WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.419 Welcome to the Classroom Narratives Healing in 00:00:02.419 --> 00:00:04.900 Education podcast, the space where education 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:09.019 meets resilience. I'm Dr. Joey Weisler, and in 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.400 each episode, we dive deep into the personal 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:15.099 stories of educators, students, leaders, and 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:18.079 frontline advocates who are navigating the complexities 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.260 within modern education. Whether you're just 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:23.879 starting your teaching journey, or are a seasoned 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:26.239 professional looking for inspiration, we'll 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:29.059 explore how to foster meaningful change, prevent 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.859 burnout, and build trauma -informed communities 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:34.979 within our schools. Now, let's take a seat at 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:36.859 the front of the classroom as we get started. 00:00:37.859 --> 00:00:39.880 Welcome back to the Classroom Narratives podcast, 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.600 where we talk about what really happens in schools, 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:46.659 the healing, the harm, and the hope. Today, I'm 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:49.229 honored to be joined by Amber. the voice behind 00:00:49.229 --> 00:00:51.969 the social media handle @beautifullyorganizedchaos. 00:00:51.969 --> 00:00:55.530 Amber is a passionate advocate for trauma 00:00:55.530 --> 00:00:58.189 -informed education, using her online platforms 00:00:58.189 --> 00:01:01.030 to challenge toxic systems, support struggling 00:01:01.030 --> 00:01:03.670 teachers, and reimagine what safe, inclusive 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:06.090 classrooms can really look like. Her story is 00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:08.709 as raw as it is inspiring, and one that our educators 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:11.170 interested in trauma should really hear about. 00:01:11.370 --> 00:01:13.250 So Amber, welcome to the show. Thank you again 00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:15.750 for being here. Thanks for having me. Oh, my 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:18.969 pleasure. So Amber, in your social media handle, 00:01:19.069 --> 00:01:22.349 @beautifullyorganizedchaos, you talk about some 00:01:22.349 --> 00:01:24.769 of your own experiences as an educator. So first 00:01:24.769 --> 00:01:27.709 of all, tell us your journey as a teacher. What 00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:29.469 grades did you teach? What does your classroom 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:32.750 look like? And what got you into the field to 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:36.930 begin with? Oh, so I have been a classroom teacher 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:40.329 in a public education setting for about 14 years 00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:45.879 now. And I. Gosh, I was a third grader when I 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:49.019 knew I was going to be a classroom teacher. I 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:53.879 had a teacher who brought learning alive. And 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:58.420 we went on many field trips. We went to her sheep 00:01:58.420 --> 00:02:01.560 barn and watched lambs being born. As a third 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:03.500 grade student, I mean, just the things you're 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:05.459 not going to see in a typical public school education. 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:09.830 And she was phenomenal. Absolutely adored her. 00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:13.569 So I was hooked at third grade. And every decision 00:02:13.569 --> 00:02:17.469 I made from then on in school, it was geared 00:02:17.469 --> 00:02:21.689 towards eventually becoming an educator. My classroom 00:02:21.689 --> 00:02:26.270 was one of inclusivity. In college, I took some 00:02:26.270 --> 00:02:29.569 classes about autism and autism spectrum and 00:02:29.569 --> 00:02:35.180 reaching those students. And it absolutely took 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:38.060 my learning to another level. I ended up with 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:42.099 a bachelor's in early childhood education, a 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:45.240 bachelor's in elementary education, both with 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:49.240 autism emphasis and a paraprofessional certificate 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.219 with autism. I could reach the most minds and 00:02:53.219 --> 00:02:58.560 I could understand how to best bring myself to 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:02.599 a student with autism and bring them with us 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:05.319 along the journey in the classroom. I wanted 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:08.060 to make sure that everybody who stepped foot 00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:10.259 in my classroom knew that they were loved, protected, 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.000 and that they had the same opportunity to learn 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:17.639 as everyone else. Perfect. Well, thank you so 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:19.000 much for that. And I know that your students 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.000 absolutely respected and adored you as their 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:22.539 educator for making them feel like that they 00:03:22.539 --> 00:03:24.819 belong. What was the moment that you realized 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:26.919 that something in the system needed to change 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:29.639 for yourself and for others based upon the state 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.840 of how classrooms look today? Yeah, so in January. 00:03:34.330 --> 00:03:39.750 of 2022 i was teaching fourth grade and I had 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:44.229 a 10 year old student bring a gun into my classroom 00:03:44.229 --> 00:03:47.810 now I never laid my eyes on this gun I have no 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:49.590 idea what this gun looked like I have no idea 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.009 what caliber I have no idea if it was real I 00:03:52.009 --> 00:03:58.110 have no information on that at all but the parents 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:01.479 felt stirred enough that they called the principal 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.419 and said, hey, we cannot find his gun at home. