WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.259 Hello everyone, my name is Eleni Webster and 00:00:02.259 --> 00:00:04.839 I am a graduate teaching assistant and classroom 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.259 instructor for public speaking and other communication 00:00:07.259 --> 00:00:10.960 studies related courses. I am a survivor of the 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.919 Stoneman Douglas High school Shooting and tragedy. 00:00:14.179 --> 00:00:17.399 I was a Parkland student at that time and I am 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:19.679 a huge advocate for trauma -informed education 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.100 and culturally informed education. I think it's 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:25.539 so important to create a safe and engaging and 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:28.239 welcoming atmosphere in the classroom. Welcome 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:30.620 to the Classroom Narratives Healing and Education 00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:33.859 podcast, the space where education meets resilience. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:38.000 I'm Dr. Joey Weisler, and in each episode, we 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.320 dive deep into the personal stories of educators, 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:44.420 students, leaders, and frontline advocates who 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:47.000 are navigating the complexities within modern 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:49.659 education. Whether you're just starting your 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:52.060 teaching journey, or are we seasoned professionals 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:54.820 looking for inspiration, we'll explore how to 00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:57.979 foster meaningful change, prevent burnout, and 00:00:57.979 --> 00:01:00.320 build trauma -informed communities within our 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.060 schools. Now, let's take a seat at the front 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.980 of the classroom as we get started. Welcome to 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:08.819 today's segment. I'm truly honored to have Ms. 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:11.879 Eleni Webster joining us today, who is a graduate 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:15.099 teaching assistant, otherwise known as a GTA, 00:01:15.340 --> 00:01:18.620 and master's student at Florida Atlantic University. 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:22.340 She's also the assistant director of FAU's Speaking 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.280 Center, and despite her exceptionally established 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.540 roles, it's important to continue emphasizing 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:30.939 that all views from this podcast are not affiliated 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:34.379 with FAU and are entirely our own. But what drew 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:37.650 me to Eleni was... First, we share a very dear 00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:41.069 mutual mentor to both of us. Eleni's director is 00:01:41.069 --> 00:01:43.790 no other than my very own public speaking professor, 00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:46.870 Ms. Cynde Carrico, who was one of my first college 00:01:46.870 --> 00:01:50.489 instructors in fall 2013 and is a pedagogist 00:01:50.489 --> 00:01:52.609 who has always made me love the classroom landscape. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.980 Second, I did not learn until more recently that 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.799 Eleni was a freshman attending Marjory Stoneman 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.840 Douglas High School in the 2017 -2018 school 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.900 year and was present at school on February 14, 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:09.000 2018. And so Eleni fit the profile for a guest 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.539 who can not only discuss her triumphant comeback 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:14.620 into a system that depleted her community, but 00:02:14.620 --> 00:02:17.560 can also discuss the resiliency journey leading 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:20.819 up to that success. So Eleni, warm welcomes to 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:23.490 the show. And I wanted to begin today's conversation 00:02:23.490 --> 00:02:26.090 by asking, can you take us through the journey 00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:28.550 of when you came to realize that you could return 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:30.889 to the very system that brought trauma to you 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:33.189 and your peers and actually be a part of changing 00:02:33.189 --> 00:02:36.210 it for future students? Wow, that's a great question. 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:40.090 So in 2018, thinking back of how that year was 00:02:40.090 --> 00:02:43.530 for me, how the system served me and or failed 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:46.050 me as well as my peers, figuring out what is 00:02:46.050 --> 00:02:47.770 it that we needed. I think that was the first 00:02:47.770 --> 00:02:50.150 thing to think about is like, what does a child 00:02:50.150 --> 00:02:54.599 need? in such a critical period of their life. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.599 And I think so much of it is support and empathy. 00:02:59.219 --> 00:03:01.580 And I think the most difficult part of it is 00:03:01.580 --> 00:03:05.500 that no one exactly is trained to know how to 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:07.800 cope with all of this. For example, like in elementary 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.840 school, myself, my sister, so many of my peers, 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:13.120 we win these awards of writing these essays of 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.680 like, what happens when your house is on fire? 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:18.580 And we're so well equipped from a young age as 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:21.810 to like how to cope with. those kinds of emergencies 00:03:21.810 --> 00:03:24.969 but this sort of emergency you always hear about 00:03:24.969 --> 00:03:26.750 in the news and you never think it's going to 00:03:26.750 --> 00:03:30.050 happen to you so when it does no one knows what 00:03:30.050 --> 00:03:31.990 to do the children don't know what to do the 00:03:31.990 --> 00:03:33.569 parents don't know what to do administration 00:03:33.569 --> 00:03:37.229 teachers even certain psychologists like everyone's 00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:38.870 kind of sitting there going oh my goodness like 00:03:38.870 --> 00:03:41.669 how can we deal with such a tragic thing and 00:03:41.669 --> 00:03:44.169 so I think that's that's something that's always 00:03:44.169 --> 00:03:47.930 in the back of my mind when I'm even educating 00:03:47.930 --> 00:03:50.349 my students is thinking like everyone here has 00:03:50.349 --> 00:03:52.370 a trauma that they're not necessarily revealing. 