This week, hosts Toby Lowe, Rachel Scott, and Julie Rust were joined by an amazing crew of educators: Tiffany Busby (second grade) Burton Williams-Inman (ninth grade history), and Kari East (middle school learning facilitator).  Our conversation ranged from the importance of articulating foundational learning objectives to the joys of sticky notes and desk pets. Listen to the whole chat, or jump to what you are interested in below:

3:33-6:37: Think high school teachers only lecture? Think again.  Burton reminds us there are so many ways for youth to access information outside of passively listening; and has the reassuring news that as a teacher “you are probably [checking for understanding] all the time . .  reading the room to see what kids are picking up and not picking up.”

6:38-9:00: On the value of student talk, and the importance of documenting what we learn from it. 

9:20-11:30: Tiffany shares her genius one-standard-per-sticky note check for the day strategy!

11:37-13:47: The importance of co-constructing “big rock” standards as a school to know whether what you are teaching in your grade level is foundational, spiraled practice, or an end-point of full proficiency.

13:53-18:38: Why Toby considers learning facilitators like Kari, “like a teacher but HELPFUL!”; and the vital importance of creating a low stakes/no stakes safe environment in your classroom to encourage student questioning. 

18:40-23:05: How centers or stations can carve out precious time in any grade level for small group check-ins with groups of students.  

23:05-23:42:  The surprising reason teachers of middle and upper school students are sometimes pressured into traditional lecture style classes.  

23:43-28:15: What it really means when students say a particular teacher “doesn’t know how to teach,” and how realistic are our expectations for students in monitoring their own understanding and clearly articulating the questions that they have? 

28:20-32:32:  Why we should all be making THE MOST CRINGEY POSSIBLE videos with our teaching teams to model question-asking strategies for our students.

32:33-35:50: Rachel’s favorite strategy for checking for understanding: teach the teacher!

35:50-37:15: How making a class newspaper is a powerful way to facilitate individual research that moves into a collaborative project.  

37:17:37:37:  What we are really talking about in all of this is building toward student agency: kids having the ability to teach themselves.

38:10-39:03: Burton’s commercial for the many varieties of the classic and very basic google form exit ticket! “It can serve in so many ways: beginning of class from previous lesson, open ended question about the day . . . You can make it closed note or open note”; the possibilities are endless!

39:22-41:22: Tiffany’s embrace of “challenges” to do a quick check of what students did and didn’t understand immediately following a lesson . . . and the surprising motivational value of deskpets!

42:33-43:33: Why Kari advocates for a good low stakes/not stakes self check in which students do a 5-7 question worksheet and then check themselves; also shout out for non-permanent vertical learning spaces (VNPS)! 

43:40-44:44:  No wiser words from Toby were ever said: there are no shortcuts to doing this work well. “You just need to strap in for ‘it’s gonna be more work, but it’s gonna be worth it.’”

Listen to the whole conversation, or pick and choose from the show notes below:

2:35-7:26:  Maria had the advantage of entering her teaching career armed with tools for avoiding teacher burnout: find a community, connect to your personal “why” for teaching, don’t hesitate to ask help from mentors, choose to teach at the RIGHT place that fuels you, accept that every day is a different-new day, embrace the constant change that surrounds teaching., and enjoy the performative aspects of teaching.

7:30-8:20: Toby recalls his feeling of belonging when first invited to SA and the impact it made.

8:43-12:40:: Judy reminds us that community and having a passion for what you do isn’t enough to guard against burnout . . . and why fireworks and campfires provide powerful analogies for a sustainable teaching career. 

14:05-16:32: Judy’s story of burnout which stemmed from not feeling trusted as a professional and the constant pendulum swing of “this is how you are supposed to teach.” She reminds us, “It’s easy to get [to a place of burnout], and you’re there before you realized what caused you to get there.”

16:35 -17:20: Why burnout isn’t always directly tied to long working hours working.

17:20-18:42; 22:20-28:34; 29:59-30:15: If you can only listen to one section of the pod, listen to these snippets in which Toby shares vulnerably about his own personal experiences with burnout. 

18:43- 21:01: Rachel’s story: burnout by boredom ironically cured by the challenges covid presented 

21:02-22:07: If you’ve seen one case of burnout, you’ve seen one case of burnout; there is no monolithic experience or cure.

28:35-29:57: Why it’s doubly difficult to do “mindfulness” as a teacher . . . and why teaching pushes all of us into anxiety.

31:48-34:30: Judy issues a strong call to administrators to pause, read the room about how faculty are feeling, and take the time to ask faculty for their professional opinions. 

34:45-36:20:  You know how north campus students have to fill out a survey and list their “trusted adult” on campus?  Well, we think we should have to do that as faculty as well; asking help is most definitely a superpower. 

1:12-3:30: Toby introduces the theme of resilience by telling a success story about a fifth grader he taught, asking “what was it about this kid that made her decide ‘I’m going to give this a try’?

5:55-6:25: Courtney McGee, Lower School Counselor, introduces resilience and how it fits into CARES (cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self control) programmatic model.

7:16-9:00: Shedrick Rogers, Middle School Counselor, argues that kids are more resilient than we often give them credit for; perhaps we need to have more patience that we are not the end point in their journey.   

9:40-11:25: Chelsea Freeman, Upper School Counselor, campaigns for getting more comfortable with discomfort in her homage to Damour’s book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.

12:49-14:10 : Dr. Peyton Thigpen encourages educators that the adults that had the most impact on us as children most likely challenged us to do hard things: “I’m not going to take your worst work; I know you have more potential than that.” 

14:11-17:10: Shedrick argues for the importance of consistently high expectations for youth in all areas: academics, social life, etc.

17:11-20:03:  So how do we actually help youth that are uncomfortable in the struggle? The good news is many of these skills can be taught, having social support and connection is vitally protective, and our school counselors have myriad tools to share.  

20:04-22:52: How can we best support the youngest students in our lives? Courtney and Peyton advocate for giving youth insight for recognizing their emotions, sharing language for naming them, and modeling strategies for coping.  

22:55- 29:38: Toby asks the million dollar question: how does all this resilience stuff take on a different note when it comes to us parenting our own kids? (Note: Julie found some solace in an episode of Hidden Brain featuring an interview with psychologist Peter Gray entitled “Parents: Keep Out!”)

29:40-31:05: Why we need to be the thermostat rather than the thermometer when it comes to our interactions with youth. 

31:10-39:00: Guests sagely address our first teacher-generated question: With attention spans and the ability to maintain sustained focus decreasing, specifically in upper middle school grades, how can we help students understand that they can, in fact, learn how to focus even at the age of 13?  

39:20-43:35:  Our second teacher-generated question elicits the comforting advice of “don’t change a thing; the conditions you are creating are the perfect recipe for building resilience!”

 My AP World History class is the first AP that students can take in the HS. The curriculum, set by the College Board, is extremely rigorous and fast paced. It's not unusual to have students crying in my office mid-September, but by the end of October, they seem to get their "sea legs" and begin to see improvement. I start the year advising them to work hard and trust the process. I continuously encourage them and teach skills along the way, but I still have meltdowns. What can I do better in the early days to help students understand that it's a marathon, not a sprint, and that their grades WILL improve? (Some have never earned B's or C's before and you'd think it was the end of the world!). Thanks!

45:02-47:45 : The episode ends on a “yay rah go teachers” note.  Because you all are awesome, and by simply building connections with students, you are building up their resilience. 

2:58-3:20: Inquiring minds must know; what does a child call their parent when they are actually teaching them in a classroom setting? 

4:22-6:57:  How being a teacher and being a parent are sometimes very different and sometimes very similar; also we discover Lea has basically taught every kid in the world. 

7:05-8:14: Why Anna Frame is a lot less fun as a mom than a teacher; and the interplay of high expectations and “not MY kid!”

9:45-13:33: A surprise side effect of being a teacher momma: we never want to infringe on our kids’ teachers’ time or stress them out in any way.  

13:38-14:55: The added entanglements for mommas who are not only teachers at the same school but also ALUMNAE! 

14:56-16:30: “The balance of challenges and blessings” when your own kid is in the exact same grade you teach; the things we miss but also the insights we glean.

16:40-17:20: Julie’s surprise reveal that Lea Crongeyer is the real reason she ended up working at St. Andrew’s.  (When I was considering the job she texted me, “it is one of the most precious gifts of my life to have taught at the same place my kids go to school.”)

17:28-20:25: Julie’s biggest point of tension in these dual roles of administrator/teacher and momma is also incredibly generative.

20:26-21:16: Lea drops some major wisdom: “So parenting you do so much of it with your heart you have to have a lot of self control as a teacher . .. you can’t be momma bear at school”; and Taylor points out sometimes we have too many “inside” insights. :) 

21:16-23:20: Anna shares the good side of all this: we have a cheat code for what to talk to kids about in the car; also that year Lea let Taylor wake up  her own kid from nap.