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:08.000 Please go check his backpack. We think that he 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.379 might've brought it to school. Fantastic on the 00:04:10.379 --> 00:04:14.340 parents. The fact that he has a gun, not so great, 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:18.420 but they were cognizant enough to be like, we 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:20.259 can't find it at home. We think he might have 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:22.399 it with him. It's very important that you go 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:26.240 check his backpack. So my principal at, it was 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:29.660 around noon, came into my classroom, took the 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:31.560 student and his backpack out of my classroom 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:36.399 and left. This was on a Wednesday and he never 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.100 returned. I didn't look into it. This was a very 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:42.379 troubled, troublesome child. So I figured whatever 00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:44.279 he did, he was still down in the office. He was 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:46.420 still with the principal. The principal knew 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:49.639 where he was. My hands were clean. I was not 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:52.560 worried about him. After school that day, I got 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:56.319 called to the principal's office and he pulled 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:59.319 me into his office and let me know, hey. you've 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:01.259 had a gun in your classroom for three days. This 00:05:01.259 --> 00:05:04.800 is what happened. This is who the child was targeting. 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:08.879 And we sent him home. By the way, he's going 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:11.199 to be back tomorrow because nothing actually 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:13.959 happened. There's nothing in our handbook saying 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.899 that he couldn't bring a weapon to school. As 00:05:16.899 --> 00:05:20.399 long as nothing happened, no harm, no foul. And 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:24.959 I said, no. Unfortunately, at that very moment 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:28.709 in time, that was Wednesday. On Thursday, I was 00:05:28.709 --> 00:05:31.870 testing for COVID still. I was like a part of 00:05:31.870 --> 00:05:35.430 our process every week. And I tested positive 00:05:35.430 --> 00:05:41.529 for COVID. So I had to sit. I absolutely just 00:05:41.529 --> 00:05:44.430 had to sit. Thankfully, there were so many students 00:05:44.430 --> 00:05:47.069 who tested positive for COVID in my classroom 00:05:47.069 --> 00:05:49.990 that same day that they ended up shutting my 00:05:49.990 --> 00:05:53.269 classroom down because I had no way of keeping 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:56.829 my students safe. I had no way of keeping... 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.139 the person he was targeting safe. And I had no 00:06:00.139 --> 00:06:03.180 way of keeping others in the building safe. I 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:05.879 had nothing. I had no information. I was out 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:08.339 of class for five whole days. So the following 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:11.480 Thursday, I went back into my classroom. I went 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.439 back to the principal's office and I said, okay, 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:18.279 here's the thing. I'm not safe. My kids are not 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:22.579 safe. We do not know what's coming. And so I 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:26.629 need you to contact the person he's targeting, 00:06:26.730 --> 00:06:29.910 I need you to contact their parents and let them 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:32.670 know, hey, this is what happened. Your child 00:06:32.670 --> 00:06:36.269 is not safe. They need an alternative way to 00:06:36.269 --> 00:06:39.050 go home because they both walked home in the 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:44.250 same direction. That student is not safe if they 00:06:44.250 --> 00:06:47.170 were to continue walking home after school. I 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:49.930 need the child who brought a gun into my classroom. 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:53.910 I need them to... be removed from my classroom 00:06:53.910 --> 00:06:58.069 I do not feel safe in that classroom i need the 00:06:58.069 --> 00:07:00.629 police involved because I need to know that he 00:07:00.629 --> 00:07:03.850 is not a danger to himself or others and he needs 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:07.189 to be seen to make sure like in a counseling 00:07:07.189 --> 00:07:10.610 or psychology session that he is no longer a 00:07:10.610 --> 00:07:14.170 threat to himself or others and like the school 00:07:14.170 --> 00:07:16.209 the other teachers at the school they all need 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:18.709 to be aware of this this isn't something that 00:07:18.709 --> 00:07:23.399 can just be left alone. My principal did not 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:27.120 appreciate my boldness. He did not want to do 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.240 what I had requested. And I said, okay, well, 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:31.980 it's either you do all of these things or here 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:34.459 is my letter of resignation. Mind you, this was 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:38.040 January. We were midway through the year. And 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:41.879 so he begrudgingly did all of those things, but 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:44.759 he told me to sweep it under the rug. His exact 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:46.980 words, they are burned into my brain, sweep it 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:50.560 under the rug. And I chose not to. And any number 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:52.519 of things could have happened. I am not okay 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:59.420 with that. I chose to make waves. I did not sit 00:07:59.420 --> 00:08:02.980 quietly. And I was in a very hostile environment 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:06.860 from January to May. I did still turn in my letter 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:10.959 of resignation. And with that came passive aggressive 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:15.279 marks and being snubbed in the hallway. There 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.750 was no conversation. At the end of the school 00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:21.509 year, there was no acknowledgement at like the 00:08:21.509 --> 00:08:23.910 end of the year assembly saying, hey, good luck 00:08:23.910 --> 00:08:26.329 on your next adventure. Nothing like that. All 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:28.149 of the other teachers who were leaving the building 00:08:28.149 --> 00:08:31.670 that year received some sort of recognition at 00:08:31.670 --> 00:08:34.269 the end of the year assembly. I did not. It was 00:08:34.269 --> 00:08:39.509 a very dark time for me. But I advocated for 00:08:39.509 --> 00:08:43.549 myself and I advocated for my students and I 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:48.090 advocated for the whole school. I did not want. 