00:03:52.770 --> 00:03:54.330 It's not like all my students are going to tell 00:03:54.330 --> 00:03:57.009 me like, oh, so -and -so has been abused in this 00:03:57.009 --> 00:04:00.370 sense in their home or by their partner or has 00:04:00.370 --> 00:04:03.669 gone through a violent incident as we did, like 00:04:03.669 --> 00:04:06.169 a school shooting, et cetera. But it's kind of 00:04:06.169 --> 00:04:09.469 knowing like, how can I approach the classroom 00:04:09.469 --> 00:04:12.310 so that all of my students can feel safe enough? 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.000 Maybe they may not feel safe in themselves to 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.920 discuss or reveal these parts of themselves, 00:04:17.060 --> 00:04:18.959 but how can I create an environment where they 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:23.079 feel welcome, comfortable, safe? I'm also, like 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:25.839 Joey, very much into pedagogy. Shout out to Professor 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:30.500 Cynde, who taught pedagogy for us. So I love 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:33.040 dancing. I'm very big in Latin dance. And so 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:35.120 I'll bring that into the classroom. So I teach 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.560 public speaking. performance anxiety and speech 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:41.319 anxiety are pretty much interlinked there's tons 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:43.100 of research on this so that's something i'll 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:45.279 bring into the table like all right before we 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.439 get into speeches let's get up and let's dance 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:50.420 and let's have a few of us come to the front 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:53.740 or just doing unconventional things like sitting 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:55.879 in a circle instead of having them all face me 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:57.240 it's like all right let's all sit in a circle 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:01.180 and what can we do so it's not just me lecturing 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.819 at you but how can everyone have their voice 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:06.819 heard. I'm also very big on having discussions 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:09.319 where not everyone agrees with each other and 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:11.980 how can we learn to have these conversations 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:15.920 in which we can disagree in a respectful manner. 00:05:16.589 --> 00:05:18.589 One thing I always mention to my students is 00:05:18.589 --> 00:05:23.110 ARA. So A is acknowledge. I want us all to acknowledge 00:05:23.110 --> 00:05:26.129 we have different points of views. R is respect. 00:05:26.350 --> 00:05:28.250 We've got to respect those individual points 00:05:28.250 --> 00:05:31.750 of views. And then the last A is analyze. Analyze 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:34.029 the other point of view, not only to find flaws, 00:05:34.189 --> 00:05:37.069 but also to find strengths. Because you never 00:05:37.069 --> 00:05:38.670 know where you're going to be five years, ten 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:40.769 years down the line, and that might be your new 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:44.519 perspective. And I think, again, to kind of tie 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:46.620 it all together is just thinking back to what 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:48.819 is it that I needed, my peers needed back in 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:52.939 2018? What do my students also need? And how 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:55.879 can I create a very welcoming, comfortable, safe 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:58.600 atmosphere in the classroom? That's incredible. 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:02.300 And I also love this idea of having a dancing 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:05.019 in the socratic circles and classrooms that. 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:08.540 invite, but don't require students to engage, 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.180 but does so in a way that values their safety 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:13.819 and their voice as well. And I think those are 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:16.000 common pedagogies that you and I have experienced 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.800 through our own educators in college as well. 00:06:18.220 --> 00:06:21.100 And it leads me to think about, first of all, 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.040 not everybody reveals their traumas, that's true. 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:25.540 But a lot of us also don't know what to do once 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:28.139 those come about. What were some things that 00:06:28.139 --> 00:06:32.079 you found were missing, back in 2018 that you 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:34.459 wish you and your peers had more of to guide 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:38.420 you through such a time? I think I'm going to 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:41.319 try to remember because again, trauma entails 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:43.759 a lot of like blocking out. So I, I, there's 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:45.959 a big part of my life there. That's kind of like 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:50.079 blurry in my mind. I would say I was grateful 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:53.339 for, for example, they put on campus like two 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:55.699 trailers that were like for therapists, psychologists, 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:58.180 counselors to be there for us. And I think that 00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:03.189 was just the fact that it was there for me personally 00:07:03.189 --> 00:07:08.290 felt very, like I felt seen. I didn't always 00:07:08.290 --> 00:07:10.670 feel seen and understood, but just the fact that 00:07:10.670 --> 00:07:13.250 it was there was like, okay, they care enough 00:07:13.250 --> 00:07:15.209 to put this here. I think what could have been 00:07:15.209 --> 00:07:17.769 implemented that I honestly did not see implemented 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:22.029 very much was more awareness of like, I wish 00:07:22.029 --> 00:07:25.209 we could have had. licensed therapists maybe 00:07:25.209 --> 00:07:28.110 come into the classroom and take up like some 00:07:28.110 --> 00:07:29.889 minutes of class time because at the end of the 00:07:29.889 --> 00:07:32.990 day some teachers could not continue the curriculum 00:07:32.990 --> 00:07:35.769 for students that have a mind that cannot even 00:07:35.769 --> 00:07:38.449 absorb information or content anymore like some 00:07:38.449 --> 00:07:41.310 people were just trying to survive getting out 00:07:41.310 --> 00:07:44.209 of bed and coming back to campus where there 00:07:44.209 --> 00:07:46.350 is the blood stains and the memories and everything 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:48.990 is just so hard enough like how can you even 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:52.699 try to absorb content now every student was different. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:54.639 Some students were like, I want to be taught 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:56.519 like that will distract me. Other students are 00:07:56.519 --> 00:07:59.660 like, I don't want to know algebra right now. 00:07:59.740 --> 00:08:01.699 So I think, again, it comes down to individual. 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:05.120 I think trauma is very individually manifested 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.180 differently and in diverse manners. But as I 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:09.439 was saying, I really think having like licensed 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:11.180 therapists, counselors, psychologists come into 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:13.779 the classroom and be like, let's have a 20 minute 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:16.240 session about like, what do you do if you're 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.250 dealing with suicidal ideation? What do you do 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:23.850 if you have no idea how to cope with so many 00:08:23.850 --> 00:08:26.589 thoughts, so many emotions? Let's teach somatic 00:08:26.589 --> 00:08:28.970 therapy. Like the fact that I wasn't aware of 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:31.730 certain somatic therapy until college was crazy 00:08:31.730 --> 00:08:34.669 to me until I started teaching it to my own students. 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:37.269 Just so many things like that. I think that would 00:08:37.269 --> 00:08:39.190 even just that. I think that's the number one 00:08:39.190 --> 00:08:41.009 thing that will come to mind right now is having 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.629 them come to the classroom, take up some class 00:08:43.629 --> 00:08:48.750 time and just teach as basic. psychological anxiety 00:08:48.750 --> 00:08:51.730 coping strategies would have been beautiful and 00:08:51.730 --> 00:08:53.509 I think that's something that I now bring to 00:08:53.509 --> 00:08:55.750 the classroom again it is connected to like public 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:58.549 speaking anxiety performance anxiety but I always 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:00.889 tell my students like this is also for you personally 00:09:00.889 --> 00:09:03.649 experiment and see what works for you because 00:09:04.090 --> 00:09:07.250 Maybe you hate going to the doctor and this is 00:09:07.250 --> 00:09:09.830 going to help you do this, this X, Y, Z, or maybe 00:09:09.830 --> 00:09:13.090 you get anxiety just walking into a party and 00:09:13.090 --> 00:09:15.289 you just want to be a young adult and go to a 00:09:15.289 --> 00:09:17.370 party or go to a bar, whatever you do in your 00:09:17.370 --> 00:09:19.669 free time, but you get social anxiety, like use 00:09:19.669 --> 00:09:22.289 these strategies. And I think if we would have 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:24.789 been taught that even since elementary school, 00:09:24.830 --> 00:09:26.990 like why aren't we taught that since the age 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:29.289 of four, how to regulate your nervous system? 00:09:29.330 --> 00:09:32.049 I think that's something that the education system 00:09:32.049 --> 00:09:35.070 should be implementing since kindergarten, since 00:09:35.070 --> 00:09:39.590 preschool. We need more conversations on just 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:43.570 how to regulate the body and let Maslow over 00:09:43.570 --> 00:09:46.110 Bloom into our classrooms where we just understand 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.070 that students cannot focus if their nervous system's 00:09:50.070 --> 00:09:53.509 out of sync. And Bessel van der Kolk has tons 00:09:53.509 --> 00:09:55.309 of work about this. It's called The Brain and 00:09:55.309 --> 00:09:58.490 Body, keep the score. And Bessel van der Kolk 00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:00.549 talks about the brain and the body with how they 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:03.889 physically manifest trauma on their own. And 00:10:03.889 --> 00:10:05.889 I appreciate you mentioning that because I think 00:10:05.889 --> 00:10:09.409 I noticed when I went back that there was no 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:12.129 right or wrong way to handle things just because 00:10:12.129 --> 00:10:15.950 nobody knew. When I asked the sub coordinator, 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:20.269 how do I do this? Her answer was just take each 00:10:20.269 --> 00:10:22.830 classroom, look at the students and take it one 00:10:22.830 --> 00:10:24.909 classroom period at a time. And you'll figure 00:10:24.909 --> 00:10:27.570 that out once you see them. I'm like, I'll try. 00:10:27.990 --> 00:10:30.769 That's all we can do. Just give it a try. And 00:10:30.769 --> 00:10:33.840 same thing happened in 2018-19 as well. And 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:36.240 it makes me wonder, what are some things that 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:38.639 you now do in terms of when you approach your 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.379 own students that you're showing them pedagogy 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:43.779 or things that you either had or were lacking 00:10:43.779 --> 00:10:46.519 that now you want to give to them? Absolutely. 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:49.299 I think one thing that I like to do that I unfortunately 00:10:49.299 --> 00:10:51.600 noticed for some reason is happening in university 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:54.779 teaching is where we assume that undergrads can't 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:58.740 handle theory. And my philosophy is. If they're 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:00.580 not handling your theory, it's because you're 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:03.519 not presenting it fun or relevant enough. There 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:05.399 are tons of pedagogy books that explain that 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:08.120 if you do not establish relevance or make it 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:11.019 like enough attention seeking, they're not going 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:13.639 to care, obviously. So one thing that I do is 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:18.240 I present theory as fun and as engaging and as 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:20.480 practical as possible. So, for