23:40- 25:26: Being a momma-teacher makes you have so much grace and empathy for your kids’ teachers and other cheat codes that can give us a leg-up on our parenting partners.

25:31-26:38; 28:18-29:58: When your kid gets in trouble, sometimes [a different kind of] the swooping in is helpful; also why Julie loves student-led conferences.

26:48-27:33: Listen here to find out which of our children was NOT a good napper and required an elaborate ticket system to stay put!

30:25-31:40: Josh Brister finally gets on the mic to drop wisdom about how parenting has impacted his view of the parent/teacher relationship; also our podcast’s most dramatic moment in the  history of its existence!

31:41-32:46; 34:24-35:00: Not only do we give teachers more grace when we are in our parenting role, we give parents more grace in our teaching role; now we know how hard it is!  

32:47- 34:23: How parenting shifts our view of the value of writing qualitative comments to parents.

35:00-35:50: Sometimes we are very, very bad parents.  True confessions.

Guest: Michelle Portera

Recorded/Edited by Josh Brister

• (0:53-2:36) Episode Intro - Matt shares multiple resources that suggest loneliness is not a new conversation, although perhaps an unexpected and ironic one within the educational field given that educators are largely surrounded by others all day long
  • (2:36) Matt introduces himself, Jessica, and Michelle (Josh is quietly present and recording! Thank you, Josh!) 
  • (2:36) While meeting with TEAM early on, we began a conversation about under- discussed truths, and the topic loneliness came up.

• (3:44) Question 1:  How do you sense or experience loneliness in your profession, either in yourself or in others?
  • (4:10) Michelle has sensed loneliness in her 1st grade students; we all want to be seen and understood, including our kiddos; her assistant Rachel Scott does a great job noticing their students’ needs.
  • (5:40) Matt wonders how experiences might differ among teachers based on your division or particular role; Michelle feels connected to her 1st grade team; Jessica shares how her experience of connection shifted when she shifted from a kindergarten assistant to a lead elementary art teacher.
  • (8:28) Matt similarly shares being the expert/only person teaching a given topic can be isolating; has missed having someone to lean on/collaborate with possible challenges of autonomy.
  • (9:45) An ESL teacher for a time, Michelle agrees being the “lonely expert” can “mess with your confidence” and put you on the defensive rather than feeling connected with others.
  • (10:56) Matt shares that full autonomy of curriculum is perhaps a two-edged sword; Jessica mentions perhaps that’s another conversation: how much choice is too much not just for students but teachers as well?
• (12:06) Question 2: If yes, when have you felt the most lonely? And do you think it was related to a personal situation or your role within the community? 
  • (12:58) Michelle shares her experience of being the “newbie” on her 1st grade team and its challenges; she wisely acknowledges that loneliness can be a making all of our own, like when negatively comparing yourself to others. 
  • (14:49) Matt shares the importance of connecting with others in a way that is personally nourishing or revitalizing, and ironically, that might mean spending time in a quiet room with only one other adult.
  • (16:45) Throughout the day Jessica hunts out brief moments of, as Michelle so nicely puts it, “teacher togetherness,” where she can have even a moment of connection with other peers or adults, and Michelle shares a prior experience where teachers were reprimanded for chatting in the halls with one another and its effects on morale. 

• (19:57) Question: Do you feel that loneliness is something systemic about today’s world and culture? Do you feel it’s something that spans beyond teaching roles and into other ones? (Say maintenance staff? Admin? Students?) 

• (20:13) The chicken or the egg? Loneliness now a nation-wide discussion, Matt questions the exact roles COVID-19 and digital tech both played (and perhaps still play) in preventing togetherness. 
• (23:14) Michelle reflects being truly connected might require some intentionality and wise decision making.
• (25:21) Jessica feels having shared teacher goals or objectives isn’t the same as feeling personally connected to each individual  within the community; once again, Michelle questions whether that is related to our own willingness to be vulnerable with others.
• Jessica shares a tiny shift in her schedule allowed for small moments of connection with both co-workers and parents.

• (28:25) Question 5: What do you feel has helped you feel a stronger sense of connection/belonging and to your SA community?

• • Reiterating a few successful strategies mentioned like prioritizing and daily snippets of connections, Matt shares his own need to have strong and nourishing friendships outside of work.
  • (30:08) Michelle and Jessica reflect on the benefits of their shared PLC with Rev. Hailey Allin called Living Compass and other meetings times as opportunities for connection.
  • (33:30) Michelle expresses gratitude that St. Andrew faculty have access to a counselor, not just Saint students. 

• Question 6: What do we feel St. Andrew’s does really well to help folks feel connected and maybe where is there room for growth? 
  • (34:31) Michelle and Jessica agree St. Andrew’s does a great job of prioritizing celebration; Michelle also feels incredibly connected through her multi-grade level meetings.
  • (36:19) Matt highlights the Mentor Program and its supportive nature.
  • (37:44) Sunshine Committee and community members do a great job supporting community members went there’s a need.
  • (38:50) Michelle shares the importance of proactively reaching out to others.
  • (40:29) There’s always room for growth; Jessica highlights a few she values such as evolving language, openness, awareness, and empathy. 
  • (41:07) Michelle reiterates the need to “clear the air” and have hard conversations.  
• (43:00) Matt thanks Michelle for joining him Jessica to share thoughts on our teacher truths that perhaps often go under discussed.

(44:02) We conclude that we doubt we solved teacher loneliness, but Jessica feels hopeful that, just by taking the time to have this small, quiet conversation about our shared experience of teacher loneliness, can bring us all together. We are not alone in our loneliness! 

• (0:00-2:35) TEAM Intro and Episode Intro - Teaching as an introvert vs extrovert, and the way that may change the vibe and feeling of our day to day life here at SA.

• (2:45-3:10) - Can you figure out, based on this conversation, who is our introvert and who is our extrovert?
• (3:20) Question 1: What is your favorite part of the school day? 
  • (3:40) Maria starts us off - she loves seeing her lessons come to life, especially when a lesson hits well in a (probably morning time) class. 
  • (4:50) We reflect on how the time of day completely changes the vibe of a class.
  • (5:30) Paul speaks about how he loves the calm moments of the day, taking a moment of peace, and maybe even a quick walk around campus.
  • (6:15) We love our outdoor campus!
• (7:00) I forgot to introduce myself! Sidebar, it doesn’t take just an introvert to LOVE their planning period - I love mine too!
• (7:50) Another sidebar - Maria remembers a conversation between the three of us before she had actually been hired. We knew she was a winner!
• (8:25) Question 2: What part of the school day consistently stresses you out? 
  • (8:35) Hannah first - needing to be super flexible stresses me out, even though our environment and schedule at SA is typically so consistent and our days operate generally as expected, we still sometimes have to adjust on the fly. Such is life as a teacher.
  • (9:50) Paul shares - he feels stressed when lesson plans go awry, and he has to change things on the fly. He also shares that on a normal, regular day, lunch can be very stressful. It can feel draining, and it’s loud!
  • (11:25) Maria shares - she agrees that it’s stressful when a lesson plan flops, and being in year one of teaching is a lot of trial and error. Maria and Hannah both struggle with the way one lesson plan gone wrong can really flip the entire week/month/quarter on its head schedule wise.
  • (12:40) There is a unique struggle when classes are only 50 minutes.
• (13:50) “Just a quick sidebar…” figuring out how to effectively plan a class period (making sure you plan enough but not too much) is kind of the art of teaching, in a nutshell.
• (15:25) Question 3: How do you feel at the end of a school day? 
  • (15:40) “Do you mean before or after my nap?” - Paul uses his after school time to rest, and restore, by enjoying some silence and taking his dog on a walk.
  • (16:35) Maria gives a lot during the school day, but she gives herself a boost with some energy drinks, so she can still be active and head to the gym after school!
  • (18:30) Boundaries! Work/life balance with our families and our own ability to recharge!
  • (18:50) What does it look like to turn off “teacher talk” at the end of the day, especially when we are with non-teachers?
  • (19:45) Hannah shares that at the end of the school day, she may be tired and more mellow, but is also kind of ready to expend a different kind of “after school” energy. 
• (20:50) The big reveal! Who is our introvert?
• (21:45) We are so clued into the way our kids are each day; do we have the same amount of awareness for ourselves? Do we keep a finger on our own pulses as well?