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:50.649 What was going to end up happening is if this 00:08:50.649 --> 00:08:53.409 student transferred schools, transferred districts, 00:08:53.669 --> 00:08:56.990 there was nothing in his permanent file saying 00:08:56.990 --> 00:09:02.090 this had happened and it would not have followed 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:06.129 him. Nobody would have known. And I made a big 00:09:06.129 --> 00:09:08.490 enough wave that he has something in his permanent 00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:11.490 files. There is acknowledgement of something 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:14.870 that had happened and there might be a pause 00:09:14.870 --> 00:09:18.980 in his next school. Because if he's doing this 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:24.120 at 10, what's he going to be doing at 16? So, 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.580 no, I made waves and I ended up getting myself 00:09:26.580 --> 00:09:30.000 blacklisted from teaching in the state that I 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:33.879 lived in at the time. And it was very ugly. But 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:39.440 I did what I needed to do to feel like I protected 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:43.559 everyone I could. Thank you for all that you 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:46.580 shared. And you had me thinking, in terms of 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:48.879 just the fact as to how our profession works, 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:53.799 it bothers me that we tend to see decisions that 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:57.840 are made on a matrix -based judgment. And on 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:01.299 that same pathway, we have a profession where 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.419 the educator becomes that sacrificial lamb, if 00:10:04.419 --> 00:10:07.279 you will, in order to try and protect our students, 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:11.379 because there seems to be a lack of wanting everybody 00:10:11.379 --> 00:10:14.000 to act in the best interests. It's more about 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.600 protecting the image. protecting the students 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.080 so thank you again for sharing that from your 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:21.659 own perspective and how that also came to unfold 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:25.440 so knowing that part of your story and of course 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:28.000 all of our different educators out there who 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.860 are listening who may have had something similar 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:32.600 where they had those wonderful elementary school 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:36.419 teachers and they had been fantasizing that perfect 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:38.899 career start to finish. I always thought that 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:41.860 when I retire, I'd have like a whole Mr. Holland's 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:43.879 Opus performance, right? I would have 30 years 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:46.460 of students on a stage in front of me singing 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:48.799 an anthem and there'll be thousands and thousands. 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:51.470 There won't be. There certainly will not be. 00:10:51.649 --> 00:10:54.970 And for educators who are trying to resonate 00:10:54.970 --> 00:10:57.669 with navigating burnout and trauma, even if they 00:10:57.669 --> 00:10:59.789 haven't experienced it yet, what advice would 00:10:59.789 --> 00:11:01.710 you have for new teachers entering the field 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:03.970 who are still pretty wide -eyed about it and 00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:06.169 don't even know what survival mode looks like? 00:11:06.649 --> 00:11:10.570 Oh, survival mode is rough. I always ask some 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:13.450 very deep questions when I meet a pre -service 00:11:13.450 --> 00:11:16.049 educator in the wild. What brought you into the 00:11:16.049 --> 00:11:20.710 profession? What are your expectations of your 00:11:20.710 --> 00:11:25.450 first five years? I do not know. Personally, 00:11:25.690 --> 00:11:27.730 I do not know of many teachers who are making 00:11:27.730 --> 00:11:30.490 it to the five -year mark anymore. There are. 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:33.570 There are fabulous educators out there. And there 00:11:33.570 --> 00:11:37.490 are fabulous districts and classrooms, administration, 00:11:37.929 --> 00:11:41.250 all of those things. There's just not enough 00:11:41.250 --> 00:11:44.470 of them. What I would say to a brand new baby 00:11:44.470 --> 00:11:47.350 teacher, make sure you have a support system. 00:11:47.710 --> 00:11:51.990 Make sure your support system is physically in 00:11:51.990 --> 00:11:54.490 front of you, not just your sister or your best 00:11:54.490 --> 00:11:57.330 friend on call. Make sure your support system 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:01.509 is on speed dial and that you can absolutely 00:12:01.509 --> 00:12:05.129 get away from the classroom on your time off. 00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:09.549 It is so important for your mental health to 00:12:09.549 --> 00:12:14.470 separate your work life from your personal life. 00:12:15.259 --> 00:12:18.200 If you are contracted from 7 .30 in the morning 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.200 to 3 .30 in the afternoon, whatever your contract 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:26.159 hours is, make sure, absolute sure, that those 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.220 are the only hours that you are giving to your 00:12:28.220 --> 00:12:31.279 classroom. Because if you bring work home, you 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:34.259 are working for free. And you are taking time 00:12:34.259 --> 00:12:36.399 away from yourself. You're taking time away from 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.799 your family. You are taking time away from your 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:42.159 rest. By doing so, you are going to burn yourself 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:46.539 out so quickly. And you are not doing yourself 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:50.019 service. You are just giving yourself freely 00:12:50.019 --> 00:12:55.039 to a classroom that you'll never be able to receive 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:57.960 back. It's easily dispensable too, at that matter. 