00:00:07:21 - 00:00:08:17 For those of you who are 00:00:08:17 - 00:00:11:20 just joining us, welcome to the facts and Faith Fridays community. 00:00:11:20 - 00:00:15:04 We're so thankful that you're here and that you have taken a pause 00:00:15:04 - 00:00:18:14 in the afternoon to take a break and to learn together. 00:00:18:24 - 00:00:19:12 Well, today 00:00:19:12 - 00:00:22:12 we are going to hear, a testimony. 00:00:22:16 - 00:00:26:02 And, I'm going to share a little bit about, 00:00:26:02 - 00:00:28:06 some of the folks that have joined us. 00:00:28:06 - 00:00:31:16 You're going to meet today, Danielle Green, who is a Richmond local, 00:00:31:24 - 00:00:35:18 born and raised in Danville, Virginia, a proud parent of one. 00:00:35:18 - 00:00:38:04 She enjoys cooking in her spare time, 00:00:38:04 - 00:00:41:24 and she's here today to discuss her heroic decision to step up 00:00:41:24 - 00:00:46:13 as an altruistic living organ donor who donated both a kidney 00:00:46:19 - 00:00:51:05 and a portion of her liver to save the lives of two strangers. 00:00:52:19 - 00:00:53:14 We also have 00:00:53:14 - 00:00:57:06 with us today Leana Yancey, and she is the kidney and pancreas 00:00:57:06 - 00:01:00:06 transplant program manager at VCU Health, 00:01:00:08 - 00:01:02:21 dedicated to expanding access to transplant 00:01:02:21 - 00:01:06:19 care and addressing health disparities with personal experience 00:01:06:19 - 00:01:10:19 as a family member of both a kidney transplant recipient and donor. 00:01:11:05 - 00:01:15:09 She brings a deeply informed perspective and is excited to contribute 00:01:15:09 - 00:01:18:12 to today's discussion and answering any medical questions 00:01:18:12 - 00:01:22:02 that you might have about the transplantation and living donation. 00:01:24:17 - 00:01:27:11 So we want to make sure that we welcome Danielle 00:01:27:11 - 00:01:31:00 and Leana, Danielle, we're so thankful that you're here today. 00:01:31:07 - 00:01:34:04 And, we'd love to hear more about your story. 00:01:34:04 - 00:01:35:19 So the floor is yours. 00:01:35:19 - 00:01:38:09 Thank you for giving me this opportunity 00:01:38:09 - 00:01:41:09 to share my journey of being a living donor. 00:01:41:21 - 00:01:45:14 I have not publicly spoken before, and I'm grateful 00:01:45:19 - 00:01:50:09 for this time to give some light on a topic that many are unaware of 00:01:50:09 - 00:01:53:11 or may have thought about, but never followed through with that thought. 00:01:54:17 - 00:01:56:10 One day I read a story online 00:01:56:10 - 00:01:59:23 about organ donation and I thought it was a sweet story. 00:02:00:07 - 00:02:03:20 A few weeks later, I saw another story and the third time 00:02:03:20 - 00:02:06:20 it was on the news and I felt it was my time to act. 00:02:07:17 - 00:02:09:12 My first thought 00:02:09:12 - 00:02:13:16 and, research led me to liver donation. 00:02:14:18 - 00:02:17:18 I got scared and I took a shortcut 00:02:17:18 - 00:02:20:18 and went for the kidney donation instead. 00:02:21:14 - 00:02:24:18 I made some phone calls, a few appointments 00:02:25:05 - 00:02:28:13 and about six months of testing. 00:02:29:06 - 00:02:32:10 Well, I was qualified as a living kidney donor 00:02:34:07 - 00:02:35:17 around my one year mark. 00:02:35:17 - 00:02:39:07 I felt like I showed it myself because I took the Shortcut 00:02:39:07 - 00:02:42:07 and donated a kidney, but not the liver. 00:02:42:09 - 00:02:45:09 And the liver is what I intentionally set to do. 00:02:45:13 - 00:02:47:16 I talk this over with the best RN. 00:02:47:16 - 00:02:49:07 Miss Melissa Van Sickle. 00:02:49:07 - 00:02:51:11 She's the kidney coordinator. 00:02:51:11 - 00:02:53:05 My kidney coordinator. 00:02:53:05 - 00:02:55:21 She gave me some guidance and some information, and I did 00:02:55:21 - 00:02:58:21 some more research, made some more phone calls, 00:02:59:00 - 00:03:02:17 and about another six months of additional testing. 00:03:02:17 - 00:03:05:17 And I qualified as a living liver donor. 00:03:06:06 - 00:03:12:16 I chose Leap Day, February 29th of 2024, because I felt like it was a special day. 00:03:15:16 - 00:03:16:06 Excuse me. 00:03:16:06 - 00:03:20:19 As I was going through the process, I did not speak to many people about it, 00:03:20:19 - 00:03:24:07 mainly because I had gotten some negative feedback. 00:03:26:02 - 00:03:29:00 Most people who don't understand 00:03:29:00 - 00:03:33:02 some things can come off as negative just because they don't. 00:03:33:06 - 00:03:35:17 They don't know. 00:03:35:17 - 00:03:37:15 Glad that I chose the kidney 00:03:37:15 - 00:03:40:24 to donate first, as I'm not sure if I would have done both. 00:03:41:00 - 00:03:43:08 If I would have done the liver first. 00:03:43:08 - 00:03:46:18 I also believe that this was something that was placed on me to do. 00:03:47:06 - 00:03:50:21 I didn't feel any fear throughout the procedures in the process, 00:03:50:21 - 00:03:54:22 because I felt like things happened the way that they should happen 00:03:56:02 - 00:03:57:22 and the way God intended it to happen. 00:03:57:22 - 00:04:00:00 And I also feel like this was my lot in life, 00:04:00:00 - 00:04:03:00 and God gives us all different lots in life. 00:04:03:00 - 00:04:06:00 The last point I wanted to make was, 00:04:06:02 - 00:04:11:07 for every person that we take off, the the donor list moves other people up, 00:04:11:17 - 00:04:15:12 and so more lives get affected and able to, 00:04:15:14 - 00:04:20:03 to receive what they're needed, not just with kidney and, and liver. 00:04:21:07 - 00:04:25:11 We may not know the full effect that we have in others 00:04:25:11 - 00:04:28:18 in our community, statewide or even globally, from the effects 00:04:29:11 - 00:04:32:24 of, learning about the success of my story and others 00:04:32:24 - 00:04:36:21 that are out there like me or want to do what I did. 00:04:36:22 - 00:04:39:03 So I'm appreciative to share my story. 00:04:39:03 - 00:04:42:05 So maybe it will help somebody else that's in this journey, or 00:04:42:19 - 00:04:45:19 would like to make the same decisions that I did. 00:04:45:24 - 00:04:48:23 And, once again, thank you for giving me 00:04:48:23 - 00:04:51:23 this time to share my story. 00:04:53:06 - 00:04:55:22 Thank you. 00:04:55:22 - 00:04:57:16 Thank you so much, Danielle. 00:04:57:16 - 00:04:59:11 Oh, my goodness. 00:04:59:11 - 00:05:02:00 I want to throw, just our greatest thanks. 00:05:02:00 - 00:05:05:00 I see a lot of hearts, 00:05:05:12 - 00:05:06:24 being shared with you. 00:05:06:24 - 00:05:10:13 And, wanted to ask, those 00:05:10:13 - 00:05:13:15 who've joined us today if they have any questions for you. 00:05:13:17 - 00:05:18:09 For Danielle, you can, put your questions in the chat, or you can unmute yourself. 00:05:21:03 - 00:05:23:20 Anyone have any specific questions? 00:05:23:20 - 00:05:26:15 I see, 00:05:26:15 - 00:05:27:08 Miss Turner says. 00:05:27:08 - 00:05:28:18 Yeah. Danielle, so proud of you. 00:05:28:18 - 00:05:29:09 We love you. 00:05:29:09 - 00:05:32:09 And dad is so proud of you also. 00:05:32:19 - 00:05:35:17 Pastor Williams says, Danielle, it's an honor to meet someone who made 00:05:35:17 - 00:05:39:19 such a meaningful and life saving decision and follows through with it. 00:05:39:20 - 00:05:42:20 To God be the glory. 00:05:45:10 - 00:05:47:05 Yeah. 00:05:47:05 - 00:05:48:02 Thank you so much. 00:05:48:02 - 00:05:51:02 Thank you all. Yes, I have a question. 00:05:51:18 - 00:05:53:24 Yes. 00:05:53:24 - 00:05:57:05 How did your family feel about a what did they say to you 00:05:57:05 - 00:05:59:05 about the decision that you made? 00:05:59:05 - 00:06:04:15 Because it's not an easy one, but yet sometimes we find that family 00:06:04:21 - 00:06:08:15 may not be as supportive as we as we would like them to be. 00:06:08:21 - 00:06:13:02 For fear that something could go wrong with the, 00:06:13:02 - 00:06:16:10 the surgery, with the transplant or what have you. 00:06:16:10 - 00:06:19:12 And that your life is negatively impacted forever. 00:06:19:24 - 00:06:23:13 So and also, let me really applaud you. 00:06:23:21 - 00:06:27:21 You have set the stage for many people 00:06:28:09 - 00:06:31:01 to, want to follow in your footsteps. 00:06:31:01 - 00:06:35:15 A young person such as yourself was full of life, seemingly 00:06:35:24 - 00:06:40:10 that was willing to make a sacrifice for someone else. 00:06:40:19 - 00:06:45:20 And many of us talk a good game, but so few of us follow through. 