Show notes:

• (3:55-5:15) A glimpse into Saana’s spookiest time at St. Andrew's! (To learn more,  read this blog!)
• (5:18-7:24)  Hannah’s ghostly disappearing/reappearing act at SA; imagine the possibility within three inch binders; Toby and Hannah as polar opposites on the first grade team
• (7:32-11:01) Why work-life balance isn’t “one size fits all” and one hidden benefit of long work hours (shoutout to Mr. Chris!); also the very quotable: “Sure the work will still be there tomorrow, but so will all these children!”
• (11:02-12:31) The irony of working ahead.
• (12:50-14:52) Put plainly, differentiation just takes time. 
• (14:53-16:15)  Toby used to chug Sunny D; and the ebb and flow of productivity.
• (16:17-20:00) Why Toby’s SPOOKY invisible work is more about remaking systems;  also writing his own tests and homework
• (20:02-20:17) Why we should all stop giving  planners like Hannah a hard time! “I’m not miserable! This makes sense to me!”
• (20:18-22:32)  Why the timing of our invisible work matters 
• (22:50- 24:20) Why teaching kindergarten is just like teaching any grade but with a bit more material-prep. 
• (24:21-25:25) The glory and delight of how teaching takes up residence in your brain. 
• (25:25-26:58) That one time Zander knocked over a water glass on my laptop while we were playing Headbandz and the gentle reminder of “maybe one thing at a time.” 
• (27:03-27:42) Julie’s unpopular opinion:  grading papers is the best.
• (28:18-29:22) Hannah has some good advice if you plan to work late; good news though: there are lots of good areas to sleep in lower school. :)  
• (29:44-30:53) Another invisible teacher truth: we pay attention to our students’ social dynamics and care about the health of their friendships.

3:12-6:16: Meet our guests, and learn which one most closely related to the terrifying character of Mrs. Trunchbull!

6:51-10:00:  What is up with the dynamic between Matilda and her parents?   

10:29-12:45: What St. Andrew’s has in common with the terrifying Cruncham Elementary; (related sidenote: we need a statue of Dr. Egger in the front of the school).

13:15-17:10: What all of us think about growing up: from the perspective of sweet Bev Egger, to our third graders, to Dr. Egger and me; the pros/cons of having control but also having responsibility. 

17:40-20:48: We have a delightful time comparing Mrs. Trunchbull to Dr. Egger; spoiler alert: they have like nothing in common! 

21:10- 25:07: We gush with love for the character Miss Honey, and not just because she’s a nice teacher; because she’s got some solid skills. Also Elizabeth and Alianna dish on which of their teachers most remind them of Miss Honey.  

25:45-30:44: We explore the premise of the lyric “sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty”; interestingly sibling relationships come up quite a few times.

30:58-33:50- We close out with our favorite scenes from the show, featuring circus-school, throwing hammers, dancing on top of desks, and floating above the clouds. 

• 1:18-2:56: The art of substitute teaching, and our first hint that Dewey Finn has absolutely no clue what he is getting into.
• 3:00-5:05:  Daniel takes a trip down memory lane about his first few weeks on north campus, and asserts that there has to be a point that every teacher wishes they could act a bit more like the main character: goofy, fun, sarcastic, relatable . . . 100% themselves.
• 5:07-7:15:  Sure inappropriateness abounds, but Rachel points out that “sometimes it was a little refreshing”; why being honest with our students and avoiding needless sugarcoating can be the best policy. 
• 7:16-9:28: Our guests discuss their fury at public shaming in schools via data walls, behavior charts, names on the board, etc.
• 10:41- 11:27:  How one scene got Sara musing on the challenges of teaching an ungraded co-curricular.
• 12:33-13:07: Why School of Rock is currently trending on TikTok.
• 13:08-14:31:  Inspiring kids to find their passions, but breaking so many rules in the process!
• 14:33-16:18: Why asking youth what makes them mad can be a powerful springboard in the classroom.
• 16:18-16:49: The value of teaching kids to advocate for themselves.
• 16:50-19:15: The scene of a “lesson plan gone wrong” that the guest found oh-so-relatable.
• 19:15-20:37: Admin are people too! That time Dewey goes to the bar with his principal.
• 20:38-26:49: Who knew School of Rock had so much to say on the impact of emotions in classroom spaces?! Also shout outs to Rev. Hailey and Chelsea and our school’s general commitment to all things social-emotional.
• 26:50-28:20: Can you learn everything you need to know through music?: the potential in interest-driven, project-based learning.
• 28:21-end: The guests end with the big disclaimer: unless you want to lose your job, do not take cues from the Jack Black character.  But if you want a great laugh at the end of a long teaching week and are willing to suspend your disbelief, check out School of Rock.

2:35-4:13:  Ruth and Andrea discuss two very different vantage points on the impact of television on the lives of young children; should we be hopeful about its ability to foster play and creativity, or should we be concerned about its impact? 

4:14-5:50:  What provoked Mr. Rogers to utilize TV as a medium, and a peek into Kim’s evolution as a parent. 

5:55- 7:00:  The shows our guests’ children enjoyed when they were young, and their own personal early childhood relationship with Mr. Rogers Neighborhood growing up.

7:01-8:06: Why watching paint dry can be entertaining: the power of meditative television.

8:23-10:24: The “other type” of children’s show, and what chaotic or subversive television reveals about the intersection of consumerism and the world of TV, particularly in today’s streaming environment.

10:25-12:45: Wisdom for current parents of littles: watch what they watch, and turn on your “icky” meter.

12:46-13:47: How our guests feel that adult cartoons and marvel movies have impacted young people.  

13:48-16:09: On the other hand, the good old days weren’t so perfect: reflections on Bugs Bunny and nursery rhymes and the importance of differentiating reality and imagination for youth.

16:13-17:50: What imagination as a coping mechanism looks like in a PK4 classroom.

17:51-20:42: Why the first thing Ruth’s 1st-4th graders are asked to do when they enter the classroom gives us hope that slower, more deliberate programming can still entertain children; also, Bluey might be the new Mr. Rogers.

20:45-23:25: Tools we can practice as parents of young children after a busy day to help us “live much fuller lives”; “I think that’s the whole point: we all need to slow down.”   

3:55-5:10: How Hannah’s 8th grade year represented a huge identity shift from shy to confident, much like Kayla, the protagonist in the movie.  

5:15-7:55:  How Hollie’s 8th grade grade year was fraught with all of the normal awkward things in 8th grade, but also compounded by transferring to a new school and a school-wide tragedy; and the role that safe and kind adults played.  

7:59-10:11: Why 8th grade was Toby’s least favorite year, and that strong sense waiting for life to start, trying to find your thing when you don’t yet know quite who you are. 

10:15-11:02: Why it can feel like a huge relief for us as faculty to remember how marginal teachers can be in the lives of students, at best “blundering idiots.” 

13:27-15:55: How Kayla’s middle school experiences contrast with the reality of our 5th-8th graders at St. Andrew’s; also Hannah drops some wisdom: “All 8th graders want to belong and feel like they don’t.  100% want to be part of something and don’t feel they are part of something yet.”  

15:57- 17:55: We zoom a bit more into Kayla, her need to make help videos, and why 8th grade is, as Toby puts it, “such a well observed movie.” 

17:56- 19:30: Toby recalls the “ visiting your friend’s huge mansion effect” from his own coming-of-age, and Hannah points out that adolescence is a project of comparison: “Should my life look like I’m having fun in this pool party with friends?” 

19:36- 21:48:  We gush about perhaps our favorite 8th grade character in the movie, the oh-so-lovable Gabe.

22:55-26:32: The good, bad, and ugly of when Kayla gets a glimpse into high school life, and does this have implications for our 5th-12th grade north campus? 

26:38-34:35: We talk the role that technology plays in the movie, our own relationships with devices, researched links to anxiety, and our cell phone policies at school.  

34:36-35:30: Reasons we think Kayla’s dad should win best dad ever. 

35:31-37:20:  The climactic end of the movie, time capsules, and Kayla seeing the light after a very fraught year of growing up. 

37:42-41:11:Toby asks us to muster up our past 8th grade girl perspective: “Is there really all that staring and boy anxiety?!” 

41:16-42:20: Why we just want to find every awkward kid and hug them and make them feel better.  Also, we are ALL still Kayla, even those of us in our forties.  

44:28-end: Hannah ends the episode with more words of insight: “It feels impossible that someone could look at you with all your mess, frizzy hair, and think that you are easy to love. It seems impossible! But we’ve all been there! And they are so easy to love.” 

Want to skip to a particular topic? See below!