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:00.080 Absolutely. There's some memes out there saying. 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.899 Your job description is going to be on Indeed 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:06.700 before your obituary is published in the newspaper. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:10.899 And there's so much truth to that. You are completely 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:13.799 replaceable in your classroom. You are not replaceable 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:15.879 in your personal life. If you have children at 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:19.700 home, if you have family at home, you are absolutely 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:23.299 irreplaceable in those moments, in those memories. 00:13:24.419 --> 00:13:31.509 And you're not in your work life. Gosh. What 00:13:31.509 --> 00:13:34.990 I needed in my first five years of teaching, 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:39.970 I needed to not spend my money in my classroom. 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:43.950 It is not your job to fund your classroom. So 00:13:43.950 --> 00:13:47.029 I needed somebody to give me a budget and say, 00:13:47.149 --> 00:13:49.710 hey, this is what you have. This is what you 00:13:49.710 --> 00:13:51.529 should be spending. This is what you need to 00:13:51.529 --> 00:13:55.190 be spending. You have $250 that you can write 00:13:55.190 --> 00:13:58.669 off on your taxes per year on education expenses. 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.330 If you go above that, you are giving freely and 00:14:03.330 --> 00:14:06.669 you're not going to be receiving it back. I also 00:14:06.669 --> 00:14:09.929 would have advocated for myself to have a counselor 00:14:09.929 --> 00:14:15.289 or a therapist, somebody who I could get feedback 00:14:15.289 --> 00:14:17.950 from. These are the things happening in my classroom. 00:14:18.049 --> 00:14:21.370 Yes, I had a classroom mentor, but I don't feel 00:14:21.370 --> 00:14:24.029 like it was the same because they're getting 00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:27.509 paid from the district to tell me all of the 00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:32.210 bubbly. fun, perfect, utopian things, not the 00:14:32.210 --> 00:14:35.090 realistic things. So brand new baby teachers, 00:14:35.269 --> 00:14:38.789 make sure you have a support system. Make sure 00:14:38.789 --> 00:14:41.690 that you have personal time and you're not giving 00:14:41.690 --> 00:14:44.350 away freely to your classroom or your district. 00:14:44.950 --> 00:14:47.289 Make sure you have a counselor or a therapist, 00:14:47.490 --> 00:14:51.090 somebody who you can talk to about the things 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:54.909 happening in your classroom, even within confidentiality, 00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:57.769 because there is a lot. As an educator, you have 00:14:57.769 --> 00:15:01.590 to have a very confidential veil for counselor, 00:15:01.929 --> 00:15:05.090 you are working with incompetentiality. So that 00:15:05.090 --> 00:15:07.629 shouldn't be a problem. Yeah. Make sure that 00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:11.429 you are taking time every single day, every weekend 00:15:11.429 --> 00:15:15.610 to absolutely get away from your classroom. You 00:15:15.610 --> 00:15:19.830 will not get that time back. Definitely. Some 00:15:19.830 --> 00:15:21.210 of the things that I've noticed that have really 00:15:21.210 --> 00:15:24.320 helped. new educators succeed are just having 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:26.879 a really supportive leadership. And I call it 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:29.440 the fire department. If the house is ever on 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.860 fire, you want to know that you have a fire department 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:34.720 that will really back it up and protect it. And 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:38.179 the leadership is among those who can really 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:41.000 make that happen. So great leadership, supportive 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.809 colleagues. And when we talk about mentors, I 00:15:43.809 --> 00:15:46.070 feel like mentors should be sought out. They 00:15:46.070 --> 00:15:48.509 shouldn't be assigned. In my first year of teaching, 00:15:48.649 --> 00:15:51.649 I was assigned a mentor and I was pretty much 00:15:51.649 --> 00:15:54.769 mentored or guided by being told everything I 00:15:54.769 --> 00:15:57.850 was doing wrong. I was never once told what I 00:15:57.850 --> 00:16:00.370 should fix, but I was just told, this is what 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:03.230 you're doing wrong. Now figure it out. What I'm 00:16:03.230 --> 00:16:06.110 hearing is you were in front of the fire hydrant. 00:16:06.330 --> 00:16:11.500 Yes. Exactly. Not actually told, hey, this is 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:13.759 what's happening and this is how we're going 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.259 to navigate you through fixing it. Yeah, exactly. 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:18.039 It's just like the leaking hydrogen to other 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:20.600 fire is still in full blaze, not knowing how 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:23.580 to plug in the hose. So mentors should be ones 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:25.960 that we seek out as the mentee. They shouldn't 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:28.179 be given to us because that's not a relationship 00:16:28.179 --> 00:16:31.480 that can always work out. And then if it can 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:33.679 be done, which is not always the case, but really 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:36.529 just trying to get good students. And in the 00:16:36.529 --> 00:16:38.490 case that you have students that really burn 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:41.370 you out under the classroom, culture issues can 00:16:41.370 --> 00:16:44.309 be really extreme at times. I have a lot of behavioral 00:16:44.309 --> 00:16:47.389 issues in my classes as well. Then at