I was teaching one of my favorite stories of all 132 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:54,720 time back with my middle school class in 2019 the text was John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". I love 133 00:14:54,720 --> 00:15:00,240 everything about that story. I was asking the students when we're looking at these 1930s 134 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:05,600 characters during the Great Depression who come from different walks of life and struggle with 135 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:12,080 this image of a broken dream. These characters all lose sight of their dreams because of the 136 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:17,680 isolation that they face in society. So in helping my own students connect with these characters I 137 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:23,680 said think about a time where you have also felt isolated and what did that mean to your relationship 138 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:28,560 with these characters that were studying. And the feedback I got from these students was so incredibly 139 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:33,600 overwhelming to the point that I actually had a few kids walk up to my little zen area at the time 140 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:40,640 and called me out on the fact that I had a suicide first aid training badge in my zen zone. And they 141 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:45,440 said after doing this exercise can we talk to you about that because there was feelings that we now 142 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:50,320 feel comfortable sharing with you because we know you have that badge displayed in your room. And it 143 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:55,920 was a big eye opener for me because I knew that they felt courageous comfortable and vulnerable 144 00:15:55,920 --> 00:16:02,320 because of our stories. But yes as our research also mentions from Katherine Tyler, Carole Deletiner, 145 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:07,040 all researchers in the subject field we're not pseudo-psychologists and that's really important 146 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:12,480 for us to know that line where we can cross it and if we can cross it. But at the same time it's hard 147 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:19,680 for us as humanities-based educators to try and sanitize learning because writing and stories are 148 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:24,640 anchors to bringing emotion into a classroom. So it gets my question Colleen is how do you navigate 149 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:31,600 those situations if and or when they've came your way? So I did take a training about what to do 150 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:38,240 when a student comes to you in a crisis and basically in that training was very you know 151 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:44,000 validate their emotions don't leave them alone. But the biggest thing I got about that is find 152 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:53,520 the professional and refer them to the professional as quickly and as quietly as you can. And that was 153 00:16:53,520 --> 00:17:02,880 such a good reminder for me because as an educator and as a person I want to fix things but I'm not a 154 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:10,560 professional and I could easily say something with the best of intention that is not helpful 155 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:19,360 in that moment. So it's so important to have a designated person who is trained in that at your 156 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:24,800 school and truthfully I don't know what people do who don't have that person at their school. 157 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:32,480 There are numbers I know that you can call but if your school doesn't have one I would really push 158 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:40,480 to get someone designated in dealing with a crisis or a vulnerable child because that is my go-to 159 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:49,040 is find the expert because I am not that expert. I am thoughtful and kind and supportive 160 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:57,280 and empathetic but not an expert and that was really hard for me to accept because for so long 161 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:04,400 I was under the impression that I was the person that they should go to and you should be the one 162 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:10,080 helping them because they are your student and it goes so much deeper than that that is not fact. 163 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:14,000 It's a reminder that these trainings teach us especially as humanities educators but for all 164 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,320 educators but exclusively those dealing with pop-up emotions in the classroom if you will 165 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:25,680 that our job is to be there while keeping the student safe for now and again Colleen I had 166 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,760 you in your second year of teaching and it's an honor to know you and all that you've learned to 167 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:34,240 grow through since that time as well as I'm already in year seven so it's like I'm a few 168 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,560 paces behind you but I'm further than where you were when I had you as a student which is crazy 169 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:44,560 and I wanted to ask for also our newer teachers there is research from Ellen Moore and Ellen Moore 170 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:52,800 says that the sequence of a new teacher goes from this fantasy where they have this idea that they 171 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:57,120 can change the world and everything's going to be wonderful but then that fantasy switches very 172 00:18:57,120 --> 00:19:04,240 quickly to survival mode within the first semester or so before you then progress into trying to 173 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:09,680 reflect and then find resilience and anticipation once again for the new year based upon what you've 174 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:14,160 learned and so for some of our new teachers listening can you inspire us by telling us 175 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:20,480 what that moment felt like where you had to accept your own reality and pivot your outlook on the 176 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:27,200 career because of that so this actually kind of happened very early on for me my very first day 177 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:35,360 of teaching I walked into the classroom full of hope and fairy dust and dreams and I went in there 178 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:42,640 and had this get to know you activity and it was a little squiggle on a line and so I'm going around 179 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:48,560 and the kids are doing great and then I go over to the student and so then I say again I'm a 180 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:56,560 naive teacher I say would anyone like to share and he raises his hand I go great and he gets up 181 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:02,400 and he shows his paper and ultimately he shows the entire class a phallic symbol from his paper 182 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:10,480 announcing it on the very first day of school oh my goodness and right then it just shattered 183 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:17,360 for me because here I am my very first day of teaching a class full of sixth graders and this 184 00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:28,480 kid has just done everything opposite of my intention for this and from then on it was kind 185 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:35,680 of a rude awakening I'm grateful to that kid and it's a fun memory now but you talk about how it's 186 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:42,160 a gradual process it it really wasn't that gradual for me that's yeah that snapped me right into 187 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:49,600 reality and from that point forward I really did think about like how are all the ways that this 188 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:55,360 could go wrong before I did it and it's a good thing I have a good sense of humor