00:06:46:19 - 00:06:48:11 So I want to applaud you and 00:06:48:11 - 00:06:51:18 thank God for people in personalities like yours. 00:06:53:00 - 00:06:54:23 Powerful. Thank you. 00:06:54:23 - 00:06:57:18 And, that that is a good question. 00:06:57:18 - 00:07:00:01 With my family, I had some mixed reviews. 00:07:00:01 - 00:07:03:24 Some more, more supportive than others, but a lot of that comes from, 00:07:04:21 - 00:07:06:19 the lack of balance. 00:07:06:19 - 00:07:10:06 Everyone, actually, don't do it yourself. 00:07:10:06 - 00:07:12:05 Of you directed them, remember? 00:07:12:05 - 00:07:13:13 They don't understand. 00:07:13:13 - 00:07:17:00 And sometimes the negative negativity 00:07:17:00 - 00:07:20:06 comes from the lack of knowledge and lack of understanding. 00:07:20:16 - 00:07:24:06 But what my family likes is what I was going to do. And 00:07:25:07 - 00:07:26:12 and that was all. 00:07:26:12 - 00:07:29:12 There was no turning back from there. 00:07:29:15 - 00:07:30:07 And you're right. 00:07:30:07 - 00:07:33:16 Sometimes you do get a little bit more support from others outside. 00:07:33:16 - 00:07:36:11 But a lot of that is just because the fear of the unknown 00:07:36:11 - 00:07:40:11 and nobody wants anybody's family to go through something 00:07:40:11 - 00:07:44:02 and have a negative impact or, you know, any other tragedy. 00:07:44:09 - 00:07:46:12 But I wasn't even afraid of of that. 00:07:46:12 - 00:07:49:18 That didn’t bother me. It I felt like this was something that was going to 00:07:50:19 - 00:07:54:20 do. Thank 00:07:54:20 - 00:07:57:20 you so much. 00:07:59:00 - 00:08:00:02 That's incredible, Danielle. 00:08:00:02 - 00:08:01:23 Thank you. You. 00:08:01:23 - 00:08:02:24 Thank you. 00:08:02:24 - 00:08:07:11 I also want to introduce, Leana Yancey, who's here. 00:08:07:18 - 00:08:10:18 Leana was wondering if you wanted to add anything. 00:08:11:01 - 00:08:13:09 Yeah. No. Thank you so much for having me. 00:08:13:09 - 00:08:18:04 Kind of just wanted to expand upon what Danielle has already, spoke to, just, 00:08:18:11 - 00:08:22:02 you know, where we've come in transplantation and certainly in robotic 00:08:22:02 - 00:08:26:18 transplantation as well as implantation, the recovery of patients has progressed. 00:08:26:18 - 00:08:27:14 So much further. 00:08:27:14 - 00:08:28:18 We're talking about, 00:08:28:18 - 00:08:33:01 you know, 2 to 4 days in the hospital, a very short return to work day. 00:08:33:01 - 00:08:37:07 And we do a very comprehensive exam for potential donors 00:08:37:07 - 00:08:41:06 to ensure that there is no opportunity that that patient may need a kidney 00:08:41:06 - 00:08:43:00 transplant later in life. 00:08:43:00 - 00:08:47:02 So we do want to kind of preface that not only is it a very large 00:08:47:02 - 00:08:51:06 and comprehensive evaluation, but based on the clinical, needs 00:08:51:06 - 00:08:53:00 or the assessment of that patient, 00:08:53:00 - 00:08:56:12 we do have providers that would advise against it, if appropriate. 00:08:56:21 - 00:09:01:01 Less than 5% of donors, will have any need 00:09:01:01 - 00:09:04:03 or have any, kidney disease later in life. 00:09:04:11 - 00:09:08:07 So we do a very comprehensive exam and ensure 00:09:08:07 - 00:09:10:07 that we're not only doing everything to ensure 00:09:10:07 - 00:09:13:07 the recipient is safe, but also the donor as well. 00:09:13:12 - 00:09:19:06 The we have really led, robotic implantation as well as nephrectomy, 00:09:19:07 - 00:09:23:19 over here at VCU on the East Coast, particularly being the first. 00:09:24:04 - 00:09:25:24 So we are very well versed in that. 00:09:25:24 - 00:09:29:09 And there are many voucher and financial assistance 00:09:29:09 - 00:09:32:18 programs that can assist with lost wage reimbursement. 00:09:33:00 - 00:09:37:20 So we want to kind of also increase the awareness to ensure that patients 00:09:37:20 - 00:09:40:10 as well as recipients know that there are 00:09:40:10 - 00:09:43:23 other avenues as well as assistance that can help in that process. 00:09:44:06 - 00:09:48:13 And if you are someone that is a loved one of a potential recipient, 00:09:48:18 - 00:09:52:10 that is where opportunities such as the voucher program will come into play 00:09:52:10 - 00:09:57:00 so that you both aren't, kind of going through surgery at the same time, 00:09:57:04 - 00:10:01:03 but you're also securing the opportunity for a living donor, 00:10:01:03 - 00:10:04:07 kidney transplant recipient for your loved one. 00:10:04:24 - 00:10:09:12 These transplants typically have twice as long longevity. 00:10:09:12 - 00:10:13:19 So typically, when that patient received a living donor kidney transplant, 00:10:13:19 - 00:10:15:14 they have immediate function. 00:10:15:14 - 00:10:18:01 You know, they're able to remove from dialysis 00:10:18:01 - 00:10:22:06 and just really have the best opportunity of life off dialysis. 00:10:22:16 - 00:10:25:05 I have had the opportunity as, 00:10:26:10 - 00:10:29:14 Reverend Rachel share to kind of see both perspectives. 00:10:29:14 - 00:10:32:19 My mom is a living donor, and my dad is a two time 00:10:32:19 - 00:10:35:16 kidney transplant recipient, so I definitely understand 00:10:35:16 - 00:10:39:18 from a patient perspective, the stigma associated with it. 00:10:39:22 - 00:10:43:21 But I do also want to echo the awareness of this month 00:10:43:21 - 00:10:47:21 and the minority community, that we have over 100,000 patients 00:10:47:21 - 00:10:51:24 on the list, and over 60% of that is comprised of African Americans. 00:10:52:09 - 00:10:57:12 So we will do our due diligence regardless of gender, sex, religion, 00:10:57:12 - 00:11:01:23 and transplantation and recovery has has progressed significantly. 00:11:01:23 - 00:11:05:12 So I want to thank everybody for their time today and certainly 00:11:05:12 - 00:11:08:12 letting me, kind of join this conversation. 00:11:09:07 - 00:11:11:04 Leana, thank you so much. 00:11:11:04 - 00:11:14:07 I have two questions in the chat, but I also just want to acknowledge 00:11:14:07 - 00:11:19:06 you mentioned, you know, we've been able to partner with you on August in Minority 00:11:19:13 - 00:11:23:05 Donor Month for the past two years, because this is where the work of facts 00:11:23:05 - 00:11:26:13 and Faith Fridays was born, and this is really the heartbeat of who we are. 00:11:26:13 - 00:11:29:04 Is ensuring that all people are served 00:11:29:04 - 00:11:33:14 with all the best information possible and all the resources possible. 00:11:33:14 - 00:11:35:22 And so, we're just really grateful. 00:11:35:22 - 00:11:38:11 Grateful for you and for that work. So thank you. 00:11:39:16 - 00:11:41:09 We have a question from Amy Williams. 00:11:41:09 - 00:11:44:23 For kidney recipients, what benefits are there from receiving, 00:11:45:06 - 00:11:47:16 from a live donor versus a deceased donor? 00:11:47:16 - 00:11:50:10 Can you talk about the differences there? Absolutely. 00:11:50:10 - 00:11:54:24 So typically for a deceased donor, we're averaging around 3 to 5 years 00:11:54:24 - 00:11:57:03 as a wait time. If you have a living donor. 00:11:57:03 - 00:11:59:05 Usually the coordination 00:11:59:05 - 00:12:02:18 of a living donor, a kidney transplant can happen anywhere from 3 to 6 months. 00:12:03:06 - 00:12:06:00 You can schedule when you would like for it to be 00:12:06:00 - 00:12:09:00 so some patients would like for it to be scheduled around 00:12:09:00 - 00:12:12:04 a birthday or a special event or away from the holidays. 00:12:12:12 - 00:12:15:12 And typically we're just able to kind of coordinate things 00:12:15:15 - 00:12:19:06 better overall because this is a very planned surgery. 00:12:19:12 - 00:12:24:01 Also as well, you know, patients have little if no time 00:12:24:01 - 00:12:28:12 on dialysis because oftentimes, you know, you have declining kidney function. 00:12:28:12 - 00:12:32:10 If you can, find someone that would be a potential donor for you, 00:12:32:13 - 00:12:36:06 we can preemptively transplant you, meaning that we would transplant 00:12:36:06 - 00:12:39:20 you before there's ever a need to, have dialysis access. 00:12:40:05 - 00:12:41:06 So that's something that 00:12:41:06 - 00:12:45:02 that recipient would just have to would be able to avoid completely. 