least having 00:16:47.389 --> 00:16:51.509 the leadership and the mentors to support the 00:16:51.509 --> 00:16:55.129 choices you make to get the best out of the students 00:16:55.129 --> 00:16:57.690 should at least be available to you because of 00:16:57.690 --> 00:16:59.909 all of those factors in that present that is 00:16:59.909 --> 00:17:04.619 on the road to quick burnout. And thinking about 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:06.460 what that looks like, your link tree includes 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:08.839 a lot of resources on trauma support and even 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:11.539 suicide intervention, which I'm so glad you brought 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:14.460 that up in your own classroom experiences as 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:17.140 well, because it's a crisis that we've seen in 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:19.180 our students who are a danger, like you said, 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:21.980 a danger to themselves or to others. And even 00:17:21.980 --> 00:17:24.359 educators who are on the road to burnout can 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:26.640 use that training for just understanding their 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.440 own emotions as well. So why is it so crucial 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:32.759 for educators to understand these tools? Are 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:35.339 there specific points or resources from your 00:17:35.339 --> 00:17:36.799 lean tree that we can start looking at today? 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:41.480 Yeah, so there are. Unfortunately, there are 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:45.519 a lot of teachers who hit that burnout and suicide 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:49.440 is the route that they take. I've known three 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:54.460 educators in 14 years, which on the grand scheme 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:58.039 of things is not a lot, but in very small rural 00:17:58.039 --> 00:17:59.859 communities that I've always been a part of. 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:03.579 That's a lot. I'm positive there are things happening 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:06.079 in personal life that were trickling into their 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:09.460 professional life. There are teachers who are 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:13.059 opting for completion of suicide. There are students 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:15.839 who are opting for completion of suicide. So 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:18.380 I feel there's not a moment to talk about it. 00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:21.440 There might not be the resource needed for it. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.380 In my link tree on any of my social media platforms, 00:18:26.619 --> 00:18:30.109 again, it's @beautifullyorganizedchaos. I do 00:18:30.109 --> 00:18:33.930 have some suicide prevention links. I also have 00:18:33.930 --> 00:18:38.609 some classes pinned that are, it's called the 00:18:38.609 --> 00:18:41.210 ASIST program. Suicide Intervention Skills Training. 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:44.529 Thank you. It's classes that you can take to 00:18:44.529 --> 00:18:49.089 help spot some things happening in students, 00:18:49.170 --> 00:18:53.630 adults, where you can intervene and just say, 00:18:53.650 --> 00:18:57.779 hey. I see you. Your reasoning is valid. And 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:01.539 that is so important to validate emotions and 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:05.319 validate experiences. And so the ASIST program 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:08.299 helps with all of those things. It helps you 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:12.440 as a layperson, educators, to be able to come 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:15.839 in, intervene, and just say, hey, I see you. 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:18.240 And I'm going to get you the help that I can. 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.920 It gives you resources. It gives you things like 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:25.180 that. Within my link tree as well, I have links 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:30.619 to resources and I'm working to get links in 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:35.099 all 50 states for resources for educators, resources 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:38.680 for students, and resources for parents. Now, 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.680 these resources are mental health resources. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:45.539 These resources are classroom interventions and 00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:48.920 things like that where you can go to find information. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:52.000 If you are in the thick of it in a classroom 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.009 and you are... absolutely swimming just to keep 00:19:55.009 --> 00:19:57.670 your head above water. The last thing you need 00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:01.589 to do is to Google, what can I do to help my 00:20:01.589 --> 00:20:04.009 classroom? Where can I go to help my classroom? 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:09.890 And so having a resource tree where educators 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:12.549 can just log in and be like, I need help with 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:14.589 this specific thing. They can find that link. 00:20:14.789 --> 00:20:17.470 And again, I'm just starting this. It's been 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:21.490 less than probably three or four months. So it 00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:24.420 is not... complete yet, but I'm working towards 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:27.799 it. And we're recording this segment in May 2025 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:30.279 for those looking for a little bit of a time 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:32.319 gap there. And we'll have that link tree available 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:34.980 in our show notes for today. So when we hear 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:36.740 the segment in times to come, we can see its 00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:38.920 evolution and how it's grown since then. Thank 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:40.920 you. So Amber, is there anything that we haven't 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:42.880 mentioned today in our conversation that we wanted 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:45.059 to talk a bit more about based upon you and your 