example, I teach 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.960 them Maslow's hierarchy and I'm like, OK, how 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.460 many of you raise your hands if you would? care 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:28.100 to share did come to class today and has not 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:30.620 had breakfast and then a lot of them will raise 00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:33.820 their hand and i'll say okay how much of my words 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:35.600 are you really absorbing right now versus the 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.179 days that you have come eating and then we'll 00:11:38.179 --> 00:11:40.120 open up this nice conversation where obviously 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:41.799 everyone's like well yeah if you're hungry you 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:45.500 can't focus etc etc and then that's a way i can 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:47.480 like tie in theory and just make it relevant 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:50.679 to them Maslow's is just an example but i think 00:11:50.990 --> 00:11:53.570 Creating a toolkit, even if you don't present 00:11:53.570 --> 00:11:55.649 it as a toolkit, but kind of embed it throughout, 00:11:55.850 --> 00:11:58.330 or if you present it as like these are your strategy 00:11:58.330 --> 00:12:01.210 toolkits, either way works. And I think educators 00:12:01.210 --> 00:12:03.889 just need to find their style. Probably one of 00:12:03.889 --> 00:12:06.250 the first classes I do is anxiety coping, again, 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:09.000 because it is public speaking. everyone is freaking 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:11.080 out. I would say 90 % of my students are freaking 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.539 out when they get to my class. So I'm like, okay, 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:15.059 we're going to make this class fun. We're going 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:17.220 to make it engaging. We're going to have the 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:20.019 dancing. We're going to do enough activities 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:22.139 where you all get to know each other. So many 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:24.320 of my students will tell me that this is the 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:27.200 only class in which they know their peers' names. 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:29.899 Also one of the only classes where they know 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.159 my name. Some students will go to college and 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:34.759 not know their own professor's names. Me personally, 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:36.419 I always knew their name, but apparently this 00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.980 is a very common phenomenon. So I try to build 00:12:38.980 --> 00:12:40.779 rapport with them. Obviously, I have certain 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:44.159 boundaries that cannot be crossed. Even though 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:46.200 I'm a very young educator, I'm very much like 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.039 you will refer to me as Miss Webster. You will 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:50.240 not first name me. That's a personal thing. Every 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.580 educator has their own style. But I always encourage 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:57.700 other fellow GTAs as well to find your style, 00:12:57.860 --> 00:13:01.250 find what is. Like the rapport and balancing 00:13:01.250 --> 00:13:03.730 with the boundaries. Again, all of us really 00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:06.470 make a big emphasis on teaching them anxiety 00:13:06.470 --> 00:13:10.289 coping. Something that I also do is I have that 00:13:10.289 --> 00:13:12.370 self -conversation with them of what do we do 00:13:12.370 --> 00:13:15.009 in an active shooter situation? And I always 00:13:15.009 --> 00:13:17.169 preface it. And I'm like, if you need to exit 00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:19.409 the room right now, if this is a triggering conversation, 00:13:19.710 --> 00:13:21.210 I'm not going to judge. None of us are going 00:13:21.210 --> 00:13:24.129 to judge. Like, take this time now. OK, it's 00:13:24.129 --> 00:13:25.870 important for us to have this conversation because. 00:13:26.590 --> 00:13:28.809 It is very prevalent. I actually have not told 00:13:28.809 --> 00:13:31.789 my students. I think they can tell by my tone 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:33.710 that it hits pretty home when I start talking 00:13:33.710 --> 00:13:36.230 about it. But I don't tell my students that I 00:13:36.230 --> 00:13:37.529 am a school shooting survivor. I don't believe 00:13:37.529 --> 00:13:39.870 I've done so in the past few semesters. But I 00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:41.809 always also start with how many of your other 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:44.370 professors have ever had a conversation with 00:13:44.370 --> 00:13:46.889 you in college about what to do in an active 00:13:46.889 --> 00:13:51.110 shooter situation? Zero. In all my semesters 00:13:51.110 --> 00:13:53.490 of teaching, not one student has said that a 00:13:53.490 --> 00:13:55.350 previous professor has taught that. They've said 00:13:55.350 --> 00:13:58.009 high school had, but not college. And I'm like, 00:13:58.049 --> 00:14:02.269 oh no. I say, okay. I use some infographics that 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:04.990 I find off of like universities that post what 00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:08.169 to do on their websites. And I'll do the whole 00:14:08.169 --> 00:14:10.389 step one, step two, step three. These are your 00:14:10.389 --> 00:14:12.789 options. And then I say, okay, what can we do 00:14:12.789 --> 00:14:14.529 with the classroom? And I'll have them tell me. 00:14:14.610 --> 00:14:18.139 I had one student actually say. hey, I'm a summer 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:20.820 camp counselor and this is what we do in the 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:23.139 classroom. And we add kind of like this resource, 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:27.159 et cetera. So I also have them tell me what they 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:29.399 would do in said situation. How can I make them 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:31.940 feel more comfortable about all of this? But 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:35.379 it does disturb me that it is not a conversation 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:38.100 that even if it's like a three minute conversation, 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:42.740 it's not being had. And that concerns me. I agree. 