• 3:53-4:50; 31:23-31:54:  Why/how you should start watching Abbott Elementary immediately!
• 4:55-6:35: What Anna Frame’s favorite scene has in common with St. Andrew’s very own lost and found.
• 6:28-7:42: Why Meredith Boler loves the format: it’s so relatable.
• 7:46-8:58: How much the character Janine reminds us of our first year teacher selves, that one time Taylor Davis made the mistake of telling parents she was a first year teacher, and the age-old fear of young teachers everywhere: “What if I get to the number 3 and the students haven’t yet complied?!”
• 9:00-10:30: Michelle shares her own raw first-year-teacher-self story.
• 10:35-12:26: Why the substitute episode resonated big time for permanent sub Sarah Rabke, and a helpful reminder to us to include ALL the details in the sub plans. 
• 12:43-14:05:  The group discusses the most resourceful, loving, doesn’t-put-up-with-any-nonsense character: Melissa; also fun fact: if you need any Philly- translations to understand the series, make sure to ask our very own Sara Clark!
• 14:13-15:24: Why the aspiring-principal-turned-sub-turned-teacher Gregory reminds us of Jim in The Office;  and how his “reluctance . . . turns into a really deep passion.”
• 15:45-20:22: Michelle plays a clip from the show and guests shout out all the Ava character love; she simultaneously incorporates all of the cliches of bad administrators, is so edgy and inappropriate, but underneath that there possesses heart, truth, and insight.
• 21:07-23:27: The group explores the character of Barbara, who represents the most old school, veteran, master teachers in our schools.
• 23:28-25:05: In what is my favorite moment of this podcast episode, the group discusses the young, progressive teacher Jacob who may or may not be compared with Anna Frame’s husband, Andy.
• 25:08-26:29: Guests explore the magical Mr. Johnson,  eliciting a shout out to Greg Buyans and building managers everywhere, who do everything and know everything at any given time buoyed by a shocking amount of good humor.
• 26:31-28:15: It takes no stretch to find resonance in the bathroom/water situation episode for our south campus folks; Sarah recalls her first week on the job at SA this year: “Where am I and why is this happening?!
• 28:20-30:06:  Guests predict what is next with Janine and Gregory’s relationship; and they discuss what happens at education conferences, stays at education conferences.
• 30:15-31:23: Lest we leave thinking the show is a perfect representation, guests end with sharing all of the unrealistic moments in the show: lunch breaks together; manicures in the middle of the day?!  Come on, Abbott Elementary. No way.

2:30-16:15: Our hosts for the season share behind-the-scenes back stories about the process and experience of leading episodes about accountability; plus Kim shares an amazing post-script about how her four year olds became her accountability partners this semester.

16:17-17:14: One of our major takeaways from the season, that could indeed be a starting point for cultures of accountability, courtesy of Francis Croft: “We all need to get on the team of let’s assume everyone is doing their best.”

17:38-18:53: What a conversation in a middle school division meeting about grading made Toby ponder in relation to structures-control-accountability.  

18:54-20:22: Buck explores accountability as holding in tension everyone’s humanity with the fact that there are things we have to do (e.g. produce grades and do recess duty).

20:23-23:57: Hosts explore the trust/transparency tension combo that came up in the honor council and administrator episodes, and they articulate the truth that trust is doubly hard with the turnover that is naturally part of schools (admin and faculty, but also students that change grades and teachers every single year!) 

24:09-27:20: Stakeholder groups in our school that we wish we had invited or heard more from in this season and why.

27:22-28:58: After six episodes, what we can say about accountability for sure: it is best when steeped in relationships and incorporates a circular or bottom-up (rather than solely top-down) feedback loop.

28:58-31:32: The question that still persists: what do we do about justice and consequences?

31:50-32:59: Hosts share what they are going to take away from this system in terms of next steps: change what you can change, lean into grace, open up communication. 

33:18-36:30: Final words from Toby, the initiator of this season’s topic: “What’s next is always work- but it’s a good thing that the work is so delightful.  You should always be pushing yourself, your peers, and your bosses for more accountability.”

1:32-5:35: Cathy Davis’ favorite role in her time at St. Andrew’s and what it teaches us about the interplay between administrative work and the work of teaching.

5:41-6:58 : What Kevin meant by “accountability” when he set it as a theme for us all this year: the strong supports we all provide each other as we work in concert.

7:08-8:28 : The question Hollie posed that totally stumped Kevin: WHO is actually considered “administration”? Kevin’s conclusion: “Does it matter as long as we are able to support each other as we work together to accomplish our mission and the goals of our school?”

9:16-11:18: What was the structure of administration like when Cathy Davis first began in 1989?

11:20-16:33: What schools were like before the unceasing onslaught of digital communication.

16:35-18:10: To whom are administrators held accountable? Kevin shares the official structural answer (the board) and then his more pragmatic take: “I’m accountable to all of you [faculty, parents, students, general public].”

17:36-20:39: What that mysterious SLT (Senior Leadership Team) is about and why it exists.

20:44-25:37: We examine whether more circular or bottom-up methods of evaluation and feedback could be powerful mechanisms for administrators to improve their performance.

25:38- 27:32: How does our admin model and ratio of faculty-admin-staff compare to other independent schools? 

27:35-29:43 : Cathy recalls a pivotal turning point in our school’s history and why meeting locations matter.

29:44- 31:45: What has changed in our school’s environment to shift structural, admin, faculty, and student needs?  

31:48-34:11: Hollie, Kevin, and Cathy talk about board meeting minutes and the vital intersection of transparency and trust. 

• 2:45-3:32: What does accountability mean within the St. Andrew’s community?
• 3:46-4:53: Where, according to Blake Ware, it gets “hairy”: the “reek that comes with wanting to hold others accountable and not maintain the same standards themselves” when we all have different workflows and responsibilities.
• 4:56-8:05 :Why we can’t hold teachers accountable unless there is first a clear articulation of expectations for all the things (recess duty, dealing with parents, number of grades, communication on MySA, and on and on).
• 8:06-11:20:  Why the variety of roles teachers play in the life of the school community makes holding teachers accountable complex; and why a good rationale for the “why” behind an expectation is really key, particularly in relation to stressful times in the rhythm of the school year.
• 11:23-13:22: Why we tend to hold teachers accountable for the wrong things (e.g. did she enter grades in a gradebook) when often the most important aspects of teaching are more difficult to “measure,” such as how you handled a day educating 81 students in-the-moment.
• 13:40-16:38: Trust as autonomy in curricular choices, and why sometimes trust could work in tandem with more structure for faculty at a school like ours; Margaret Mains terrifying-inspiring (?) sink-or-swim-first-year-teaching story: “Teach them how to write; see you in May!”
• 16:39-18:00: When hidden expectations and judgements lurk behind “we trust you; do what you want!” . . . is there a middle ground?
• 18:01- 19:02: Expectations must be paired with a solid rationale lest they be perceived as a hoop to jump through.
• 19:03-23:12: SA’s approach to onboarding new faculty: you were hired for a reason, independent school culture, and our attempts to provide more just-in-time information.
• 23:14-26:12:  The tightrope walk between perceived faculty trust v. accountability and where this needs to be recalibrated
• 27:43-29:43: Blake’s starting point: trust that adults are the adults of the school, and complications of equity that can result when different aspects of the job are held as higher priorities to some than others.
• 29:40- 31:04: How the middle school committee structure that started this year helped define these needed expectations in a tangible way and even out labor in the community. 

1:23-3:34: Practical tips from Dr. Foley about what teachers need parents to know about how best to support their children in their schoolwork at home.

3:35-5:30: How teachers can have tough, honest conversations with parents by emphasizing the “why” behind their recommendations.

5:34-6:59: Why the accountability that parents help instill in children today will pay dividends in their future lives in college and beyond.

7:00-9:19 : What lunch clips have to do with fostering accountability (remember that book and then poster that was popular in the 90’s: “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten?”)

8:48-9:30:  Accountability as a two way street.

10:04-11:01: The three layers for youth developing their own sense of responsibility: from self accountability to parent accountability to teacher accountability.

12:00-15:00 : Straight-up wisdom from Frances Croft: why framing our children’s student roles as “their job,” thus separating it from our job as parents, is essential.  

15:18-18:30: Why kids learn so much more when we refrain from micromanaging and let them productively fail.

18:30-20:22 :Why parenting is not one-size-fits-all enterprise.

20:22 -26:49:  Why part of our role as parents might be to serve as our children’s advocates to help hold school’s accountable to serve our diverse learners, and the phenomenon of youth that hold it together at school but fall apart at home.

26:50-29:52: Why both parent and faculty perspectives can enrich each other, and why grace and open-mindedness is key; let’s all get on team “we are doing our best.”

30:06-37:03: Why Frances believes volunteering as a parent in the school community is worth it; the history of SAPA as “the triangle club”, connecting “child-home-school”; and how the question of “where do you plug in?” has a lot to do with fostering belonging.

1:35-2:24: What accountability has to do with honor . . . even when nobody is watching.

3:07-4:28: The history of the Honor Council, and why it honor is at its core.

4:41-5:12; 13:37-15:10: How Honor Council has evolved, and why it has to continue to adapt with the time. 

5:578:54: Nuts and bolts of how the Honor Council functions.

9:48-10:56:  The pros and cons of being held accountable by your own peers.

11:33- 13:11: The role of empathy when you are going on the preponderance of evidence; walking the line between being “grace filled and affirming the values of the community.”