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:48.220 story and what our listeners can be inspired 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:52.119 from and benefit from? Yeah. So when things happen, 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:54.579 traumatic things happen in your life, you have 00:20:54.579 --> 00:20:59.380 a moment, a chapter of your life where the pages 00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:02.799 are not written and you have what is called post 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:09.160 -traumatic growth. Lean into it. If you have 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:11.599 something traumatic happen in your life, in your 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:15.000 classroom, in your job, walking down the street, 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:19.559 you have epiphany. moments in your brain in your 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:25.420 psyche and you are open to a world of possibilities 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:29.039 because you might not have had a tomorrow absolutely 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:34.960 lean into it lean into it in a structured setting 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:40.039 if you will for me it took two years along with 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:42.759 The traumatic event happening in my classroom, 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:45.380 I also lost my brother to a completed suicide. 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:50.859 And I almost lost a foster daughter to a attempted 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:53.880 suicide. All within a month and a half time frame. 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:58.579 To say my mental health was not well is the understatement 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.839 of the century. It took me two years to come 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:06.200 out of that fog where... I was just starting. 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:09.940 I stepped away from the classroom. My life changed. 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:17.480 My expectation of my future changed. And I blew 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.519 with the wind. And I said, I know what's coming 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:23.200 next, but I'm terrified to voice it out into 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.039 the world. I'm terrified to speak it into existence. 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:31.839 And I started making one small step every single 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:35.640 day towards that growth that I was going for. 00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:40.279 At this point, we are three years out. At this 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:43.400 point, I am in my graduate program for clinical 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:47.460 mental health counseling. My goal with my counseling 00:22:47.460 --> 00:22:51.880 licensure is to help create the curriculum for 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:55.579 pre -service educators and administrators to 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:59.660 see and implement things into their classrooms 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:03.329 for mental health awareness for students. and 00:23:03.329 --> 00:23:06.470 her faculty staff. Within that post -traumatic 00:23:06.470 --> 00:23:10.609 growth, there is a lot of things that can happen, 00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:12.210 and there's a lot of things that become very 00:23:12.210 --> 00:23:17.069 clear, and I tell you, absolutely lean into it. 00:23:17.210 --> 00:23:22.250 Your life, your experience is important, and 00:23:22.250 --> 00:23:27.650 leaning into it will change, it will change your 00:23:27.650 --> 00:23:30.710 next chapter, and having a next chapter is the 00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:34.420 most important thing. And I have another question 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:35.940 I wanted to ask as well, now that I'm listening 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:38.599 to your story a little bit deeper as well. So 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:41.519 three months before I also began my first year 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.640 of teaching, I began teaching in August 2018. 00:23:44.730 --> 00:23:47.809 And in May 2018, seven years ago last week, I 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:49.849 lost a very close friend to suicide. And this 00:23:49.849 --> 00:23:52.369 is like the one person who was like a really 00:23:52.369 --> 00:23:53.970 good friend in high school. And I didn't have 00:23:53.970 --> 00:23:56.250 many, trust me, who would say to me, oh, you'll 00:23:56.250 --> 00:23:58.049 still teach. You'll change the world. Everyone's 00:23:58.049 --> 00:23:59.630 going to love you. You'll be a great writer one 00:23:59.630 --> 00:24:03.190 day. So I got my PhD kind of in his memory. Congratulations, 00:24:03.369 --> 00:24:07.130 by the way. And first of all, my condolences 00:24:07.130 --> 00:24:09.650 on behalf of your brother. And my question to 00:24:09.650 --> 00:24:12.109 you is, based upon your research as well as your 00:24:12.109 --> 00:24:16.420 lived experiences, How can those seeking their 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:19.039 post -traumatic growth in the aftermath of another 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:25.140 person's completed suicide take place? Oh, like 00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:29.160 I said, mine was a two -year -long muddle through 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:33.660 the thickest mental just minefield. There were 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:36.240 days that I could not get out of bed. There were 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:40.180 days where I was a puddle of soup on my bedroom 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:46.589 floor. Grief looked pretty ugly. But I knew that 00:24:46.589 --> 00:24:51.589 I had something to say. I knew that there was 00:24:51.589 --> 00:24:54.869 going to be something positive that came out 00:24:54.869 --> 00:24:58.690 of the biggest grief you could ever have. And 00:24:58.690 --> 00:25:02.130 I put myself into counseling. And I'm not trying 00:25:02.130 --> 00:25:04.809 to like shove therapy down people's throats. 00:25:04.849 --> 00:25:10.670 But there's something so important about unleashing 00:25:10.670 --> 00:25:13.779 what you have on the inside. A therapist's job 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:16.059 is not to give you advice. And I think that's 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:19.059 a lot of people's conception of, hey, how are 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:22.359 you doing? Here's my advice. Here's your homework. 