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:45.830 And I'm actually guilty of that as well. Some 00:14:45.830 --> 00:14:47.289 things I'm thinking about here is I love how 00:14:47.289 --> 00:14:49.730 you mentioned just that building of rapport is 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:51.549 one thing that I've learned as the secret sauce 00:14:51.549 --> 00:14:54.570 is that we need to build the community of students 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:58.529 amongst each other in the process of them to 00:14:58.529 --> 00:15:00.730 build a community and relationship with us as 00:15:00.730 --> 00:15:03.309 their instructor. One activity that I do with 00:15:03.309 --> 00:15:05.330 them. Well, I'll mention two activities. So one 00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:07.529 that I do with them is that every day we do. 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:10.340 Technically professors call it like an exit ticket, 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:12.220 but I do it in the beginning. We still call it 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:13.700 exit tickets because they give it to me as they 00:15:13.700 --> 00:15:16.179 walk out. But essentially I'll do one question. 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:18.860 Sometimes it's academic related. So it's like, 00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:21.879 what part of the new upcoming assignment is stressing 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:24.200 you out? And like, write down your concern. Or 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:26.120 another day it'll be like, what's your favorite 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:28.440 flower? And another day it's like, what's your 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:31.000 favorite animal? And what I do is I'll read each 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.960 one and I'll give them a little stamp. and they 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:35.980 think it's cute and it shows like i read it and 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:39.259 i get to know each one of them individually which 00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:42.389 is very nice because i don't have that one -on 00:15:42.389 --> 00:15:44.750 -one time with any of them, but I'm used to being 00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:47.570 a tutor. So having that one -on -one. So that's 00:15:47.570 --> 00:15:49.490 one way that I get to know them all individually 00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:51.669 is I see what's concerning them. I know a little 00:15:51.669 --> 00:15:53.470 bit about like, okay, what are their preferences 00:15:53.470 --> 00:15:56.269 now? What can I tie into the analogies I use 00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:58.490 in the classroom? Or if a lot of them are like 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:01.110 really into a certain sport, I can keep referencing 00:16:01.110 --> 00:16:03.490 that sport and they all get excited. So that's 00:16:03.490 --> 00:16:06.570 the exit tickets that I do. I also do these game 00:16:06.570 --> 00:16:08.610 shows where we pretend it's like a Family Feud 00:16:08.610 --> 00:16:11.830 Jeopardy thing. It takes me hours to make, but 00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:14.529 they love it each time. They get very competitive. 00:16:14.629 --> 00:16:17.289 They team up. And then the lightning round question 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:20.950 is always name every person on the opposite team. 00:16:22.190 --> 00:16:25.850 And I was so proud that last semester the student 00:16:25.850 --> 00:16:28.049 got it perfectly. I mean, he had perfect time. 00:16:28.210 --> 00:16:33.480 It was amazing. the best memories with them. 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:36.559 And so then at the end, I write each student 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.860 an individual note, like on an index card, and 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:42.080 I put together all of their exit tickets. And 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:44.500 I call it their souvenir, their passport. It's 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:46.799 their graduating passport from my class. So I 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:49.019 call all my students diplomats because they need 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:52.080 to learn to be diplomatic and tactical, but also 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:54.700 confident, all these things. So I'll have them, 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.600 I'll write each of them a note telling them like, 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.879 I'm so proud to see you progress and this, this, 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:00.879 and this. I'm so excited. And then I'll tell 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.059 them. I'm excited to see you become a doctor. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:05.920 I'm excited to see you become, and I'll tell 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:08.039 them their career. Because by then I've memorized 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.359 what they all want to do with like their future 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:12.660 careers. And then the last day of class or the 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:14.880 last few weeks, they write me a note. Tell me 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:17.359 what you liked about the class. And then I give 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:20.079 them a few prompts. And it's always so nostalgic, 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:23.799 sentimental, memorable. It's a lot of fun. Incredible. 00:17:24.990 --> 00:17:27.369 And yeah, I think the one thing that Eleni and 00:17:27.369 --> 00:17:30.150 I can both agree on the secret sauce is to make 00:17:30.150 --> 00:17:32.430 the students feel valued. If they feel like you're 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:34.650 just a number to them, then your class will be 00:17:34.650 --> 00:17:36.369 treated just like another subject to them. But 00:17:36.369 --> 00:17:38.410 if there is personality and there's value in 00:17:38.410 --> 00:17:41.009 that, they will invest so much more into that. 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:43.890 I'm also thinking about, so we talked about boundaries 00:17:43.890 --> 00:17:48.210 as well. So, and as an educator, what are some 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.789 boundaries that you keep up for yourself in front 00:17:50.789 --> 00:17:53.160 of your students and vice versa? What are some 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:55.119 things that your students have told you? And 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.140 in connection to just handling and dealing with 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:01.819 those emotions, how do you do it in a way that 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:04.259 still protects you, the student, and your classroom? 