15:35-19:24: What kind of infractions get you on honor council, why the most common type of case has increased since covid, and “calling in” versus “calling out.”

19:47-20:44:  Why keeping an open mind is crucial for Honor Council matters.

20:59:21:48:  Why advising Honor Council is the hardest part of Mrs. Kelly’s job.

6:07-8:10: What does accountability have to do with responsibility? 

9:00-15:00: Our guests say the honor code and talk about its implications in relation to this theme of accountability.

15:03- 15:52: Tanner talks about the woes of losing pencils, and what ordering a whole bunch of extra ones from amazon has to do with accountability.

15:53-17:28: What role do students have in holding other students accountable?

17:32-19:30: We explore scenarios that demonstrate that making the right and honorable choice isn’t always as clear a path as we assume.

19:35-25:54: Students wrestle with what to do when someone misbehaves in the classroom and the teacher demands that someone speak up about who did it. . . and why it is far more preferable in these situations to speak directly to your friends, rather than the authority figure. 

26:23-32:15: What about due dates, late assignments, etc?

33:00-34:42:  Anne Avery’s advice to teachers/students as a key to success toward accountability and really all things: communication

34:58-36:48: Tanner’s piece of advice to faculty: publicly holding students accountable to know something can actually be painfully embarrassing in such a classroom setting. 

1:02-2:04: Toby, the idea man for this theme of accountability, shares why he wanted to frame up this season with such a baggage-fraught word.

4:12-5:38: Hear Michelle Portera unpack why the word “accountability” can induce eye rolls. 

5:39-6:04: Why the word can make Rachel Scott cringe, particularly when it is issued forth by someone you don’t know.

6:05-12:45: How the “accountability movement” in schools has tainted the word. Hosts discuss how ”it sounded beautiful, but felt terrible . . . reduc[ing] your work [with youth] to a number on a spreadsheet.”

14:38-16:16: Reframing accountability as SELF-driven, not OTHER-driven.

16:15-17:28: Why accountability can only take root in community to grow into something good, and the problem with checklists. 

17:29-19:49: Buck breaks down the word and discusses why “accountability in its best sense is about relationship being forged through explanation or dialogue.”

19:50-22:08: What Julie’s group text with old professor buddies has to do with accountability.

22:08-22:35: Why what happens when you do make a mistake matters.

23:34-26:00: Can accountability survive hierarchy, and relatedly, how can I be vulnerable to someone who can decide I don’t get to work here anymore?

26:27-28:33: Why is it so easy for us as adults to hold children accountable but so difficult to be held accountable?  What falls apart as we grow older? 

28:40- 31:00 Julie’s pet peeve and what to do with folks that don’t seem to have that internal drive.

31:45-34:32: The difference between accountability and justice, and a friendly reminder that “some people want to make the world burn.”  Also, just because you think someone is slacking doesn’t mean you know the full story. 

Skip to what you are most interested in below: 

4:07-5:25: Why a good discipline system should be based on the mission of the school, which in our case involves “respecting the dignity of every human,” and why detentions might not be the best way to get there. 

5:26-6:32: How restorative justice foregrounds education, why no school can purely enact this model, and the usefulness of a graduated ladder of consequences that everyone understands.

7:15-8:45: A quick definition of restorative justice, and why it is key to find ways for offenders to re-enter the community having learned from the experience.

8:48-10:00: How this looks in practice for us at St. Andrew’s.

10:01-12:05: Jen shares what she has observed to be the most challenging part of this process and shares why being an upstander is a key piece of the method as well. 

13:07-17:37: The complex interplay of teacher life reality with these restorative approaches, and why Clay says that it can take 5-10 years to really make a school culture shift in this direction. 

17:38-20:58: How these methods fit our often-conservative context of the deep south, a surprising truth about Dean Whitt’s childhood, and the recognition that “it’s messy and it takes time and everyone will eventually get there, but when you’re in the moment, it takes a leap of faith to know that it is going to be okay in a few years.”

21:00-23:45 : Conversations about the need for conversation; the power of circles in restorative justice.

23:47-25:47: Clay reminds us: “[This form of discipline] is hard and tiring, but empathy is hard.”

25:47-29:00: Dean asks for more conclusive data about the way these approaches more fairly treat traditionally disenfranchised groups, and Clay shares some research on outcomes in perceived wellbeing. 

29:05-30:18- Jen shares a concrete example of how this all plays out in dress code violations.

30:25-31:38: Why no single system for discipline can fix inequity.

31:40-34:52 - Is there a place for the “teacher voice” and resulting student shame in these approaches? 

34:53-35:50: Why Jen likes the word “accountability” more than shame. 

36:09-37:25: A surprising truth about the greatest disparity in detention-assignments.

3:45-6:02:  Learn about Sheena’s career trajectory . . .and why we should all thank Mary McCall for bringing her to St. Andrew’s :).

6:32-8:19 : Learn about Tabitha’s past experiences, and how she came to be connected with Sheena.

8:20-10:30 : Take a time machine with me back to when I first went on a hunt to find a daycare facility for a six month old Alianna Rust, and listen to us philosophize about why there is such a demand for childcare centers that have lovely spaces. 

11:02-13:00:  Learn about Brittany’s background, why you should beg her to cook for you, and how she became inspired her to pursue a career in childcare.

14:42-16:14:  Why the key to having a better community is building a better team of individuals through great recruitment, and why “willingness to recalibrate” is also essential.

16:18-17:16: Why belonging has a lot to do with setting up equitable work conditions, and how the longer hours Foundation’s faculty worked this year took a toll.

17:25-19:44 : What it was like for Tabitha entering a new division within an already-established institution after 18 years in a previous establishment,  and how she felt each time someone stopped the baby buggy to see the little ones. 

19:45-21:10: Why it was so important to Sheena that Foundations faculty felt part of the entire school, and not just the new division.

24:27-25:56: How easy it is for us to exist in divisional silos, and why fellowship is key to bringing us all together.

26:12-26:37: Why Brittany’s goal in the next five years is for Foundations to continue to expand.

27:08-30:42: Hear Tabitha’s vivid recollection of her interview at St. Andrew’s, the moment she went from feeling anxious to relaxed, and what this might teach us about the essential impact of sharing our stories with each other early and often.

4:37-6:12: Why no two days are the same for a head of school.

6:26-7:28: Jessica shares a day in the life of teaching art: a mix of predictability and unpredictability.

7:25-9:39: Nancy describes a day in her life: punctuated with both structure and flexibility, awash with emails galore, and most joyful when she is actually teaching Spanish: “we’ve planned, we’ve dreamed about it, and we interact with our students.”

10:21-14:25: What we all learned from the past few weeks of stormy weather in relation to communication from admin to faculty. 

14:25-17:42 : Jessica shares a list she imagines makes up Kevin’s day to run by him, and she is remarkably on target; Kevin shares one of his biggest challenges in this role: “being accessible and available to every individual so I can listen and learn”

17:44-18:53: Kevin’s philosophy regarding faculty support: “Stay out of your way as much as possible . . . [and] take admin things off faculty’s plates so you can do the magic you do in the classroom.”

19:25-22:07: Real talk about how time consuming communication to students, colleagues, admin is for faculty all day long.

22:20-24:02: Why Jessica thinks we could all learn a lot from listening to each other’s daily lived realities, and how co-curricular teachers at lower school recently worked to bridge the gap with classroom teachers there: “We are all so passionate, we are all so invested in care, and our days are full . . .  understanding what is happening helps you be more compassionate/trusting.”

24:02-26:02: Why faculty to faculty story sharing could also help perceptions of equity across divisions.

26:02-28:00:  How real listening takes “putting the brakes on from ‘I just have to get things done’”; and how listening and slowing down might aid in health and wellness, not just for the individual, but our entire community.

28:26-30:30: Why taking an art class might be the key to bridging all the gaps: “You can’t solve a problem without imagination. You can’t have empathy without imagination.” 

33:22-34:29:  The value of time, not just chronological time but a “mental space” for creative work to go to fruition. 

34:30-38:00: 3 snapshots in time that recently showed Kevin the magic of our community, and why individual interactions with folks helps him relate back to why he does what he does.  

39:08-41:55: How that time Shea jumped in to finish carpool so Jessica could work on her lesson plans helped motivate Jessica to do her best for her students and team; and the vital importance of admin leaders showing vulnerability and cognitive flexibility.

2:35-3:26: Listen to Rachel and Michelle gush about Shea’s supportive, positive, caring leadership style  . . . and why sharing vulnerabilities as administrators is KEY in fostering conversations, connections, and growth.

5:18-8:20: Our panel explores why so many teachers are in survival mode . . . and the implications of anxiety, stress, and “functioning below the line.”  