00:12:45:14 - 00:12:50:07 Oftentimes, as well, living donor, kidney transplants, the longevity 00:12:50:07 - 00:12:54:18 of the kidney function itself can last anywhere from 15 to 20 years, 00:12:55:05 - 00:12:58:13 which was almost double of a deceased donor kidney transplant. 00:12:58:13 - 00:13:00:09 So for many patients, 00:13:00:09 - 00:13:04:05 this may be their one and only kidney transplant needed for life. 00:13:05:04 - 00:13:07:23 Wow. Thank you. 00:13:07:23 - 00:13:09:13 Some more encouragement for you, Danielle. 00:13:09:13 - 00:13:11:04 Charlie Garrett, 00:13:11:04 - 00:13:15:06 works for Massey in the Community Outreach and Engagement team in Danville. 00:13:15:06 - 00:13:18:06 So she says, I'm saying hello from your hometown. 00:13:18:12 - 00:13:19:06 Thank you. Charlotte. 00:13:19:06 - 00:13:21:17 Oh, wonderful. 00:13:21:17 - 00:13:24:13 And I was just going to add to what she was saying 00:13:24:13 - 00:13:29:17 about what the, recipient, the recipient does have a better outcome 00:13:29:24 - 00:13:33:04 with a living donor versus a deceased donor. 00:13:33:15 - 00:13:36:08 And also their recovery is a little bit, 00:13:36:08 - 00:13:39:19 better as far as their healing process and the journey. 00:13:39:19 - 00:13:43:17 And they do have more longevity and their quality of life. 00:13:44:01 - 00:13:48:09 And they don't they tend not to reject them as well as much. 00:13:49:02 - 00:13:52:04 I just wanted to piggyback off with what was already said. 00:13:53:06 - 00:13:55:01 Thank you Danielle. Thank you. 00:13:56:04 - 00:13:58:08 One last question from Doctor Ross 00:13:58:08 - 00:14:01:08 and what stigma is there for donors. 00:14:02:04 - 00:14:04:05 Yeah. No, that's a that's a great question. 00:14:04:05 - 00:14:05:24 I think that, 00:14:05:24 - 00:14:09:11 particularly in the minority as well as the African-American community, 00:14:09:11 - 00:14:14:13 there has been many years of, challenges as far as medical mistrust 00:14:14:13 - 00:14:19:01 and certainly knowing that or thinking that if you, kind of preface 00:14:19:01 - 00:14:24:15 to be a donor, particularly through DMV, or that your medical care 00:14:24:15 - 00:14:28:21 would be, treated differently if there is an emergency or anything comes 00:14:28:21 - 00:14:33:15 up, and I just want to kind of preface that that doesn't change anything. 00:14:33:15 - 00:14:37:13 And there are so many opportunities not only for you to have, 00:14:37:14 - 00:14:41:15 sustained quality of life, but certainly to really impact 00:14:41:15 - 00:14:45:06 someone closely to you, because in living donation, you are able 00:14:45:12 - 00:14:49:24 to have that opportunity to really find the optimal and perfect match. 00:14:50:07 - 00:14:53:11 When we were doing deceased donor kidney transplants, we do our due 00:14:53:11 - 00:14:56:11 diligence to find the best match possible. 00:14:56:13 - 00:15:00:04 But living donation really gives you that opportunity to find someone 00:15:00:04 - 00:15:01:10 that is a perfect match. 00:15:01:10 - 00:15:04:10 And for every donor, there is a perfect recipient, 00:15:04:12 - 00:15:07:07 even if that isn't the person that you intended, which 00:15:07:07 - 00:15:11:01 we participate and swap programs to ensure 00:15:11:07 - 00:15:15:04 that we can find the perfect donor for the perfect recipient. 00:15:15:05 - 00:15:17:10 I don't see in this stigma in that. 00:15:19:11 - 00:15:20:01 Thank you. 00:15:20:01 - 00:15:21:02 Okay. 00:15:21:02 - 00:15:22:03 That's right, Doctor Ross. 00:15:22:03 - 00:15:24:09 Thank you. 00:15:24:09 - 00:15:27:07 We have another question for Danielle. 00:15:27:07 - 00:15:29:07 So how would you prepare for each surgery? 00:15:29:07 - 00:15:31:23 Would you share a little bit more about that? 00:15:31:23 - 00:15:32:18 Oh, yeah. 00:15:32:18 - 00:15:34:15 Sure. 00:15:34:15 - 00:15:37:02 For each round of testing that 00:15:37:02 - 00:15:39:21 that had to go through, there were different things. 00:15:39:21 - 00:15:42:21 To prepare for, 00:15:42:21 - 00:15:45:21 depending on what tests coming up. 00:15:45:21 - 00:15:48:21 But what I did was amazingly stay positive. 00:15:49:00 - 00:15:54:06 Try to take care of myself, and make sure I drink plenty of fluids 00:15:54:06 - 00:15:58:02 and, have I do not have the best of eating habits, 00:15:58:12 - 00:16:02:01 but I make sure I improve the quality of the foods that I was eating 00:16:02:03 - 00:16:08:03 to prepare myself because I felt like I was prepared for two, not just for one. 00:16:09:21 - 00:16:11:22 That's a wonderful question. 00:16:11:22 - 00:16:13:10 Yeah, preparing for two. 00:16:13:10 - 00:16:16:10 That's like a whole other way of thinking about it, isn't it? 00:16:16:16 - 00:16:19:16 Thank you for that. Thank you. Thank. 00:16:19:20 - 00:16:23:17 We're grateful for you both, for Danielle and for Leana. 00:16:23:17 - 00:16:26:17 And, We are going to switch gears a little bit. 00:16:26:18 - 00:16:29:23 I am privileged and pleased to introduce you all to 00:16:30:06 - 00:16:33:22 Doctor Thelma Ramsey Bryant, a veteran administrator 00:16:33:22 - 00:16:38:22 with over 25 years of experience working in urban education in new Jersey. 00:16:39:11 - 00:16:42:16 She feels proud and privileged to be working in the district 00:16:42:22 - 00:16:46:01 in which she was educated from pre-K to 12th grade. 00:16:46:15 - 00:16:50:20 The daughter of educators, her career goals were shaped by their legacy. 00:16:51:08 - 00:16:55:12 Doctor Ramsey Bryant attended Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, 00:16:55:21 - 00:17:00:09 the oldest historically black college in Alabama, where she majored in deaf 00:17:00:09 - 00:17:05:17 rehabilitation with a minor in Early childhood Education for the handicapped. 00:17:06:08 - 00:17:09:04 Upon graduation, she attended the University of Illinois 00:17:09:04 - 00:17:13:17 at Urbana Champaign on the Patricia Robert Harris Fellowship. 00:17:14:04 - 00:17:17:19 She received her Master of Arts degree in speech pathology. 00:17:18:11 - 00:17:21:09 She returned to new Jersey and worked as a speech pathologist 00:17:21:09 - 00:17:25:02 in various health care settings until transitioning to schools. 00:17:25:13 - 00:17:27:06 Doctor Ramsey Bryant completed her 00:17:27:06 - 00:17:30:18 doctorate in education leadership at Arkansas State University. 00:17:31:08 - 00:17:34:16 Her research is focused on trauma and its impact on literacy 00:17:34:16 - 00:17:37:16 in black children, specifically black boys. 00:17:37:18 - 00:17:41:05 She had worked in various capacities in education, assistant 00:17:41:05 - 00:17:45:08 director of special Education, assistant principal at a secondary level, 00:17:45:13 - 00:17:49:00 and principal at all grade levels, pre-K through 12th. 00:17:49:17 - 00:17:52:18 She currently serves as a principal of a seventh and eighth grade 00:17:52:18 - 00:17:57:04 middle school with just over 300 students, and in her spare time, 00:17:57:04 - 00:18:01:15 she loves to travel with her husband, Kevin, read, golf and shoe shop. 00:18:02:02 - 00:18:05:02 She is a DJ and also a stand up comedian. 00:18:05:14 - 00:18:08:19 Would you please help welcome Doctor Thelma Ramsey Bryant? 00:18:10:04 - 00:18:11:02 Good afternoon. 00:18:11:02 - 00:18:13:16 Good afternoon everyone. 00:18:13:16 - 00:18:15:22 Thanks for having me. 00:18:15:22 - 00:18:18:22 Very informative conversation. 00:18:19:04 - 00:18:21:22 We're so thankful you're taking some very special time 00:18:21:22 - 00:18:23:21 away from your personal time to be with us today. 00:18:23:21 - 00:18:25:09 And we just want to say thank you for that. 00:18:25:09 - 00:18:27:04 So thank you. Welcome. 00:18:27:04 - 00:18:29:18 Thank you for having me. 00:18:29:18 - 00:18:33:08 I asked Doctor Ramsey Bryant to share a little bit about the programs 00:18:33:08 - 00:18:35:17 that, have kind of shaped her work. 00:18:35:17 - 00:18:38:22 And so we're going to take a few minutes to learn from her about those programs, 00:18:38:22 - 00:18:42:10 and then we'll have a time for some question and answer and some discussion 00:18:42:17 - 00:18:43:23 as we head back to school. 00:18:43:23 - 00:18:47:20 I know I'm sending my second grader back to the second grade on Tuesday, 00:18:48:02 - 00:18:51:00 and, those in the the New England states will go back 00:18:51:00 - 00:18:53:02 just a little bit after us here in Virginia. 