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:08.799 I think one of the keys of being a quality educator 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.779 is learning how to establish boundaries. I think 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:14.359 when it comes to, for example, them sharing things 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:16.400 with me, I did have one student that did share 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.079 that they were from Parkland or that they were 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.799 from MSD, but they did say that in their speech. 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:23.079 And they said that the reason they were able 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:26.819 to share that is that the atmosphere felt safe 00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:29.339 enough to be vulnerable. And again, that comes 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:32.019 to establishing, yes, we have boundaries, but 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:34.720 yes, also we're comfortable here sharing, but 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:36.400 also we have boundaries. And it's kind of, again, 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:39.579 finding the equilibrium and balance. And I think 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:41.440 that was very beautiful because a lot of them 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:46.000 get very vulnerable in their speeches. And it's 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:47.720 so important for everyone to just realize we're 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:50.700 going to respect one another here. And we're 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:52.740 going to appreciate everybody. I think humanizing 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:55.220 is very important. Like you said, a lot of times 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:57.440 people are just considered a number. These are 00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:59.539 just my fellow students in the classroom. Boom, 00:18:59.579 --> 00:19:02.980 we're all numbers. There's 28 of us. Done. No, 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:05.400 it's like I know everybody's name. First step 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:07.180 to humanizing something, knowing each other's 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:10.119 names. Second, building that community, having 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:12.900 them get to know each other through I do group 00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:15.759 activities with them and seeing each other's 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:19.240 personalities. Everyone feeling safe enough to 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:22.819 expose their true personalities is also a very 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:25.099 big element to creating that welcoming classroom. 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:28.279 Absolutely. Thank you for sharing all of that. 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:31.259 And I agree, just having boundaries that are 00:19:31.259 --> 00:19:34.440 welcoming, but still allow the student to show 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:37.839 the vulnerabilities in a safe and humanizing 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.539 way is really the most fundamental way that a 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:43.900 classroom can be operated. You said you've now 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:45.519 been teaching for three to four semesters, right? 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.380 Yeah. What are some things that you remember 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:52.299 from your first semester that have evolved as 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:54.220 a teacher who's growing through the process? 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:56.420 Because I am such a different teacher for the 00:19:56.420 --> 00:19:58.799 better than I was five years ago versus now. 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:03.160 I think my first semester, I was a little bit 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:06.559 weary again of being a young female professor 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:09.619 and needing to be taken seriously, obviously. 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:13.549 So when I talked about the AI policy, my approach 00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:16.329 was very like, if you do it, I will report you. 00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:18.289 These are the consequences, blah, blah, blah. 00:20:18.750 --> 00:20:21.210 And then my second semester, I was a lot more 00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:23.369 confident in myself. And I knew like, okay, if 00:20:23.369 --> 00:20:26.329 I present myself in this manner and I'm myself, 00:20:26.529 --> 00:20:28.289 like they know that I'm being myself. They tell 00:20:28.289 --> 00:20:29.769 me that all the time. They're like, Ms. Webster, 00:20:29.829 --> 00:20:32.309 we can tell you're being you. Like this is the 00:20:32.309 --> 00:20:36.329 authentic, enthusiastic, professional Ms. Webster. 00:20:36.410 --> 00:20:39.190 Like they always say that to me. So second semester 00:20:39.190 --> 00:20:43.900 though, I was like, We're all adults here. AI 00:20:43.900 --> 00:20:46.960 is going to be tempting to use. If you use it, 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:49.220 it's going to give you more work. It's going 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:51.119 to give me more work. I beg you, just don't use 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.380 it. Like my approach to it was a lot more like, 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:56.160 if it happens, it happens. You're going to get 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:58.900 this grade. I think they felt a little bit more 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:03.140 humanized. And I think they felt as though, although 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:05.619 a lot of them were 18, 19, 20, they felt like 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:09.349 she sees me as an adult. versus i see you as 00:21:09.349 --> 00:21:11.069 a child and i know you're going to do wrong it's 00:21:11.069 --> 00:21:13.009 more like i see you as an adult you have the 00:21:13.009 --> 00:21:15.269 choice to do right or wrong and so that's one 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:17.750 thing that's evolved another thing i wanted to 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.369 share was relevant to the previous question was 00:21:20.369 --> 00:21:23.089 one student was actually vulnerable enough to 00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:27.190 share how he had a medical condition in which 00:21:27.190 --> 00:21:29.829 like he had alarms on his phone and so his ringer 00:21:29.829 --> 00:21:32.890 had to be on but previous teachers like thought 00:21:32.890 --> 00:21:34.670 it was disrespectful, which I probably would 00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:37.029 have too if he hadn't expressed that to me. But 00:21:37.029 --> 00:21:39.309 he was like, oh, I feel so safe in this classroom. 