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:24.940 Do this before our next session. And that's really 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:28.319 not what therapy is. Therapy is meant to verbalize 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:29.960 what's happening on the inside of your brain 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:34.779 and then help you navigate your emotions through 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:38.279 it, help you navigate your expectations, help 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:41.730 you navigate what you've experienced. and help 00:25:41.730 --> 00:25:45.210 you get to a point of understanding and acceptance 00:25:45.210 --> 00:25:49.809 and growth from whatever in your life is taking 00:25:49.809 --> 00:25:53.029 you to therapy. So I have two things. One of 00:25:53.029 --> 00:25:54.410 them is going to be a trigger warning, and I'll 00:25:54.410 --> 00:25:56.710 talk about that second. Again, make sure you 00:25:56.710 --> 00:25:59.009 have a support system. If you are going through 00:25:59.009 --> 00:26:01.490 the grief, if you are going through somebody 00:26:01.490 --> 00:26:05.349 around you, close to you, part of your life has 00:26:05.349 --> 00:26:09.099 completed suicide, make sure you have... a support 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:12.339 system in place. I would also say one of the 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:15.700 biggest things that I did for myself was I took 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:20.220 control of my health and not in a diet, crazy, 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:24.700 whatever. I went for walks without my technology. 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:30.079 I completely distanced myself from my phone and 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:33.339 I reconnected with nature, the sounds, the smells, 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:37.680 foot to pavement. And that does a lot of good. 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:40.400 for your mental health, whether you're ready 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:42.980 for it or not, but definitely make sure you have 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:45.259 a support system. It's really important to get 00:26:45.259 --> 00:26:48.559 all of those negative thoughts and even intentions 00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:51.720 out of your brain because stewing on them moves 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:55.059 you into dangerous territory, getting them out, 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:58.660 speaking them. And I'm not saying create a vlog 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:01.920 or anything like that. And there's premeditation 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:04.819 in some things like that, but make sure that 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:07.589 you are speaking to somebody. that you trust 00:27:07.589 --> 00:27:12.009 about the way that the suicide has impacted you 00:27:12.009 --> 00:27:15.630 and harmed you and what you're going to do in 00:27:15.630 --> 00:27:18.450 their honor, in their memory to make it have 00:27:18.450 --> 00:27:21.470 meaning for you. The second thing I was going 00:27:21.470 --> 00:27:23.990 to touch on, and I'm so sorry, trigger warning 00:27:23.990 --> 00:27:25.650 with this. I don't know what that looks like 00:27:25.650 --> 00:27:29.970 for a podcast, but my brother's death by suicide 00:27:29.970 --> 00:27:34.420 was very, very hard. The second hardest suicide 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:38.900 that affected me personally was an eight -year 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:44.640 -old student. It was March of 2020 when the world 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:49.640 shut down due to COVID. And a student in the 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:54.000 school that I was teaching at that year, an eight 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:57.039 -year -old student committed suicide because 00:27:57.039 --> 00:28:03.119 her safe haven was school. and nobody knew. Her 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.119 place of refuge was school, where they received 00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:14.660 food regularly was school, and nobody knew. That 00:28:14.660 --> 00:28:19.019 was one of the most difficult things. I had received 00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:21.519 a phone call from the school and said, hey, I 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:23.720 need you to go check in on this teacher. With 00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:25.759 no warning whatsoever of what was happening, 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:29.339 I went to a fellow educator's house, and I said, 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:31.930 hey. I'm just checking in on you. And she was 00:28:31.930 --> 00:28:34.930 a mess. I had no idea what had happened. She 00:28:34.930 --> 00:28:37.309 had to explain to me what had happened. I was 00:28:37.309 --> 00:28:39.710 distraught for her and she was distraught. She 00:28:39.710 --> 00:28:42.109 had stated in her, I think she had already retired 00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:44.990 from teaching and had come back. So in her 30 00:28:44.990 --> 00:28:47.630 years of education, that was the hardest thing 00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:50.250 she ever had to do was go and speak at this little 00:28:50.250 --> 00:28:55.490 girl's funeral. If you see something, say something. 00:28:56.529 --> 00:29:00.390 I cannot give enough. validation to that. If 00:29:00.390 --> 00:29:03.789 you see something, say something. Because nowhere 00:29:03.789 --> 00:29:05.970 in, I mean, this little girl was eight. And I 00:29:05.970 --> 00:29:08.190 think about that my daughter is seven, almost 00:29:08.190 --> 00:29:11.730 eight. So she was second grade. The child had 00:29:11.730 --> 00:29:14.069 been through kindergarten first and partially 00:29:14.069 --> 00:29:17.309 through her second grade year. And nobody knew 00:29:17.309 --> 00:29:20.029 that she was being abused at home, that she was 00:29:20.029 --> 00:29:23.230 not being fed at home. But there had to have 00:29:23.230 --> 00:29:25.960 been somebody who knew. Whether it was a relative 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:28.039 that had come to the house and saw something. 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:31.160 Whether it was other friends. And I'm not saying 00:29:31.160 --> 00:29:33.140 that the eight -year -old girl's friends needed 00:29:33.140 --> 00:29:36.579 to step out and be like, yeah, this is happening 00:29:36.579 --> 00:29:38.720 at so -and -so's house. That's not what I'm saying. 00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:42.859 But if other parents saw something, they needed 00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:46.960 to say something. Be brave enough to be the villain 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:51.559 in somebody else's story. Absolutely. Be brave 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:55.819 enough. to call somebody out on their bullshit. 