00:18:54:05 - 00:18:56:22 But we thought the back to basics and literacy 00:18:56:22 - 00:18:59:22 conversations were really important as we think about resources 00:19:00:05 - 00:19:03:20 for all of our communities and congregations that we're serving. 00:19:03:20 - 00:19:06:20 So Doctor Bryant, thank you. 00:19:07:08 - 00:19:08:11 Thank you. 00:19:08:11 - 00:19:11:03 I just want to talk 00:19:11:03 - 00:19:15:10 a little bit about, the work that I do on my district. 00:19:15:10 - 00:19:19:17 I work in a primarily minority district in new Jersey. 00:19:20:01 - 00:19:23:06 I'm right outside of Newark, new Jersey, which is about 00:19:23:19 - 00:19:26:12 15 miles outside of New York City. 00:19:26:12 - 00:19:30:06 So that kind of gives you a context of where my work is. 00:19:31:13 - 00:19:34:01 Also, 80, 00:19:34:01 - 00:19:37:19 85% of my students receive free and reduced lunch. 00:19:38:06 - 00:19:44:05 And I serve a large Caribbean population, primarily from Spanish 00:19:44:05 - 00:19:48:04 speaking countries as well as a large Haitian Creole community. 00:19:48:14 - 00:19:51:18 So it's pretty diverse with our people of color. 00:19:52:04 - 00:19:56:00 And I would say my staff is probably 00:19:56:00 - 00:19:59:00 about 50-50, staff of color. 00:19:59:04 - 00:20:00:10 And, 00:20:01:12 - 00:20:04:12 Other, ethnic and minority groups. 00:20:04:13 - 00:20:06:24 So that kind of gives the context. 00:20:06:24 - 00:20:09:23 And again, it was the school district that I grew up in. 00:20:09:23 - 00:20:14:06 So it was important for me to be able to go back and give back. 00:20:14:17 - 00:20:16:20 2020, 00:20:16:20 - 00:20:19:17 was right at the height of the pandemic. 00:20:19:17 - 00:20:23:21 So the students were coming back from the pandemic. 00:20:23:21 - 00:20:28:09 And what was very, key my school is that we didn't open 00:20:28:09 - 00:20:31:22 when the other schools open, because we also got hit with Hurricane Ida. 00:20:32:15 - 00:20:35:19 Like the weekend before school supposed to start. 00:20:36:05 - 00:20:39:09 So our school got damage from the hurricane. 00:20:39:14 - 00:20:42:09 So our students didn't start with the rest of the district. 00:20:42:09 - 00:20:45:09 They didn't start until mid October. 00:20:45:22 - 00:20:50:04 Then we went out again because there was an uptick in the Covid numbers. 00:20:50:12 - 00:20:55:16 So we were close again in December, and we didn't come back until after, 00:20:55:21 - 00:20:58:21 Martin Luther King weekend. 00:20:59:02 - 00:21:02:02 So there was a lot of disruption. 00:21:02:13 - 00:21:05:11 What the students when I came back from school. 00:21:05:11 - 00:21:09:07 And at that time, I only had one grade level and only had eighth grade. 00:21:10:00 - 00:21:13:13 And what I noticed was that the literacy levels of the students 00:21:13:13 - 00:21:16:13 was very much a struggle for my eighth graders, 00:21:16:22 - 00:21:20:04 and I only had a few months to get them ready for high school. 00:21:21:05 - 00:21:23:06 So this kind 00:21:23:06 - 00:21:26:06 of gives a demographic of where my students are 00:21:27:01 - 00:21:29:24 of kind of what I just talked to you about, 00:21:29:24 - 00:21:32:00 and this was kind of the history of the school. 00:21:32:00 - 00:21:35:24 There was a history of low expectations, low achievement. 00:21:36:06 - 00:21:39:23 The school was kind of the dumping ground from all the other schools 00:21:39:23 - 00:21:43:13 in the district, and the school persistently was on a list 00:21:43:13 - 00:21:47:00 for school in need of improvement or a school that was in status, 00:21:47:09 - 00:21:51:14 but it was very hard to make any gains because it was a single grade school. 00:21:51:20 - 00:21:54:20 So just when you were starting to make some progress 00:21:54:20 - 00:21:57:20 with the students, they were moving on to high school. 00:21:58:01 - 00:22:01:01 And then there was this spaghetti theory 00:22:01:11 - 00:22:04:10 of just try something 00:22:04:10 - 00:22:07:22 and see if it sticks those spaghetti against the wall and see if it sticks. 00:22:08:06 - 00:22:13:23 At some point my building is comprised of a three building complex, 00:22:14:01 - 00:22:16:08 so there's a sixth grade building, 00:22:16:08 - 00:22:19:14 and then the two anchor buildings are seventh and eighth grade buildings 00:22:19:23 - 00:22:22:18 with three principals and three vice principals. 00:22:22:18 - 00:22:26:09 So one year it was multi grade, one year it was single grade, 00:22:26:10 - 00:22:30:03 but there was no rhyme or reason as to why they were changing the grades. 00:22:30:11 - 00:22:34:04 But what was consistent for me is that I had eighth graders 00:22:34:04 - 00:22:38:06 that were reading on a kindergarten through second grade level, roughly. 00:22:40:11 - 00:22:42:20 These were some of the other observations. 00:22:42:20 - 00:22:45:12 There was a high absenteeism rate. 00:22:45:12 - 00:22:48:20 A really warm kind 00:22:48:20 - 00:22:53:00 of low school culture and climate, high suspension rate. 00:22:53:11 - 00:22:56:06 And when the students came back, there was no acknowledgment 00:22:56:06 - 00:22:59:15 or any services in place to deal with, Covid. 00:23:00:00 - 00:23:04:13 A lot of our students lost their parents, grandparents, caregivers during Covid, 00:23:04:21 - 00:23:08:07 and there was no resources to really transition them back. 00:23:08:17 - 00:23:11:22 And then cell phones were a large distraction. 00:23:12:20 - 00:23:16:01 So what we started doing is I partnered with a young lady 00:23:16:01 - 00:23:21:06 who was, a kindergarten teacher, and she was looking to make a change. 00:23:21:14 - 00:23:24:13 And I said to her, I need you to come to the middle school 00:23:24:13 - 00:23:28:10 because you have strategies that can help our middle school teachers. 00:23:30:03 - 00:23:31:03 Incorporate some 00:23:31:03 - 00:23:35:00 very early foundational reading skills with our students because, of course, 00:23:35:00 - 00:23:35:24 you know, 00:23:35:24 - 00:23:40:02 middle schools, middle school teachers consider themselves content experts, 00:23:40:13 - 00:23:43:13 so they really want to focus on the content, 00:23:43:18 - 00:23:46:18 but not necessarily those foundational skills. 00:23:46:20 - 00:23:49:20 And the other thing that has happened in education is, 00:23:50:09 - 00:23:53:19 if you all have noticed in the news, there's a lot of talk about literacy 00:23:53:23 - 00:23:56:23 and the fact that students aren't reading as well as they 00:23:57:04 - 00:23:59:20 have, maybe 20, 30 years ago. 00:23:59:20 - 00:24:03:10 And what has happened because of, No Child Left Behind 00:24:03:14 - 00:24:08:09 in a high stakes assessments is we've only been teaching students strategies, 00:24:08:18 - 00:24:13:08 but we have been really doing a good job with good first reading instruction. 00:24:13:23 - 00:24:16:13 So we've really just focused on the strategies. 00:24:16:13 - 00:24:19:10 And we spent less time focusing on actual instruction. 00:24:20:09 - 00:24:23:00 So this was some a lot of the schools 00:24:23:00 - 00:24:26:13 across the country use platform called I-Ready. 00:24:27:00 - 00:24:30:00 And at the beginning of the school they do a diagnostic. 00:24:30:08 - 00:24:33:09 And this is where some of my students where seventh grade, 00:24:34:01 - 00:24:37:12 three or more grade levels below same for eighth grade, 00:24:38:13 - 00:24:40:21 if you can see. That's a good point. 00:24:40:21 - 00:24:42:19 Majority of my students. 00:24:42:19 - 00:24:49:00 So I had to really figure out what I was going to do to, help these students. 00:24:49:00 - 00:24:53:06 And I was able to partner with with the help of this teacher 00:24:53:06 - 00:24:56:24 that I hired, she became my, literacy coach. 00:24:57:14 - 00:25:00:09 And what we did was we tested the kids 00:25:00:09 - 00:25:03:14 and we did some foundational phonics assessments. 00:25:03:24 - 00:25:06:24 And then we really are able to get to where the kids really were. 00:25:07:15 - 00:25:10:20 So we used a platform called spire. 00:25:11:10 - 00:25:14:10 And spire really took the students through the whole, 00:25:14:21 - 00:25:17:16 six phases of learning 00:25:17:16 - 00:25:20:18 how to read, starting with phonological awareness, 00:25:20:18 - 00:25:24:19 phonemic awareness, vocabulary comprehension. 00:25:25:02 - 00:25:27:07 Because that's where we figured at our students. 00:25:27:07 - 00:25:28:06 And slowly 00:25:28:06 - 00:25:31:06 that's what we figured our students were having the most difficulty. 