00:21:39.369 --> 00:21:40.670 I'm going to share like this is what my speech 00:21:40.670 --> 00:21:43.210 is going to be about. He shares. And so for the 00:21:43.210 --> 00:21:44.890 rest of the semester, like when his ringer would 00:21:44.890 --> 00:21:46.430 go off, we'd all kind of like smile at him. Like 00:21:46.430 --> 00:21:48.190 we wouldn't laugh at him. He said like other 00:21:48.190 --> 00:21:49.829 times people would laugh at him or people would 00:21:49.829 --> 00:21:53.049 yell at him. But it was like we knew like a different 00:21:53.049 --> 00:21:55.869 dimension to him, which again, health, especially 00:21:55.869 --> 00:21:58.150 in I feel like in American culture, health is 00:21:58.150 --> 00:22:00.089 very much like this is private. This is me. We 00:22:00.089 --> 00:22:03.059 don't share. And so kind of seeing him like comfortable 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:05.799 enough to share it also made us understand him 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:07.720 better. And he was able to understand his peers 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:10.220 better as well. I like that. And I definitely 00:22:10.220 --> 00:22:13.539 find that students are seemingly less likely 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:16.799 to challenge the authentic human versus somebody 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:18.859 who tries to flex their muscles with that power. 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:20.480 I've learned that quite a bit too. When I walked 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:25.019 in that fall after 2018 had happened, I passed 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:27.400 out detentions. It's like they were free candy 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:30.380 and they would give it right back to me. And 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:33.019 as time went on, it was like, I learned, it's 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:34.819 like a counterintuitive, like I disciplined by 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:38.759 not disciplining. And it's like, yeah, they know 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.619 to follow the rules because they don't want to 00:22:40.619 --> 00:22:43.000 disappoint. It's just the human in front of them. 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:47.940 And when you mentioned the students who feel 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:50.000 safe to be vulnerable, and I love that there's 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.420 a lot of literature about that from Brene Brown, 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.259 that's definitely an awesome theorist to think 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:57.680 about. I noticed like when I taught public speaking 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:00.500 too back in the spring, for their first speeches, 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.019 for the info speech, I was just looking for a 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:06.339 typical like, hi, my name is. And so many students 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:08.900 came forward with their mental health journeys 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:11.559 coming back from rock bottom. I'm just like, 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:15.799 I didn't ask for that. Am I prepared for that? 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:17.920 I don't know. But here it is. You just gave it 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:21.559 to me. And when students still offer you those 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:25.880 really. vulnerable personal moments through their 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:29.940 coursework. What steps do you take as their instructor, 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:33.220 including as someone who also was looking for 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:37.319 a community service like that back in 2018? Something 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:40.640 that I do even before I see them being vulnerable 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.759 in any sense is I start reminding them of CAPS. 00:23:44.809 --> 00:23:46.769 counseling and psychological services which is 00:23:46.769 --> 00:23:50.069 the therapy office on campus I'm always reminding 00:23:50.069 --> 00:23:51.890 them like I tell them the first day when we're 00:23:51.890 --> 00:23:53.470 going over syllabus I remind them throughout 00:23:53.470 --> 00:23:56.430 the semester just like they have us take that 00:23:56.430 --> 00:24:00.289 module course before even teaching at Florida 00:24:00.289 --> 00:24:01.809 Atlantic like they have you take a course where 00:24:01.809 --> 00:24:04.450 it's like if your student says this sort of stuff 00:24:04.450 --> 00:24:07.369 what should you do and so i would probably tell 00:24:07.369 --> 00:24:09.549 them like oh yeah i recommend caps for you I 00:24:10.140 --> 00:24:12.279 I'm a big advocate of CAPS. I'm always telling 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:15.180 students like, go to CAPS, it's great. So it's 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:16.960 so simple, but not enough professors are doing 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:18.380 it where it's like reminding their students. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:21.680 The resources exist on campus. And when I do 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:24.099 tell my students, most of them are like, is it 00:24:24.099 --> 00:24:25.640 free? I don't know if it's free. Are you sure 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:28.640 it's free? Wait, where is it located? And I'm 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.660 like, oh no, nobody knows. And I'm like, okay, 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:32.240 yeah, no problem. Let's pull up the website. 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:33.980 Let's pull up how to schedule an appointment. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:38.200 Let's find the map. Take a field trip, for goodness 00:24:38.200 --> 00:24:41.200 sakes, right? So whatever it takes to just make 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.339 them aware of the resources that are available 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:46.559 to them. Again, not enough educators are doing 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:49.380 it or maybe not enough educators know they should 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:52.319 even be doing it or can be doing it, I think 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:54.819 is another element and dimension to it. So I 00:24:54.819 --> 00:24:57.380 think emphasizing the resources that are available 00:24:57.380 --> 00:25:00.740 to them is huge. I think a lot of students don't 00:25:00.740 --> 00:25:02.579 realize that their tuition is paying for services 00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:05.140 exactly like that. So they might as well be utilized. 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:08.799 What can you also say, Eleni, based upon this 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:10.880 awesome discussion? This has been so productive. 