because I was 189 00:20:55,360 --> 00:21:02,320 able to like laugh about it but it did put a filter on the way that I looked at my lessons 190 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:09,680 moving forward and the fact that I am dealing with pre-teens here and they have no filter either 191 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:15,840 and you know I I learned to be able to laugh it off all the obstacles all the struggles you 192 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:22,400 got to be able to laugh and then get back up on the horse and reflect and keep moving forward so 193 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:28,720 I kind of experienced that early on it wasn't so gradual for me but I do remember feeling 194 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:39,360 overwhelmed later in the school year and I luckily had a bunch of great mentors and just lean on those 195 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:47,200 colleagues take all of the lessons that they offer take any help that's offered to you and use it 196 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:55,120 until you feel like you are back on your feet and you can start making it your own again but lean on 197 00:21:55,120 --> 00:22:00,800 those experienced teachers or those people who are offering you support because that's really 198 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:05,280 what got me through and I'd love to take a shout out for a second here to a very dear mutual friend 199 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:09,520 to both of us Mrs. Fernanda Johnson who I hope will be listening to this segment Colleen was my 200 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:14,160 first period and Fernanda was my second period teacher for world history and the two of them 201 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:19,920 made our team come to life every day just because of their their dynamic dual relationship and just 202 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:24,080 supporting the both of us together so Mrs. Johnson if you're listening we both appreciate you and 203 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,520 supporting both your peers and your students so thank you again for all that you've done. 204 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:34,640 She is truly my work mom and she has given me through my entire career the best advice that 205 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:41,600 I received she's the one who told me to choose my battles because as a new teacher everything was 206 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:48,720 a battle that I was willing to fight until there was no more fighting left in me and she is the one 207 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:54,480 who told me baby you just got to choose your battles is it really worth it and it turns out 208 00:22:54,480 --> 00:23:02,800 that a lot of it really wasn't but find your Fernanda Johnson in at your school because every 209 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,960 teacher needs a champion as well every student needs a champion but every teacher needs a champion 210 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:11,600 and I shout out to my own champions as well because they were my own by a flight when I was 211 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:16,560 working with a lot of resistance during that time as well and so Colleen as we come to the end of 212 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:21,840 our conversation I wonder if you could talk to us about some of your organizations such as, "Read On 213 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,760 with Mrs Crisan" and what can our listeners know about the kind of work that you're doing? 214 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:34,880 So with "Read On with Mrs. Crisan" I really try to reach out to the community. It's children's 215 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:43,280 books and a lot of them have to do with resiliency and I try to do book drives so that I can provide 216 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:48,560 new books and quality books to families who might not be able to get them for their children on 217 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:55,600 their own and who are going through a tough time. I try to bring families together through literacy 218 00:23:55,600 --> 00:24:01,040 through finding the right book for them and I'm actually doing a book drive right now for an 219 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:09,680 organization in South Florida called "Deliver the Dream". They help families who are going through 220 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:18,080 either a crisis or an illness in the family and they provide programs for them, retreats, 221 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:24,320 and they focus on resiliency training for those families to help them stay together and support 222 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:31,120 each other through these times. So right now I'm doing a book drive for their event called Toy Chest 223 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:39,280 where they invite parents in to quote shop for their kids when they might not be able to do so 224 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:47,840 on their own. So that runs until November 30th and I have the link on my "Read On with Mrs. Crisan" 225 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:55,600 Facebook and Instagram and I just try to use it as often as I can to help spread literacy in the 226 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:59,920 community by donating books. Thank you for that and you can go ahead and learn more about "Read 227 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:05,040 On with Mrs. Crisan" through the social media pages as well through our show notes. I guess the 228 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:11,200 last question I wanted to ask Colleen is when it comes to the secret sauce to education or things 229 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,200 that you've learned what is one thing that you want our readers to take away from today's dialogue? 230 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:21,360 To know your students, enjoy your students, and have a really good sense of humor. And I echo 231 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:26,400 that I saw all of those in our classroom together. It's been 18 years but you were always an educator 232 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:30,320 who was kind, who was approachable, and showed that you were there for all the right reasons. 233 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:34,720 So thank you again for motivating us to go on to our larger dreams as we're doing now as we 234 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:40,080 talk to you. Thank you so much. Thanks Joey. Such a pleasure. So thank you Colleen again for sharing 235 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,800 your journey and your approaches of using literature as tools for healing as well as inspiring our 236 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:49,760 other educators on the show today. And your insight is a reminder to us that it's important 237 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:56,000 to create safe spaces for others as a way to build resilience while also using strategies and methods 238 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:01,120 that help gain insight to the whole child instead of just their brain because education is so much 239 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:05,440 more than that. And to our listeners, don't forget to check out our upcoming episodes and conversations 240 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,920 in order to learn more about resilience and healing. And until next time, remember that you 241 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:14,000 as educators all have the power to change student lives. Thank you for tuning in today. 242 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:18,960 Thank you for joining us on the Classroom Narratives Healing and Education Podcast. 243 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:24,000 If today's episode inspired you or made you think differently, I'd love to hear from you. Drop a 244 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,600 comment or review wherever you listen to podcasts and stay connected with us on the at Classroom 245 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:35,600 Narratives Podcast over Instagram and Facebook. Remember, together we can transform our scars 246 00:26:35,600 --> 00:27:03,600 into stars in education, one conversation at a time.