00:25:31:09 - 00:25:32:16 Most of my students, 00:25:32:16 - 00:25:35:17 it wasn't that they could not sound out the words, and they couldn't 00:25:35:22 - 00:25:39:04 read the various letters, but they weren't reading fluently. 00:25:39:10 - 00:25:43:04 And if you don't read fluently, then that also impacts your comprehension. 00:25:43:17 - 00:25:46:24 So level one would be our lowest students that are kind of 00:25:46:24 - 00:25:49:10 at the kindergarten level through level six. 00:25:49:10 - 00:25:52:09 And those students are usually on grade level. 00:25:52:09 - 00:25:55:08 So we were able to move our students. 00:25:55:08 - 00:25:58:08 by the time we, got finished in April, 00:25:58:17 - 00:26:01:18 we had more students that were at the level three, four 00:26:01:22 - 00:26:04:15 and five level than we had at the one and two. 00:26:04:15 - 00:26:09:01 So that kind of gives you some idea of how we would work in the program. 00:26:09:01 - 00:26:12:05 And I do have a large bilingual population, so 00:26:12:05 - 00:26:15:10 some of them are just learning to read English for the first time. 00:26:15:10 - 00:26:18:02 So that's also important to notice. 00:26:18:02 - 00:26:20:19 So these are just some of the things that we did. 00:26:20:19 - 00:26:23:04 To work with that program. 00:26:23:04 - 00:26:26:14 And that program is sponsored by a company called IEPs. 00:26:26:22 - 00:26:29:04 And I've been working with them now for three years. 00:26:29:04 - 00:26:32:08 We're also part of a study with Johns Hopkins University, 00:26:32:19 - 00:26:37:15 and we have been seeing some, good, good outcomes with these students. 00:26:37:15 - 00:26:40:10 And we plan to also continue it this year. 00:26:40:10 - 00:26:43:02 And right now, I brought on two 00:26:43:02 - 00:26:46:13 other middle schools in the district to, to also do it as well. 00:26:46:19 - 00:26:50:18 And we're hoping to expand it to our elementary schools because that's 00:26:50:18 - 00:26:55:02 really where the issue starts, is that it elementary school students 00:26:55:02 - 00:27:00:09 are supposed to learn how to read between the ages of pre-K and third grade, 00:27:00:15 - 00:27:05:07 and then fourth grade and beyond there, relearned. 00:27:05:19 - 00:27:08:19 So it kind of changes and switches. 00:27:08:19 - 00:27:11:10 So by the time they get to me, those foundational skills 00:27:11:10 - 00:27:13:07 should already be there. 00:27:13:07 - 00:27:15:18 So that's kind of like just giving you an overview 00:27:15:18 - 00:27:19:23 of how I came to, get to this work and, 00:27:21:00 - 00:27:24:00 that's that's kind of where I am. 00:27:25:04 - 00:27:27:01 Thank you so much. 00:27:27:01 - 00:27:31:07 I think one of the really important things that, that we've learned, 00:27:32:06 - 00:27:37:11 is that Virginia is recommending the spire programs for our middle schoolers. 00:27:37:15 - 00:27:42:23 my own sister, who is a middle school teacher, when I asked her if she knew 00:27:42:23 - 00:27:46:12 about these resources, she said, I have no idea what you're talking about. 00:27:46:23 - 00:27:50:17 And so I said to her, okay, here we go. 00:27:50:17 - 00:27:56:01 Like, this is all about sharing information and making sure that, 00:27:56:06 - 00:27:59:06 that everyone has all of the tools 00:27:59:06 - 00:28:01:24 to to lead a successful life. 00:28:01:24 - 00:28:06:06 Can you tell us more about maybe the culture, before 00:28:06:06 - 00:28:09:23 you started the work and then the culture that shifted in your school 00:28:09:23 - 00:28:13:08 after the students had these new skills and maybe new confidence? 00:28:14:12 - 00:28:15:01 Well, 00:28:15:01 - 00:28:18:13 you know, because I have middle school students, 00:28:18:13 - 00:28:23:15 you always have a little bit of a combination of two types of kids. 00:28:23:15 - 00:28:27:13 You have those kids who still are kind of immature, babyish, 00:28:27:21 - 00:28:30:03 and then you have those kids who think they're adults, 00:28:30:03 - 00:28:33:03 and then you have a kind of combination of both in the middle. 00:28:33:10 - 00:28:35:14 So for us, you know, a lot of people were like, 00:28:35:14 - 00:28:37:17 oh, well, the kids are not going to want you 00:28:37:17 - 00:28:42:14 to point out that they can't read or they're having struggles with reading. 00:28:43:01 - 00:28:47:04 But my kids were very excited to to learn 00:28:47:04 - 00:28:50:16 how to read and to learn foundational skills that they lacked. 00:28:51:03 - 00:28:53:22 So I didn't have that kind of resistance 00:28:53:22 - 00:28:57:04 that you think that you would have with middle school students. 00:28:57:13 - 00:29:00:16 And I have to say that I had a good group of kids who weren't, 00:29:00:16 - 00:29:04:03 because I have a special-ed population in school. 00:29:04:03 - 00:29:07:04 There wasn't a lot of teasing and bullying in and around, 00:29:07:12 - 00:29:11:16 you know, kids not being able to, to, read or do anything. 00:29:11:16 - 00:29:13:11 And I was I was very pleased with that 00:29:13:11 - 00:29:16:11 because that wasn't some hurdle that I had to overcome. 00:29:16:17 - 00:29:20:01 But I have to say, when we first started that first year, 00:29:20:08 - 00:29:23:08 my biggest challenge was the cell phones. 00:29:23:12 - 00:29:26:06 Cell phones was a huge problem in the school 00:29:26:06 - 00:29:30:15 because it just took away from any engagement that the students had. 00:29:31:02 - 00:29:34:06 We had to put a program in place where they didn't 00:29:34:06 - 00:29:37:16 have their phones during the day, because that took away from any learning. 00:29:37:19 - 00:29:38:05 They were 00:29:39:11 - 00:29:41:10 distracted with everything. 00:29:41:10 - 00:29:44:23 The only other issue that I did see was that 00:29:45:12 - 00:29:49:05 I did have, a high suspension rate, 00:29:49:17 - 00:29:52:20 but it wasn't for it wasn't for, 00:29:53:01 - 00:29:56:01 egregious things like fighting. 00:29:56:05 - 00:29:58:21 The culture that was there before me was for any little things. 00:29:58:21 - 00:30:03:09 Students were getting suspended, so we had to put some things in place, like peer 00:30:03:22 - 00:30:08:24 peer mediation and other kind of conflict resolution things before we could get to, 00:30:09:09 - 00:30:14:19 you know, we had to do progressive discipline before we got to, multiple day 00:30:14:19 - 00:30:19:11 suspensions and every I was the only one that was able to issue suspensions 00:30:20:01 - 00:30:24:21 because what was happening, it was it just was this kid did this to suspend them. 00:30:24:21 - 00:30:28:15 And it was like, you know, no due process, no conversation. 00:30:28:20 - 00:30:31:17 So I really had to kind of change that culture. 00:30:31:17 - 00:30:34:12 So some of it was just changing, 00:30:34:12 - 00:30:37:16 the mindset, some of some of the adults 00:30:37:21 - 00:30:42:00 that you can't keep kicking kids out of class for every little thing. 00:30:42:00 - 00:30:44:10 Oh, he didn't have a pencil. He got to leave. 00:30:44:10 - 00:30:45:18 Oh, he didn't have a piece of paper. 00:30:45:18 - 00:30:49:21 He has to leave, you know, so it the whole point was 00:30:49:21 - 00:30:53:19 they have to be in the class in order to get what it was that they needed. 00:30:54:08 - 00:30:56:07 And bringing in it was funny 00:30:56:07 - 00:30:59:11 because bringing in the teacher that used to teach kindergarten 00:31:00:01 - 00:31:05:03 really helped shape a lot of that, because you'd be surprised. 00:31:05:03 - 00:31:10:12 A lot of the things that work with kindergartners, also with seven eighth graders 00:31:12:11 - 00:31:15:13 and they all the students, the students 00:31:15:13 - 00:31:19:17 that she had to really work with, in small groups and one on one, 00:31:20:03 - 00:31:24:13 they really they really embraced it and they wanted to learn. 00:31:24:13 - 00:31:27:20 And you could see light bulb moments going on in their head. 00:31:28:05 - 00:31:31:08 And just having students have the ability to read aloud. 00:31:31:21 - 00:31:35:22 A lot of what has happened in education over the last 20 years 00:31:35:22 - 00:31:40:11 with all these programs is we don't listen to students read anymore, 00:31:41:03 - 00:31:45:24 so you don't ever know if they can read, if you never hear them read. 00:31:46:07 - 00:31:51:21 So, that's one of the things that's missing at the lower grade level 00:31:51:21 - 00:31:55:05 is that, you know, when we were in school, we had round robin, 00:31:55:05 - 00:31:58:05 we had our reading groups and a lot of people say, oh, well, 00:31:58:09 - 00:32:02:07 you put people in groups, based on your ability. 