8:50-13:00: Teachers and admin unpack what has led to the burnout both pre and post-pandemic: teachers putting pressure on themselves, scarcity of time, a sense of being piled on, and society’s “ hurry sickness.” (See Shea’s book recommendation here: Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.)

13:03-14:43: Rachel goes deeper into “time” as a finite resource . .. and provides some ideas for how to streamline in order to work smarter and not harder.

14:45-16:28: Shea explores some concrete strategies administrators should employ to be mindful about time for faculty: making sure any change is purposeful and done with teacher feedback and efficiently using meetings so that admin is making the best use of the time they are taking from faculty.

16:30- 21:30 : What the dreaded “you must submit your lesson plans ahead of time” move can communicate about trust and transparency between faculty and administrators.

22:25-24:23: Hear how one of Michelle’s past admin took on a strengths-oriented approach that made a real difference.

24:23-25:42: Why communication is the key to building trust and relationships . . .both giving feedback and receiving it; and hear about one of Rachel’s WORST admin wielding “lack of communication” as a “power tool.” 

25:43-32:12: Why it’s worth the time for us all (but I’m especially looking at you, admin) to make connections, be in communion/fellowship with faculty, be vulnerable and authentic, own the mistakes you make, and share your values as a leader.  Also the clear reminder: “we all have to play in order to be healthy.”

32:15-34:20:  Self care as a practice that you do, but the equal necessity of systems that support us (e.g. SAPA dinner for faculty families to take home!) 

34:22-35:00: What parents can do to aid in teacher support on their end: ask them what they need! 

35:00-37:35: Back to our main themes: vulnerability, authenticity, trust, and connection. And why there’s “such peace” in bringing your whole self to work. . . which can increase the grace we have for others as well.

5:27-7:15: Blake Ware’s synopsis of what makes a great teacher, which involves “a real commitment to the human side of things.”

7:30-9:27:  Listen to Buck Cooper illustrate the project of school with the best metaphor I’ve ever heard: “What is school except this ongoing cycle of getting the wheels on only to have them come off only to try to put them back on before they leave us as seniors.” 

10:11-11:07: Learn about the employee lifecycle from Cassie.

12:10-14:05 : Hear real talk from Blake about what it’s like to be an admin recruiting faculty in this particular historical moment.

14:20-19:13: All three guests weigh in on creative ways to approach recruitment in our unique school context.

20:30-22:14 : Buck reminisces about an administrator he encountered in his early career that personified the “north star” of what an administrator should be: “ She took me seriously enough to get past the nuts and bolts pieces . . . and engaged me at the level I really wanted to engage: learning how to think about how children think.”

22:18-23:50:  What keeps Blake up at night, and why trustworthiness is perhaps the most central non-negotiable in an administrator.

24:45-25:36: Cassie shares what Kevin Lewis told her in her first interview that made her want to work at St. Andrew’s, and she elucidates the chief challenge of administrating: balancing the needs of so many constituencies.  

26:48-28:18: Blake’s ideas on how we, both faculty and admin, can inch toward greatness: finding things that are energizing and finding ways to do those things together.

28:25-29:55: Buck describes the double-pronged power of curiosity and love in improving community and helping us inch toward a “greater greatness.”

31:20-33:15 : What Cassie has learned from exit interviews about why people leave, and why preserving relationships is at the heart of job satisfaction.

0:00- 2:10: Julie takes a trip down memory lane, and and introduces the point of this particular season’s theme: “Bridging the Faculty/Admin Divide.” 

6:50-14:01: The (pretty juicy) faculty meeting that inspired this topic of graduation requirements, as captured by Toby and Colin’s distinct perspectives.

14:02-18:07: Colin gives his honest assessment of our fairly traditional curricular requirements, cites the importance of giving students opportunities to create with technology for jobs of tomorrow, and mentions Global Online Academy and Malone as key pathways into more interest-driven coursework.

18:10-19:40: Should taking calculus be the gatekeeper of “you are a serious student”? 

19:42-20:45:  The one good thing that came of Covid in relation to college admissions, very vividly described in a way that only Colin could do . . . 

20:48-24:15: What students should do if they want to go to the most selective schools in the country . . . and why this particular criterion makes Colin want to cheer. 

24:57-28:24: What colleges are actually looking for in admission materials, and why Colin is not a fan of the phrase “student’s passion”) :) 

28:39-30:48: Julie chimes in with some “end goals” that she’d add to the list if she ruled the world. . . and wonders how we can design coursework that helps get students to those ends.

31:09-36:38: Can a student learn everything they need to learn by playing the guitar? Come visit Toby-Land’s version of school: “the stuff you’re interested in can teach you a lot if you follow it”; moving from content requirements to domains or habits of mind to produce lifelong learners.

38:08-45:10: How to inch our way to Toby Land, even with a fairly traditional model: identifying habits of mind that matter, incorporating programs that immerse youth in experiential learning, and collectively examining whether our current required coursework mirrors the world we live in today

45:18-46:30: Julie talks about her electrical engineer dad (because he tends to come up a lot) and his distaste of “Legos for Kids,” and she wonders out loud whether our traditional course categories are actually in practice as traditional as we assume. 

48:10-48:42: Toby proposes we need a more systematic approach to revisiting our curricular requirements; are we still doing what we should be doing for students? 

49:22-51:20: Colin’s final thought: We need youth to have the capacity to take on difficult material and persist.

See timestamps below:

• How academic performance is a fluid concept (3:03-3:55)
• One parent’s changing definition of academic performance; the importance of meeting children where they are; and why what matters most is “mental health, love of learning, and not squashing that” (4:14-5:40)
• Abigail’s academic performance goals: “I’m trying to be that kid, the kind of kid who knows how to get her stuff done, maybe not on time but she always gets it done.” (6:00-6:43)
• Why high performers have a harder time dealing with mistakes and feedback than kids were more experience of struggle (7:10-9:05) 
• Growing from mistakes and how to best advocate for your children by partnering with their teachers (9:07-11:45)  
• Why the word “bored” isn’t a thing in Dalton Howard’s classroom, and the importance of demonstrating and modeling intellectual curiosity (12:25-13:51)
• How a mom of five moved from “you need an A” to a focus on instilling good work habits; and a reminder that what your kids learn or what mistakes they make isn’t a reflection on you as a parent (15:00-18:15) 
• Those dreaded timed math tests: from the perspective of a third grader and a third grade teacher (18:50-21:00)
• Tips from a very astute third grader on studying (21:20-22:11)
• Dalton’s plea to parents: “Let kids mess up, let them take responsibility, let them take ownership, let them remember their own library books.  They are old enough; they are ready.” (22:32-24:38)

• Why the most convenient moves aren’t always the best “long view” approaches: parenting and teaching children that will grow into well rounded, independent adults (1:35-4:25)
• How involving all young children in cooking (and other challenges) sets the stage for vital resilience in the face of life’s inevitable messes (5:02-6:27; 9:26-10:50)
• What Montessori isn’t and what Montessori is: the centrality of modeling, works, safe structure, and giving children tools they can manage (6:50-8:45)
• Real talk on the difficulties of following youth’s interest and fostering independence . . . and why they are still worth it (11:08-12:30; 15:25-16:00)
• The history of Maria Montessori and how she came upon her methods to ultimately build a more peaceful world (12:48-15:00)
• It’s not a free-for-all; how to avoid chaos by slowly easing your way into choice for youth (16:43-19:38)
• PK4 classroom footage brought to us by Seesaw along with a description of jobs and routines that Kim uses to foster independence (20:12-22:57)
• Promoting motor skill development at home and in the classroom (23:05-26:20)
• How preparing snacks and gardening can build foundational mathematical thinking; “using the materials and the child you have in front of you” to build on (27:10-30:25)
• “What happened at school today?” and the home/school connection (31:08-32:27)
• Celebrating cultural identities at home and at school (33:09-35:20) 
• Parenting as a roller coaster and the reminder to stay calm because “you have years with these kids” (36:40-37:37)
•  “If you do parenting well you work yourself out of the job”; why fostering independence is “a gift of love over and over”, a series of “slow deaths” (37:50-39:14)
• Final words of wisdom from both guests: trusting children and regulating your own emotions as an adult (40:55-41:32)

High school is full of challenges...and for many students it is where they start to figure out who they are and grapple with the idea of identity and belonging. In the past 19 months, our students have had their worlds deeply changed by a pandemic that redefined what was our new normal as well as the murder of George Floyd that sparked a movement. In this podcast, we feature a meaningful conversation about what diversity, equity, and inclusion look like in a high school setting and how we can create spaces that build deeper connections and community:

• What diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to our guests (3:00-7:00)
• Bringing people together in a positive way (7:00-13:09)
• Encouragement for listening and fighting against fear and the “what if’s" (13:15-17:00)
• How educators can help communicate to students where the safe places are that students can go to have conversations (17:30 - 21:30)
• The power of a story (21:35-23:35)
• Personal experiences in relation to DEI (23:45-31:30)
• The need for more educators of color and systems that impact who end up teaching (33:00-36:15)
• Self reflection; where it all begins(36:30-42:00)
• Being comfortable with being uncomfortable (42:00-45:00)
• Suggestions from each guest for one small change in a classroom environment that would help promote more diversity and inclusion (46:10-51:30)

Our conversation is time stamped below: 

• What makes for the best classroom environment (1:45 - 7:00)
• Self-care & its impact on behavior/teaching  (7:20 - 14:00)
• Parent & Teacher communication (14:05 - 19:20)
• What do you do when things go amuk? (19:30 - 24:00)
• COVID’s impact on management & behavior (24:05 - end)

Shamia Hopper is a founding fourth grade teacher and grade team leader at Smilow Collegiate.  Her passion is teaching black and brown kids that live in low-income areas in our state.  After school she runs a vegan meal prep business called Shamia’s Food Diaries (Find her on Instagram).  Lucy Kaplan is entering her third year teaching middle school ELA in Jackson, MS.  She is passionate about teaching writing, creating an accessible and inclusive classroom, and education policy.  After school, she self-publishes her own writing and sings in a punk band.  Both have taught for three years which puts them squarely in that sweet spot of “knowing stuff” and “still discovering stuff.”  