00:29:56.160 --> 00:30:00.000 Be brave enough to be the villain by calling 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:05.480 CPS, by alerting somebody. Because there was 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:09.200 nobody that stepped in and said, she's not being 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:11.420 fed. There's nobody that stepped in and said, 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:16.019 I think she's in a dangerous situation. And at 00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:19.460 eight years old, took her own life because she 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:23.200 couldn't fathom. but going another day without 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:26.279 her safe haven of school. And it's not okay. 00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:31.460 I really appreciate that validation of being 00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:34.240 the villain in someone's story because it echoes 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:37.559 the sentiment of, if as an educator, if you are 00:30:37.559 --> 00:30:41.460 going to fail by trying to overcome the atrocities 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:44.579 of the system, at least fail with some level 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:47.180 of grace in knowing that you made that attempt 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:50.690 to save it for somebody. Absolutely. I threw 00:30:50.690 --> 00:30:55.210 my career away. I threw my career away to make 00:30:55.210 --> 00:30:59.390 sure that my 24 students could walk into their 00:30:59.390 --> 00:31:01.730 classroom safely and I would do it again tomorrow. 00:31:03.029 --> 00:31:05.789 What would you say is the secret sauce to education? 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:09.690 I think that's a double -edged sword. Quality 00:31:09.690 --> 00:31:12.910 educators are so important. Quality education 00:31:12.910 --> 00:31:17.690 is so important. But I feel like the students 00:31:17.690 --> 00:31:21.730 that we are receiving in... 2025 are not the 00:31:21.730 --> 00:31:26.329 students that we went to school to teach. How 00:31:26.329 --> 00:31:29.190 many of your years ago? In 2019. Yeah. Yeah. 00:31:29.190 --> 00:31:36.269 I graduated in 2012 and I went in just gung ho. 00:31:36.390 --> 00:31:38.950 I'm going to change the world. And no, no, these 00:31:38.950 --> 00:31:41.789 children are going to change me. I feel like 00:31:41.789 --> 00:31:46.549 the students that we have today are not the caliber 00:31:46.549 --> 00:31:50.680 of students that we. anticipate i say expectations 00:31:50.680 --> 00:31:54.460 a lot because as a person who has very high expectations 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:58.839 of others my expectations were constantly not 00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:05.680 being met um but it's it's a double -edged sword 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:08.839 unfortunately the children that we need are being 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:13.700 raised by competent and emotionally safe parents 00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:18.160 And in a lot of cases, I'm not saying all, but 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:21.279 in a lot of cases, parents are not home because 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:24.220 they can no longer afford to live their life 00:32:24.220 --> 00:32:28.420 on a single income. And that is just the nature 00:32:28.420 --> 00:32:32.200 of the beast in today's day. So students are 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:34.440 being raised, children are being raised by tablets, 00:32:34.619 --> 00:32:38.000 by television, and by others. And I'm not saying 00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:41.200 all, this is not a blanket statement, but the 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:43.579 caliber of students that we are receiving in 00:32:43.579 --> 00:32:48.079 education, is lacking in a lot of areas. So what 00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:52.059 is the secret sauce? Presence. Being present 00:32:52.059 --> 00:32:58.740 with your children is a secret sauce for emotionally 00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:05.880 intelligent students. And I personally, I am 00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:09.440 in grad school. I work full -time and I'm in 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:12.700 grad school full -time and I am not able to be 00:33:12.700 --> 00:33:15.789 there. a significant amount of time with my children. 00:33:16.390 --> 00:33:19.390 But when I am with my children, I am not on my 00:33:19.390 --> 00:33:22.089 cell phone. I am not just sitting in front of 00:33:22.089 --> 00:33:26.309 a TV. I am making sure that my children's emotional 00:33:26.309 --> 00:33:29.150 needs are met. I am making sure that my children 00:33:29.150 --> 00:33:35.190 have a safe place to come. And I feel like there 00:33:35.190 --> 00:33:38.049 would be a lot of positive movement forward. 00:33:38.829 --> 00:33:41.869 if there was an ability for the emotional intelligence 00:33:41.869 --> 00:33:45.529 of adults raising emotional intelligent humans. 00:33:45.930 --> 00:33:48.509 Amber, thank you so much today for your honesty, 00:33:48.650 --> 00:33:51.210 your courage, and the way that you hold space 00:33:51.210 --> 00:33:54.049 for others in this work. Your words today haven't 00:33:54.049 --> 00:33:56.710 just been reminders, they've also served to become 00:33:56.710 --> 00:34:00.130 rallying cries for change in how we treat teachers, 00:34:00.490 --> 00:34:03.970 students, and ourselves when, as you hint at, 00:34:04.130 --> 00:34:07.569 being present for emotionally intelligent students. 00:34:08.329 --> 00:34:10.809 And for those of you listening today, be sure 00:34:10.809 --> 00:34:13.909 to check out Amber's work at the handle at @beautifullyorganizedchaos 00:34:13.909 --> 00:34:16.989 And remember, you don't have 00:34:16.989 --> 00:34:19.849 to choose between caring deeply and surviving 00:34:19.849 --> 00:34:23.469 the system. There is a way forward. Stay grounded, 00:34:23.610 --> 00:34:27.110 stay human, and we'll see you next time on the 00:34:27.110 --> 00:34:30.449 Classroom Narratives podcast. Thank you for joining 00:34:30.449 --> 00:34:32.840 us on the Classroom Narratives. Healing and Education 00:34:32.840 --> 00:34:36.119 podcast. If today's episode inspired you or made 00:34:36.119 --> 00:34:38.119 you think differently, I'd love to hear from 00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:40.980 you. Drop a comment or review wherever you listen 00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:43.780 to podcasts and stay connected with us on the 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:46.159 At Classroom Narratives podcast over Instagram 00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:49.639 and Facebook. Remember, together we can transform 00:34:49.639 --> 00:34:53.300 our scars into stars in education, one conversation 00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:54.400 at a time.