00:32:02:15 - 00:32:05:11 And that may have been true, but at least everybody 00:32:05:11 - 00:32:08:11 got to hear somebody read 00:32:08:16 - 00:32:11:16 and then make corrections based on what they hear. 00:32:11:17 - 00:32:13:12 We don't do that anymore. 00:32:13:12 - 00:32:16:04 So we were able to get back to some of that, 00:32:16:04 - 00:32:18:24 even if the teacher was doing a lot more to reading 00:32:18:24 - 00:32:22:21 so students can hear what fluent reading sounds like. 00:32:23:11 - 00:32:26:23 And in the EPS products, we do have a product that is a 00:32:26:23 - 00:32:30:00 AI based, 00:32:30:00 - 00:32:34:06 partner program, where the students read and the 00:32:34:06 - 00:32:37:08 AI feedback will track their fluency. 00:32:38:04 - 00:32:42:21 So it's a good way that the students can get that automatic feedback, 00:32:42:23 - 00:32:46:23 to know if they pronounce the word correctly or incorrectly. 00:32:48:03 - 00:32:49:24 Wow. I want 00:32:49:24 - 00:32:53:00 us to go back to that AI tool because I think that's a really important thing. 00:32:53:00 - 00:32:55:14 We've been talking a little bit that about AI as a facts 00:32:55:14 - 00:32:58:14 and faith community as it relates to health and learning, 00:32:58:17 - 00:33:02:01 but we do have a question in the chat that says due to being at home 00:33:02:01 - 00:33:05:01 during Covid for an extended time and missing out 00:33:05:01 - 00:33:08:16 on that social aspect, was it difficult to maintain their attention 00:33:09:00 - 00:33:12:12 and do you think this played into them relying or wanting their phones more? 00:33:14:06 - 00:33:17:14 Yes, it definitely played into their attention. 00:33:17:15 - 00:33:18:04 It did. 00:33:18:04 - 00:33:21:18 It has taken us and we still are struggling with it. 00:33:22:04 - 00:33:24:18 Most schools, 00:33:24:18 - 00:33:28:23 across the country have block scheduling and the block 00:33:28:23 - 00:33:32:22 scheduling for this current group of students is too long. 00:33:33:15 - 00:33:36:15 The 80 minute block is really too long, 00:33:36:16 - 00:33:41:07 and for whatever reason, educators are hellbent on holding on to that 00:33:41:07 - 00:33:45:08 80 minute block when students really can only pay attention 00:33:45:20 - 00:33:48:09 for 20 minutes 00:33:48:09 - 00:33:52:03 with sustained, and then they may need a break. 00:33:52:03 - 00:33:57:07 I'm not saying that you have to, break up the whole 80 minutes and 00:33:57:15 - 00:34:00:23 but the 80 minute block and the way that teachers are delivering 00:34:00:23 - 00:34:04:23 instruction is still very much like when we were in school. 00:34:05:07 - 00:34:09:08 The teacher's up front, she stands and delivers, and the students 00:34:09:08 - 00:34:12:13 are supposed to be the sponge that's taking notes and getting it all in. 00:34:12:24 - 00:34:17:16 Our students are not wired that way anymore because of technology. 00:34:18:15 - 00:34:21:08 You think everything is in a sound bite. 00:34:21:08 - 00:34:24:15 TikTok videos 30 minutes or 30 seconds. 00:34:25:02 - 00:34:29:01 Other video information is given 00:34:29:01 - 00:34:32:16 in bites of between 30 and 90s. 00:34:33:00 - 00:34:37:22 So their brain is really rewired in terms of how they receive information. 00:34:37:22 - 00:34:44:17 And I'm not saying that it can't go beyond that, but we have to be mindful 00:34:44:17 - 00:34:49:11 that they cannot take in the information because they're not retaining it. 00:34:50:01 - 00:34:52:17 Your short term memory is not the same, 00:34:52:17 - 00:34:55:11 so we have to keep that in to account as well. 00:34:55:11 - 00:34:58:11 So it definitely had a huge impact. 00:35:00:09 - 00:35:03:12 Andrea, had a compliment, but also, 00:35:03:12 - 00:35:04:24 I think it'll lead us to our next question. 00:35:04:24 - 00:35:06:09 That sounds like your attitude towards 00:35:06:09 - 00:35:08:19 the skill building and supportive environment 00:35:08:19 - 00:35:11:00 to help the students embrace their learning. 00:35:11:00 - 00:35:13:08 Well done, very well done. 00:35:13:08 - 00:35:14:08 Thank you. Thank you. 00:35:16:05 - 00:35:17:01 Yeah, 00:35:17:01 - 00:35:20:19 it takes me back to that AI question and we've talked a lot about AI and 00:35:20:19 - 00:35:25:07 and the connective tissue, if you will, between health 00:35:25:07 - 00:35:28:07 and AI health information. 00:35:29:21 - 00:35:31:01 Why did you all choose 00:35:31:01 - 00:35:34:05 to use a tool like AI to be an immediate response? 00:35:34:15 - 00:35:37:19 With some of those tools that you're using for students. 00:35:40:19 - 00:35:43:22 I think what it would helps to do 00:35:43:22 - 00:35:48:02 is it helps to maximize the teachers time 00:35:48:02 - 00:35:53:00 as well as give students an opportunity to have that immediate feedback, 00:35:53:04 - 00:35:56:22 because sometimes the teacher with 20 kids is not going to be able 00:35:56:22 - 00:35:59:22 to have that opportunity to hear each kid read. 00:35:59:23 - 00:36:01:20 They may have to do it in small groups. 00:36:01:20 - 00:36:05:24 So what the AI is able to do is give that student that immediate feedback, 00:36:06:08 - 00:36:09:22 which has been very helpful. 00:36:10:14 - 00:36:13:08 The concern that I have now 00:36:13:08 - 00:36:16:08 is that we need to get our students back 00:36:16:08 - 00:36:20:17 to, books, like physical books, 00:36:21:01 - 00:36:24:05 because there's a difference between fluency in reading a book 00:36:24:05 - 00:36:27:05 and reading fluency on your computer screen, 00:36:27:05 - 00:36:31:09 or reading computer, reading on your phone or any other device. 00:36:31:20 - 00:36:34:20 So we have to make that transition back 00:36:34:20 - 00:36:40:04 to having some physical books as well as infuse into technology. 00:36:40:04 - 00:36:43:04 And I say that because students become fatigued. 00:36:43:08 - 00:36:45:18 So whenever you have to give them any type 00:36:45:18 - 00:36:48:18 of reading beyond a passage, 00:36:49:02 - 00:36:49:17 then that's 00:36:49:17 - 00:36:53:01 when you start to get the resistance because they're not accustomed to it, 00:36:53:05 - 00:36:57:19 because our educational mindset has been taught 00:36:57:19 - 00:37:02:11 an assessment driven mindset and everything is you read this passage 00:37:02:17 - 00:37:07:10 and answer questions about a passage, you read this very short story. 00:37:07:17 - 00:37:09:09 You ask the questions about it, 00:37:09:09 - 00:37:12:18 and you do something with a very small piece of information. 00:37:12:18 - 00:37:16:15 So then when you give student a book to read, it's like, oh, 00:37:16:17 - 00:37:18:18 wait a minute, you've blown my mind. 00:37:18:18 - 00:37:20:12 And that also cuts down 00:37:20:12 - 00:37:24:01 on their attention span, because they're not accustomed to reading 00:37:24:12 - 00:37:27:20 books from chapter books and things like that. 00:37:28:11 - 00:37:31:08 And it's good. 00:37:31:08 - 00:37:33:09 I put that in my own practice for summer reading. 00:37:33:09 - 00:37:36:18 I went to the library and got the physical books right, 00:37:38:01 - 00:37:39:21 just to kind of take it back home. 00:37:39:21 - 00:37:42:21 Yeah, it looks like books are a good thing. 00:37:44:16 - 00:37:47:18 I have this question, connected to the family unit. 00:37:47:18 - 00:37:53:21 So, you know, we like to think a lot about, how is our health being impacted 00:37:53:21 - 00:37:58:02 even in, like, our, our social, places that we live, the environment, 00:37:58:11 - 00:38:01:11 but also our families. 00:38:02:06 - 00:38:04:13 Did you find that parents or even grandparents 00:38:04:13 - 00:38:07:21 or caregivers of the children were also learning with them? 00:38:08:14 - 00:38:10:23 How was that interaction when the students began 00:38:10:23 - 00:38:14:02 to really become more confident in their own reading? 00:38:16:06 - 00:38:18:00 The, the parent and guardian 00:38:18:00 - 00:38:21:00 piece of it has been probably the most difficult 00:38:21:03 - 00:38:23:15 because in the community in which our work, 00:38:23:15 - 00:38:27:08 our parents work a lot and they work a lot evening. 