During our conversation, we discussed:

3:31-5:15:  How Lucy’s experience with challenges in her own schooling led her to a career situated in the classroom.

8:32- 10:50: Why the best teacher education is steeped in community engagement; Shamia’s story of becoming inspired to educate.

11:20- 14:17: Why Shamia loves math, and when it comes to math instruction, multiple strategies beat out one-size-fits-all recipes.

15:19-18:32: Real talk about what it was like teaching kindergarteners at-home and in-person concurrently during a global pandemic.

18:32-20:03: That oh-so-recognizable-teacher-feeling of “I KNOW THIS COULD BE BETTER!” 

22:25-26:33: Stories from Lucy’s first year of teaching seventh grade English: on the feeling of being “coached” and the vital importance of just being yourself as an educator.

28:10-32:04: The most valuable lessons Shamia learned with her five and six year olds first experiencing school in the midst of a pandemic; “it wasn’t me versus them; it was us together.”

33:50-36:55:  The time Lucy raced one of her students during recess.

37:05-41:10: Two reflective teaching practices you have to try, courtesy of Lucy: (1) keep a list of something good you observe each day when teaching in tweet form and (2) ask your students for “one piece of advice you’d give youth taking this class next year.”

44:58- 45:33 : Shamia’s final tip, bound to inspire us all: “Do it anyway.”

During our conversation we discussed 

• The wonder of teaching middle school  (2:00) 
• Guidance for middle school students vs. telling them what to do (3:00-4:00)
• Expectations vs. rules (4:00-5:00)
• Mentoring and tutoring in the middle of a pandemic, using the platforms that students already used to connect with them , and the power of meeting students where they are (6:20-11:00)
• Using Tik Tok as a means to get students to analyze music, apply critical thinking, and engage in textual analysis  (11:00-13:15)
• How Tonja came to do working in community, where passion met vocation (14:00-16:25)
• The importance of having something outside of you to inform your work (17:00-17:30)
• What do you wish educators knew? (17:45-20:)
• What advice would you give teachers coming back into the classroom this year?(21:00-21:25)
• Grace (21:25-22:40)
• The importance of community engagement  (23:00- 25:50)
• Instances that have stuck with Tonja (28:20-30:08)
•  Was there an interaction that was a pivot moment that moved you to turn outward vs inward? (31:30-32:47)
• Avoiding the scenario of “when helping hurts” and cultivating mental health (33:05-38:08)
• Living what you preach and teach; fostering the skill of reflection. (38:08-44:10)
• Socio-emotional-learning and the loss during a pandemic -- getting to know the students and where they are at now (46:15-50:00)
• Fostering community within a classroom and knowing who is in the room  (50:01- 52:05)
• What book should every educator read? (52:20-53:25)
• Don’t let your experience frame how you help them navigate theirs (53:45) 
• Organizations to connect your students with (54:50-56:25)

During our conversation, we discussed: 

• Being a teacher, especially a new teacher, in the time of COVID, Imposter Syndrome, and working at a place like St. Andrew’s (1:30 - 12:00) 
• The educational value of YouTube for Teachers (13:00 - 16:00)
• “Show me you’re a middle school teacher without telling me you’re a middle school teacher” + Why Josh hates baseball (16:00 - 25:00)
• Building relationships with kids and dealing with setbacks/conflict (26:00 - 36:00)
• Burnout & managing other interests/hobbies while teaching full time (36:30 - End)

During this conversation, we discussed:

• (5:45-6:35) - Poetry as a vehicle transporting youth to  literary love.
• (9:45-13:17)- How Anita “winnowed her way” into teaching (and why every single person should work in retail or food service at some point for at least a year).
• (13:35-18:00 )- The role of empathy, bounded choice, and addressing perfectionism for teachers working with “high achieving kids not living up to their potential.” 
• (18:28-19:37 )How particular school contexts produce particular expectations around “what learning looks like” which then trickle down to assessments.
• (20:19 -23:55 ) Why the next time a student misbehaves in your classroom,  you need to internalize the phrase “it’s not you; it’s the chair.”
• (24:23-25:50) What a gift it is to see the humans in our classrooms, not as a homogenous group, but as a collective of unique individuals, including our own “geeky . . . nerdy sel[ves].”
• (31:29-33:30 ) Keys to growing and working with colleagues: brought to you by a compliment from her grandmother and “listening with a healthy, not a sick, ear.”
• (33:31- 35:10 ) What it requires to work as a Black academic in predominantly white institutions.
• (35:27-39:37) Pitfalls of white institutions seeking to become “more diverse”: on labor and the importance of discomfort in the process.
• (40:28-44:21 ) How “leading with love” could open up an entirely different set of questions, positively transforming our education system (and our world).

During our conversation, we explore:

• How fourth graders gave Tim his first orientation to the world of teaching and why playing football with the kids at recess can have unintended consequences (4:02-7:15)
• How Tim conceptualizes innovation.  Spoiler alert- it has nothing to do with chasing the shiny and new! (11:07- 12:39)
• Why it’s important to differentiate between the what and the how of innovation . . . and why doing “retrospectives” can reframe failure as learning (16:10-18:04)
• Why deep empathy and vision-led innovation are a powerful combination in this particular historical moment (18:05-19:25)
• How Tim’s interest in “nose down to nose up” NAIS schools led him to first conceptualize the Magnetic Mountain (20:05-25:27)
• What this journey metaphor has to do with the micro everyday choices that classroom teachers make (26:45-32:28)
• What Tim doesn’t mean by “not returning to now-town” (teachers- you are going to applaud!)  . . . and a reminder that innovation is a disposition.  (33:30-35:55)
• What now-town has to do with bias, privilege, and inequity (37:57-38:59)
• The difference between reactive and proactive innovation . . . and why the reactive innovation we’ve all been doing in response to the pandemic  is much more draining (39:13-40:25)
• Why agency is a big deal for both faculty and students now more than ever and one trend Tim’s noticed among teachers that have maintained energy during this difficult season (41:25-42:38)
• How one high school faculty member managed to maintain high academic standards in this difficult past year while recentering the student experience (43:45-48:19)
• How Tim’s favorite teacher when he was a young reaffirms the importance of  “really climbing into kids’ lives, being present with them, and helping them take the next step, whatever that might be”  (53:26-55:15)
• Must-reads from Tim! (57:44-58:50)

This week’s Inspire & Innovate Podcast features guest, Michael Nachbar, the Executive Director of Global Online Academy, a pioneering network of schools and educators reimagining learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society.  If you’ve ever wanted to get inside the brain of a teacher planning learning experiences, you are going to seriously enjoy this episode.