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:13.400 Thank you for all this. What would you say would 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:15.380 be a takeaway that you want our listeners to 00:25:15.380 --> 00:25:18.700 gather from today's conversation? I think something 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:21.579 that the listeners can take away, I think, firstly, 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:26.400 is assess your own thinking patterns and behavioral 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:30.980 patterns. Study your own psychology of the self. 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:35.950 From there, also... Think like, what is it that 00:25:35.950 --> 00:25:38.170 I needed when I was in a tough time? How can 00:25:38.170 --> 00:25:40.369 I bring that to the classroom? If you're an educator, 00:25:40.670 --> 00:25:43.529 how can I make my lessons more engaging? How 00:25:43.529 --> 00:25:46.009 can I make learning exciting? The main reason 00:25:46.009 --> 00:25:48.990 students are quote unquote lazy, quote unquote 00:25:48.990 --> 00:25:51.950 hate school is because they've never had enough 00:25:51.950 --> 00:25:56.029 educators make the learning fun, make it exciting, 00:25:56.170 --> 00:25:59.289 make them feel seen. You have to make them feel 00:25:59.289 --> 00:26:01.750 like you value their voice so much that you will 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:04.359 be disappointed. if you don't hear their voice. 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:08.119 So emphasizing participation. Even my lecturing 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:11.180 style is very much like I'll lecture for about 00:26:11.180 --> 00:26:13.180 30 seconds and then I'll ask a question and then 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:15.200 I'll ask another question and it's like I'm not 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:17.720 going to be talking at you for 30 minutes. I'm 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:20.859 going to be talking with you. I think that's 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:24.559 very important. I think when it comes to just 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.380 like trauma -informed education, culturally -informed 00:26:27.380 --> 00:26:30.430 education, become as knowledgeable as you can 00:26:30.430 --> 00:26:33.730 study different scholars or if you're not big 00:26:33.730 --> 00:26:37.730 on scholarly reading go to youtube podcasts whatever 00:26:37.730 --> 00:26:40.430 it may be and just try to understand better different 00:26:40.430 --> 00:26:43.190 styles find your style i think a lot of times 00:26:43.190 --> 00:26:45.630 we think that there's only one way to do something 00:26:45.630 --> 00:26:49.049 and that's when we get stuck if you find a style 00:26:49.049 --> 00:26:52.089 that is comfortable to you and also your students 00:26:52.089 --> 00:26:54.309 when it comes to lecturing when it comes to activities 00:26:54.309 --> 00:26:57.250 I think that's crucial I think it's crucial to 00:26:57.250 --> 00:26:59.849 emphasize the resources that are on campus, right? 00:26:59.950 --> 00:27:02.289 So going back to like counseling and psychological 00:27:02.289 --> 00:27:05.069 services on a campus, emphasizing that to your 00:27:05.069 --> 00:27:08.190 students. And I think, again, full circle moment 00:27:08.190 --> 00:27:12.089 is realizing what did you need and what do your 00:27:12.089 --> 00:27:15.430 students need and how can I offer that in a way 00:27:15.430 --> 00:27:17.829 that respects the boundaries that we have in 00:27:17.829 --> 00:27:20.650 this classroom, but also ensuring that we are 00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:25.269 creating a very safe, inclusive, welcoming atmosphere. 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:28.460 in which everybody feels safe, the instructor 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:32.900 as well as the students. I really want to thank 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:36.000 you, Dr. Weisler, oh, Joey, for everything that 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.779 you do. Genuinely, since I've heard about like 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:41.299 your trauma -informed like education advocacy 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:44.759 podcast, all this stuff, I think it's so rare 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:47.839 to find, unfortunately. So I'm like so, so grateful 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:50.180 you have no idea. I think the little freshman 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:53.099 in me, it's healing to even just hear that somebody's 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:57.150 doing it. I haven't even like fully delve into 00:27:57.150 --> 00:27:59.390 a lot of your work just because it can be triggering 00:27:59.390 --> 00:28:01.730 to like read or listen to. But just the fact 00:28:01.730 --> 00:28:05.490 that it exists, it brightens my day in my heart 00:28:05.490 --> 00:28:07.829 genuinely. So I'm like so, so, so grateful to 00:28:07.829 --> 00:28:10.069 you. I think more people need to be doing things 00:28:10.069 --> 00:28:12.650 like this. And I think what you're doing, it's 00:28:12.650 --> 00:28:17.250 unique. It's significant to so many people. And 00:28:17.250 --> 00:28:20.009 I think it's even more impactful than you can 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:22.890 even imagine. Thank you so much. Hats off to 00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:25.000 you as well. thank you thank you thank you so 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:27.099 much so that was Eleni Webster with us who's 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:30.579 here to remind us that the most productive classrooms 00:28:30.579 --> 00:28:33.119 come from both safety and understanding which 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:35.599 all stems from belonging so as you work to build 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:37.380 up yourself in the classroom be sure to also 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:39.200 build up your students and let them build up 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:41.680 each other too because once those moments matter 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:46.220 the whole course will come to life Thank you 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:48.519 for joining us on the Classroom Narratives Healing 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:51.339 and Education Podcast. If today's episode inspired 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:53.980 you or made you think differently, I'd love to 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:56.680 hear from you. Drop a comment or review wherever 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:59.099 you listen to podcasts and stay connected with 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:01.940 us on the at Classroom Narratives Podcast over 00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:05.220 Instagram and Facebook. Remember, together we 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:07.920 can transform our scars into stars in education, 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:10.599 one conversation at a time.