00:38:27:21 - 00:38:31:03 So what has happened with middle school students 00:38:31:03 - 00:38:34:05 is they become the caregivers for younger 00:38:34:16 - 00:38:37:16 siblings, for, you know, younger kids. 00:38:37:23 - 00:38:40:20 So in the evening, sometimes 00:38:40:20 - 00:38:44:04 they're alone until 6 or 7:00 at night. 00:38:44:13 - 00:38:46:22 Sometimes they're alone through most of the evening. 00:38:46:22 - 00:38:50:19 So when they come home from school, they have responsibilities. 00:38:51:00 - 00:38:53:20 And there may not be 00:38:53:20 - 00:38:56:20 they may or may not be an adult with them for several hours. 00:38:56:23 - 00:39:02:11 So that has been, a barrier or something that makes it a little more difficult 00:39:02:11 - 00:39:05:22 because, again, we're at that formative age. 00:39:06:07 - 00:39:09:02 When we were growing up, there may have been someone, 00:39:09:02 - 00:39:13:00 even if it was a grandparent, that could sit and listen to us read, 00:39:13:00 - 00:39:16:00 or we could read to them, they could read to us. 00:39:16:03 - 00:39:18:11 And that piece is missing. 00:39:18:11 - 00:39:22:01 And I think, you know, I've been seeing a lot of different 00:39:22:01 - 00:39:25:11 things online that people are trying to do to combat that. 00:39:25:11 - 00:39:28:24 I know there's a woman who's doing like storytime on zoom. 00:39:29:10 - 00:39:32:11 There are a lot of different things, creative things that are happening 00:39:32:16 - 00:39:37:20 because they realize that, that pieces missing students are missing, that that, 00:39:38:06 - 00:39:41:22 helping that love of reading at an early age. 00:39:42:08 - 00:39:46:07 Because what happens in middle school is when when we're in elementary school, 00:39:46:07 - 00:39:50:17 I should say there's also this big celebration around reading. 00:39:51:02 - 00:39:56:24 You have Doctor Seuss Day, you have read the reading 00:39:56:24 - 00:40:00:18 groups, you have the big, 25 reader book campaign. 00:40:00:18 - 00:40:04:01 You have all of these things going on when you're in elementary school 00:40:04:08 - 00:40:07:12 and in sometimes when it gets to middle school, it abruptly stops. 00:40:08:10 - 00:40:11:16 Nobody talks about reading anymore 00:40:12:01 - 00:40:15:20 once they get to middle school in the way that they did in elementary school. 00:40:16:07 - 00:40:20:22 So you may have had these kids that participated in the 25 book campaign, 00:40:20:22 - 00:40:22:02 50 book campaign. 00:40:22:02 - 00:40:25:20 They got the stars, they got the banners, they had a big celebration about it. 00:40:26:04 - 00:40:29:04 And then in middle school, it all just stopped. 00:40:30:01 - 00:40:34:09 So that's when we see the students reading levels kind of plateau 00:40:34:14 - 00:40:38:23 sometime at fifth and sixth grade, because nobody really celebrated 00:40:38:23 - 00:40:41:23 reading the way they did when they went around elementary school. 00:40:42:07 - 00:40:46:07 So, trying to bring in 00:40:46:07 - 00:40:50:22 bring some of those early reading things into the middle school 00:40:50:22 - 00:40:55:10 so students can get this love of reading so that reading is not a chore. 00:40:55:23 - 00:40:58:05 And. That and enjoy it. 00:40:58:05 - 00:40:59:10 And then they went. 00:40:59:10 - 00:41:01:23 So it doesn't become like such a task for them. 00:41:03:21 - 00:41:04:17 Yeah, 00:41:04:17 - 00:41:07:06 I might be showing my age, but, you know, raise your hand 00:41:07:06 - 00:41:10:04 if you had the bucket button and you were filling up the stars 00:41:10:04 - 00:41:13:04 so that you could go and get a pizza right? 00:41:14:24 - 00:41:15:10 Yeah. 00:41:15:10 - 00:41:18:02 I think we should bring it back for everyone. 00:41:18:02 - 00:41:19:21 Everybody, everybody. 00:41:19:21 - 00:41:20:15 Everybody. 00:41:20:15 - 00:41:23:03 I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm I'm a lover of reading. 00:41:23:03 - 00:41:27:12 If anybody can't tell, but, I belong to two book clubs. 00:41:27:12 - 00:41:31:08 You know, I, I just love literacy and I love reading. 00:41:31:08 - 00:41:33:23 So I just think that, 00:41:33:23 - 00:41:36:12 you know, that's very important. 00:41:36:12 - 00:41:37:18 Thank you. 00:41:37:18 - 00:41:39:18 We have a great question from Cynthia Epps. 00:41:39:18 - 00:41:42:09 When should they start reading chapter books? 00:41:42:09 - 00:41:46:03 And then the second part is, how can other schools build an environment like yours? 00:41:48:09 - 00:41:49:21 Well, it's not easy. 00:41:50:23 - 00:41:54:06 Chapter books, I think they they have chapter books 00:41:54:06 - 00:41:59:11 starting as early as second grade, but they're all based on their, their level. 00:41:59:20 - 00:42:01:14 So you may have some chapter books. 00:42:01:14 - 00:42:06:17 They may be 2 to 3 pages per chapter based on, you know, level two, level three. 00:42:07:00 - 00:42:10:00 And it goes by grade. And like style levels. 00:42:10:02 - 00:42:14:12 So you can find chapter books very early, you can find them very early. 00:42:14:12 - 00:42:17:12 And then they get more complex as students get older. 00:42:17:16 - 00:42:23:05 To create an environment like mine, you have to one have the leadership 00:42:23:16 - 00:42:26:09 that is willing to understand 00:42:26:09 - 00:42:29:15 that this is this is the crisis that we are in. 00:42:29:15 - 00:42:31:17 I mean, literacy right now is a crisis. 00:42:31:17 - 00:42:34:03 It’s a nationwide crisis 00:42:34:03 - 00:42:37:07 across all socioeconomic backgrounds. 00:42:37:07 - 00:42:39:12 It's a, it's a crisis. 00:42:39:12 - 00:42:43:05 And you have to have a leader that's willing to disrupt. 00:42:43:12 - 00:42:48:03 Like, no one in my district was talking about middle school leadership, literacy. 00:42:48:17 - 00:42:51:10 This was this was a conversation. 00:42:51:10 - 00:42:54:10 We weren't having conversations about middle school literacy. 00:42:55:00 - 00:42:58:11 We really weren't having a lot of conversation about literacy 00:42:58:11 - 00:43:00:04 at the elementary school. 00:43:00:04 - 00:43:04:07 So I just had to go out and just step on faith and do this on 00:43:04:07 - 00:43:08:08 my own with with what I knew needed to happen for these students. 00:43:08:08 - 00:43:10:20 Because, again, I knew that in the few short months 00:43:10:20 - 00:43:13:20 they were going to be going to high school. So 00:43:14:23 - 00:43:15:03 you're 00:43:15:03 - 00:43:18:09 sending these students to high school with limited skills? 00:43:18:12 - 00:43:21:12 It's criminal in my mind. 00:43:21:21 - 00:43:26:11 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think often, you know, a lot of folks that are, join the facts 00:43:26:11 - 00:43:32:00 and faith rally community, we often have these eyes to see and ears to hear. 00:43:32:00 - 00:43:36:22 And maybe a heart, that sometimes, the rest of the world doesn't see. Right. 00:43:37:08 - 00:43:42:00 And so I think it's that calling us into that space of creative disruption. 00:43:42:00 - 00:43:42:21 Right. 00:43:42:21 - 00:43:47:00 That's a beautiful way to describe what you have done in your middle school. 00:43:47:00 - 00:43:49:05 So thank you. 00:43:49:05 - 00:43:53:08 And the other thing too about when we think about literacy literacy is capital. 00:43:53:24 - 00:43:56:22 Literacy is capital in so many ways 00:43:56:22 - 00:44:00:07 I, I was, I was listening to the people earlier that were speaking 00:44:00:19 - 00:44:04:21 and just the, the breadth of knowledge that people have on the call. 00:44:05:07 - 00:44:10:11 But greater literacy provides greater access, whether it be financial 00:44:10:11 - 00:44:14:05 access, educational access as well as health care access. 00:44:14:15 - 00:44:17:11 So the more literate you are, the more you're able 00:44:17:11 - 00:44:21:18 to gather information and gain information from various resources. 00:44:21:18 - 00:44:24:18 So literacy is a form of capital. 00:44:24:24 - 00:44:25:21 Yeah. 00:44:25:21 - 00:44:26:22 Yeah, absolutely. 00:44:26:22 - 00:44:28:08 Thank you for reminding us of that. 00:44:30:18 - 00:44:32:02 Doctor Ross has a question. 00:44:32:02 - 00:44:35:02 Are there books on phonics that you recommend? 00:44:37:00 - 00:44:38:03 Books on phonics. 00:44:38:03 - 00:44:38:19 Let's see. 00:44:38:19 - 00:44:42:19 You go back to the old Doctor Seuss books. 00:44:42:19 - 00:44:46:04 Those are great because they break down each phonetic. 00:44:46:04 - 00:44:50:01 Cat in the Hat, those are all rhyming words. 