During our conversation, we discussed: 

• How Michael’s background and experiences in curriculum led him to the work he does now…and how incredible teachers re-thinking their craft helped GOA get its start ( 2:30-12:04)
• GOA’s “northstar” mission and approach to coaching educators, helping leaders in the Design Lab,  and providing deep learning of the skills students need to be successful in college, career, and life ( 14:00-18:51)
• The mindshift of being deliberate in the outcomes you want to see and designing intentional learning experiences for students (18:52-22:00)
• Teacher wellness and how it applies to having a varied approach to providing student feedback (22:10-25:10)
• Keeping relationships and communication at the center of student experiences during asynchronous learning (25:12-29:49)
• Challenges teachers faced this last school year due to constraints they had to navigate and how “necessity can drive innovation in a big way” (29:50-33:25)
• Articulating your northstar and designing learning experiences to match that (33:26-35:00)
• Focusing on equity and justice, and as teachers, being aware of students’ unique experiences with empathy and compassion...and rethinking what we teach and how we assess to be more culturally relevant (36:15-39:18)
• Helping parents and guardians understand the how and the why behind what we do (39:20-40:30)
• Michael’s predictions he made a year and a half ago about educator competencies and the need to continue “upscaling”...and a focus on supporting teachers’ health and wellbeing (40:30-45:30)
• Aspects of teachers’ work that are rejuvenating and reenergizing and lowering the cognitive load (45:30-49:50)
• What “getting back to normal” looks like and how we will navigate the return to “normal” with virtual components moving forward (50:25-55:08)
• Michael discusses his favorite teacher (55:18-57:20)
• The book that Michael Nachbar thinks all educators should read (57:25-58:35)

Don’t forget to also tune in to our Teacher Talks companion podcast...this week, Julie Rust interviews three amazing upper school educators….Wesley Saylor, Nancy Rivas, Gracie Bellnap

• How Charlie’s experience as a student  led to his drive to transform the system of education . . . and why extrinsic motivation never worked for him (4:10-7:28)
• Why this transformative work cannot be the sole responsibility of individual teachers or even individual schools . . . a network is required (7:29-8:00; 18:10-18:53; 25:35-26:54)
• A powerful example of why simply developing individual, measurable skills and performance  is not enough for transformative teaching/learning (8:02-9:02)
• How WLSA is fighting for equity and access for all youth to learn, travel, and develop as global citizens through the acquisition of  intercultural lenses and working toward change  (13:58-16:30; 53:56-55:50)
• Why the pandemic makes all of these commitments more important and more timely than ever (16:30-17:55)
• The kinds of experiences youth need to thrive: featuring (in part) the double helix of “a deep understanding of what they offer the world and what does the world need from [them]”  (22:08-25:35)
• The influence individual teachers and schools can have (26:54-28:58)
• Charlie’s philosophy about the utilization of literature in schools in relation to student interest and faculty expertise (28:58-31:58)
• A new phrase (and literacy practice) to incorporate into your vernacular, thanks to Charlie’s dad: “reading ‘round your subjects” (32:40-36:12)
• How an individual school can best contribute to a network of schools, and why those of us in the Jackson, MS area are uniquely positioned to provide youth opportunities to study and make sense of civil rights in the US (38:30-41:25)
• The definition of  intercultural intelligence and why it has more to do with math class than you might think (41:31-48:25)
• Why a combination of a proactive and responsive curricula is key for older youth (48:26-51:33)
• Why your ability to connect personally/relationally with your students is the part that really sticks with them (56:35-58:36)
• The book that Charlie Jenkinson thinks all educators should read (1:00:18-1:00:01:46)

Don’t forget to also tune in to our Teacher Talks companion podcast . . . this week I interview two St. Andrew’s superstars that both teach and fill a variety of other central roles at our school:  Kate Dutro (our lower school librarian) and Rev. Annie Elliott (chaplain, upper school teacher).  They help us unpack Charlie’s interview in some profound ways, so don’t miss it!

• How Julie’s less-than-inspiring experience in her own K-12 journey, her  love for theater, and having children of her own ignited a passion for her to make changes in schools (3:15-5:41; 6:43-8:59)
• A day in the life of someone who really does seem to do it all . . . and why you should incorporate 7am “infinity fun” into your day . . . (9:30-13:48)
• How to find “your people” in your school organization and why it’s worth the time to prioritize sharing your teaching craft with work buddies (13:58-16:30)
• Julie’s number one collaborators . . . (hint- they haven’t yet hit the double digits in age!) and how she engages them in personal passion projects to follow their curiosity  (16:30- 17:30)
• Slate School’s unique student-led, interdisciplinary, nature-situated philosophy toward education . . .  (18:44-23:54)
• How passion project sharing can help all  young children “stumble upon”  their interests along the way and how kids that know so much about one thing can find a way to connect to everything else  (25:23-27:40)
• Why it’s important to communicate our philosophy the parents of the youth we teach (27:43-31:28)
• A (pretty glorious) day in the life of a second grader at Slate School . . . now and pre-pandemic (31:22- 41:15)
• How all of us, even those from the most traditionally structured schools,  can scooch our way closer to the direction Julie describes . .  and how simple tweaks can make a day “a day a kid never forgets” (42:35-44:51)
• Why we should center class activities with questions that inspire our own curiosity as adults (44:55-44:53)
• How the pandemic has distilled priorities and recentered compassion (46:30-50:18)
• When adults should intervene in student-centered moments, why sometimes “when things are going sideways we should step back,” and a call to avoid the tendency to “squeeze youth tighter” as they grow more capable. (50:33-54:34)
• Why assessment is a sticky issue they are still considering as they conceive of their upcoming high school (54:35-56:18)
• Why Julie’s favorite teacher was actually a student  (57:26-58:13)
• The one book Julie thinks every teacher should read . . . and why we should never settle and should always pursue what gives us  joy. (58:48-60:37)

Don’t forget to also tune in to our Teacher Talks companion podcast . . . this week’s features Shea Egger interviewing three educators of young (and not so young) children:  PK3 educator Lea Crongeyer, first grade teacher Mary McCall McArthur, and fifth grade teacher Toby Lowe.

• Why would we hang on to a model of education that is so stuck in the past? (5:15-6:05)
• Three characteristics of schools that’ve positioned themselves to be innovative and forward-thinking, meeting the ever-changing needs of society. (6:45-10:43)
• Schools working together for change collaboratively rather than competitively (10:45-11:42)
• Three seasons or trimesters of the pandemic (13:20-16:40)
• Key components classroom teachers should carry forward as we emerge from this pandemic: relational learning and using technology to personalize education rather than access education (16:40-19:36)
• Building an authentic connection with the community around schools that expand past families we serve; how Sesame Street got a lot right (20:15-24:50)
• Redefining what community means (24:55-25:54)
• Ian’s Just Cause campaign and wisdom from Bono: “Helping someone reach their potential is the biggest act of love.”  (25:55-29:30)
• Reimagining high school graduation requirements and changes in college and university admissions; “We are in the business of helping kids discern their future.” (31:30-35:50)  
• Examples of innovative ideas in schools and the classroom: institutionalizing the use of outdoor spaces & increased parental involvement via community events (36:30-39:20)
• Why teachers are better aware of the “kitchen table conversations” these days and how this relates to game-changers in student wellness  (39:20- 40:55)
• “Transparency is the best thing”: How virtual learning counterintuitively has given us more transparency, making things more natural between one another and promoting our awareness for student wellness (42:25-43:55) 
• Ian shares who his favorite teacher (K-12) was and why. (44:10-46:10)
• What book(s) Ian Symmonds would recommend all teachers read (46:18-48:20)

Don’t forget to also tune in to our Teacher Talks companion podcast in which Toby Lowe interviews Virginia Buchanan, Emmi Sprayberry, and Nicole Robinson about how these themes of relational learning, creative classroom spaces, and community outreach show up in their classrooms!

Highlights from our conversation with John Spencer include:

• How working in the nonprofit sector unexpectedly  led John Spencer into the field of education (2:50-4:55)
• The “deeply human drive to learn and to create, to make . . . whether it’s kindergarteners or graduate students and . .  the  common fears we all experience.” (5:20- 5:50)
• What “failing forward” has looked and felt like for those teaching during a pandemic . . . and how relevant the “hero’s journey” might be for all of us right now.  (6:01-8:35)
• How important it is that a school’s culture, systems, and leadership allow for growth via mistakes; “you’ve got to provide slack to develop grit.” ; try out “the daily epic fail” in your classroom! (8:35-14:30)
• Why grace matters this year, not just for students but also for faculty.  Try this:  make a t-chart of all of the permissions you’ve given to students and then do the same thing for yourself . . . and think back to how far you’ve come since March 2020.  (18:20-22:40)
• How teaching is like weight training, and how to determine whether we need more reps or a season of rest/healing as we move into the 2021-2022 school year.  (23:00-24:30)
• What have our students lost . . . and gained this past year (24:30 -25:52)
• How it has been simultaneously more challenging and easier to incorporate design-based thinking, project-based, LAUNCH processes in virtual or hybrid classes this past year (26:35-29:52)
• For those new to more student-centered approaches, how to incorporate some of these principles into our more traditional pedagogies in a low-risk gradual way. . . and why this is the perfect time to try them out!  (30:20-32:35)
• What will “come back” in our teaching practice as we return to more in-person experiences . . . gardens, Socratic seminars, cardboard prototyping, all mashed up with digital tools as well!  (e.g. Vintage Innovation) (32:55- 34:32)
• Why we should all be asking ourselves: “What are the things that we did differently this past year that we will continue to incorporate?” (37:12-37:37)
• What book(s) John Spencer would recommend all teachers read  (40:40- 41:16)