00:44:50:02 - 00:44:51:16 Those are very important. 00:44:51:16 - 00:44:52:12 Hop and pop. 00:44:52:12 - 00:44:57:17 Those, you know, iterative words and onomatopoeia 00:44:57:17 - 00:45:01:09 and all those types of, language convictions that are present 00:45:01:09 - 00:45:04:17 in those words where there's rhyming and the word convictions are the same. 00:45:05:11 - 00:45:08:02 Those are great books for students to learn with. 00:45:08:02 - 00:45:11:11 So you don't have to reinvent the wheel with anything fancy. 00:45:11:20 - 00:45:14:09 Those are, those are great books. 00:45:14:09 - 00:45:17:09 And those they start with. 00:45:18:05 - 00:45:21:05 So Doctor Ross has any of these for graduate students? 00:45:21:05 - 00:45:24:20 Doctor Ross is incredibly well-respected 00:45:24:21 - 00:45:28:15 teacher in our community, and we've all learned much from him. 00:45:30:10 - 00:45:30:18 Doctor 00:45:30:18 - 00:45:33:18 Ross, what does he what do you teach Doctor Ross? 00:45:33:20 - 00:45:38:19 I teach Bible in language, Hebrew, Bible. 00:45:38:19 - 00:45:40:19 Oh, and literature and whatnot. 00:45:40:19 - 00:45:45:11 So, I've been in seminary well, since 82. 00:45:47:00 - 00:45:47:18 Okay. 00:45:47:18 - 00:45:52:01 Well, what they're finding in, in college, even, 00:45:52:01 - 00:45:55:24 I think the Atlantic or either in New York or did an article saying 00:45:55:24 - 00:45:59:06 that students are getting to college, never having read 00:45:59:06 - 00:46:02:06 a full book. 00:46:02:08 - 00:46:03:13 So. Now 00:46:03:13 - 00:46:07:06 they're getting to college and they're taking 4 or 5 courses, 00:46:07:06 - 00:46:11:05 and each course is having its own required reading. 00:46:11:05 - 00:46:14:01 And it's not just one book you have to read in the course. 00:46:14:01 - 00:46:15:08 It's several articles. 00:46:15:08 - 00:46:17:09 It's it's books you have to read. 00:46:17:09 - 00:46:22:01 is so is becoming an issue all the way up through the K for 16 space. 00:46:22:01 - 00:46:25:10 So it's not just elementary middle high, 00:46:25:17 - 00:46:28:14 it's also higher, higher ed as well. 00:46:28:14 - 00:46:29:14 And I see Mr. 00:46:29:14 - 00:46:32:07 Williams, Doctor Williams has his hand up. 00:46:32:07 - 00:46:33:00 My how are you. 00:46:33:00 - 00:46:36:11 Thank you so much for what you're doing with this particular program. 00:46:36:19 - 00:46:41:11 One of the things that has puzzled me is, 00:46:43:01 - 00:46:44:10 and I work with 00:46:44:10 - 00:46:48:11 the young people in a rural community, in, in northern Virginia. 00:46:48:19 - 00:46:54:05 But one of the things that I found almost throughout our educational system 00:46:54:13 - 00:47:00:07 that we have in place now is there seem to be a low level 00:47:00:07 - 00:47:03:07 of creativity and imagination 00:47:04:04 - 00:47:08:24 with our kids, and that's something that I think is needed. 00:47:09:17 - 00:47:14:02 And, how does your program address that, and how does it spark 00:47:14:11 - 00:47:17:23 the level of creativity to get children 00:47:17:23 - 00:47:20:23 to think about possibilities? 00:47:21:17 - 00:47:24:10 Well, this particular program does not 00:47:24:10 - 00:47:27:14 there's going to be very clear with you on that. 00:47:27:14 - 00:47:29:00 It does not. 00:47:29:00 - 00:47:34:19 So we create the creativity is through the activities 00:47:34:19 - 00:47:38:00 that students may do in their various courses. 00:47:38:10 - 00:47:42:17 What I had to do in my school is because my school didn't really have an identity. 00:47:43:05 - 00:47:46:04 So what I start was these pre CTE 00:47:46:04 - 00:47:49:16 courses and CTE programs at my school. 00:47:49:16 - 00:47:51:11 So one of the CTE programs 00:47:51:11 - 00:47:55:12 I have is e-sports, which is growing as $1 billion business. 00:47:55:17 - 00:47:59:08 And in it, in the e-sports space the students 00:47:59:08 - 00:48:03:13 have to create their own, esports team, their logo. 00:48:03:18 - 00:48:05:20 We have a person as producer. 00:48:05:20 - 00:48:11:20 So in a way they have to, create a product, to be part of it 00:48:11:20 - 00:48:16:05 or be part of the esports competition and league that we're in. 00:48:16:10 - 00:48:18:13 So they have to do all aspects of that. 00:48:18:13 - 00:48:24:05 So that incorporates the the reading, the literacy, the math, and things like that. 00:48:24:05 - 00:48:30:20 In that course, I also, started a digital media and film CTE program at my school. 00:48:30:21 - 00:48:33:14 Again, the students have to create the script. 00:48:33:14 - 00:48:39:05 They have to write the material that the students are going to do within the class. 00:48:40:24 - 00:48:42:08 And within that strand. 00:48:42:08 - 00:48:46:06 So that's where I kind of incorporate the creative part. 00:48:46:06 - 00:48:52:10 And then I also have an allied health, CTE, program that's within my school, 00:48:52:16 - 00:48:56:17 because those are the programs that are available at the high school. 00:48:56:17 - 00:49:00:00 So when the kids students leave me, when they go to the high school, 00:49:00:00 - 00:49:03:14 they can already be introduced to some of these programs. 00:49:04:04 - 00:49:06:23 But it seems to me that I try. 00:49:06:23 - 00:49:09:17 To try to get the creativity. 00:49:09:17 - 00:49:13:18 Yeah, it seems to me that the the seeds are being planted 00:49:14:03 - 00:49:17:20 to begin that type of thinking. 00:49:17:20 - 00:49:22:07 So I applaud that effort even in the midst of the, 00:49:22:07 - 00:49:26:08 standardized kind of, 00:49:26:12 - 00:49:30:17 limited, type of program that you have, but it's still, 00:49:31:09 - 00:49:36:15 addresses that, level out imagination, creativity in some aspects. 00:49:36:20 - 00:49:39:17 So, I applaud you. And please keep it up. 00:49:42:03 - 00:49:42:20 Well thank you. 00:49:42:20 - 00:49:46:15 It's very difficult because a lot of the curriculum that is, 00:49:47:00 - 00:49:50:13 into the school districts or the school districts 00:49:50:13 - 00:49:55:19 by in bulk the these, these, book companies 00:49:55:19 - 00:49:58:24 and all of these educational companies are making so much money. 00:49:59:08 - 00:50:04:17 But a lot of those programs take the creativity out there, so scripted there. 00:50:04:17 - 00:50:06:20 So you have to follow. 00:50:06:20 - 00:50:09:03 And that has really helped her. 00:50:09:03 - 00:50:12:11 That has really hurt education really, as well, 00:50:12:18 - 00:50:16:07 is because the students and the teachers have to follow a script. 00:50:16:07 - 00:50:19:13 They have to do so much of this in this moment. 00:50:19:13 - 00:50:22:04 They have to be on pace, they have to do this 00:50:22:04 - 00:50:26:00 and there's no room for the creativity in there. 00:50:26:06 - 00:50:31:03 So you have to come up with these creative ways to embedded 00:50:31:03 - 00:50:36:17 into what's happening in the school day, because the students have to hit so much, 00:50:36:17 - 00:50:40:14 what's in these, pre-purchase curricula? 00:50:41:16 - 00:50:42:11 This has been 00:50:42:11 - 00:50:45:11 an incredible conversation that Doctor Ramsey Bryant, 00:50:45:12 - 00:50:48:18 thank you so much for your time. 00:50:49:13 - 00:50:50:14 Yeah. 00:50:50:14 - 00:50:53:14 I see a lot of hands clapping. 00:50:54:10 - 00:50:55:11 I put my in here. 00:50:55:11 - 00:50:56:16 Okay. 00:50:56:16 - 00:50:57:09 Thank you. 00:50:57:09 - 00:50:58:15 Thank you. 00:50:58:15 - 00:50:59:14 As always. 00:50:59:14 - 00:51:01:04 We've had such great discussion that we're going 00:51:01:04 - 00:51:03:07 to put the announcements in the chat. 00:51:03:07 - 00:51:06:01 This group meets on the third Friday of every month. 00:51:06:01 - 00:51:10:20 So, we also want to make sure that you mark that time, on your calendar. 00:51:10:20 - 00:51:12:08 And for those clergy members 00:51:12:08 - 00:51:15:20 that are with us, we'll welcome you on the first Friday of each month. 00:51:16:05 - 00:51:19:05 Next month, we're going to be talking about our heart health 00:51:19:07 - 00:51:24:13 and how it's connected to, all of, our cancer treatment. 00:51:24:13 - 00:51:27:13 So Vanessa is adding all those announcements in the chat. 00:51:27:24 - 00:51:33:24 And, again, thank you to to, Danielle and to Leana 00:51:33:24 - 00:51:38:04 and to the human transplant center to Doctor Ramsey Bryant. 00:51:38:14 - 00:51:41:17 We're just so thankful for the time to be together.