Building Authentic Classrooms: Future Teachers Share Their Perspectives
The discourse presented herein engages with a critical inquiry: What transpires when aspiring educators candidly articulate their perceptions of the educational framework they are poised to navigate? This episode features the insights of two teacher candidates from Siena University, Halise Ozdemir and Danielea Grant, who, through their lived experiences within the educational system, compel us to reflect on the duality of their roles as both learners and future leaders. They confront the pressing question of whether we are equipping these emerging educators to instigate meaningful reform or merely to perpetuate entrenched patterns. By soliciting their authentic perspectives, we endeavor to glean insights into their anticipations and apprehensions as they embark on their pedagogical journeys. It is imperative that we regard these individuals not merely as future practitioners but as integral partners in the evolution of educational excellence.
Additional Notes
The discourse presented in this podcast episode encapsulates a profound inquiry into the experiences and perspectives of two burgeoning educators, Halise Ozdemir and Danielea Grant, who currently navigate the intricate landscape of teacher preparation at Siena University. As they stand on the precipice of their professional journeys, they engage in a candid dialogue about the educational system they are poised to enter. The central theme revolves around the authenticity of their experiences as students within the very system they are now being trained to influence. This episode serves as a crucial examination of whether these future educators will perpetuate the entrenched patterns of traditional schooling or embrace the transformative potential of redesigning educational practices. Through their reflections, they articulate a desire not merely to replicate their predecessors' methodologies but to actively engage in a process of meaningful change that prioritizes the humanity of every student. Their insights challenge listeners to reconsider the way educational institutions prepare individuals for leadership roles and the urgent need for a paradigm shift that genuinely values student voices and experiences.
Takeaways:
- In preparing future educators, we must prioritize their authentic experiences within the educational system they are about to enter.
- The tension between curriculum requirements and the need for personal connection with students is an ongoing challenge for new teachers.
- Future educators must be encouraged to express their concerns and aspirations regarding their roles in the classroom.
- Authenticity in teaching can significantly enhance student engagement and foster a supportive classroom environment.
- Building trust with students requires consistent, genuine interactions that recognize their individual experiences and challenges.
- The role of school leaders is critical in supporting new educators as they navigate the complexities of teaching and fostering student growth.
Follow Students Matter, LLC on Instagram or LinkedIn — or find any of us there: Kathy Mohney, Michael Pipa, Dr. Alicia Monroe, and Dr. Grant Chandler.
Until Next Time Remember: See every student. Keep your doors open and your hearts even wider.
Transcript
What happens when the people we're preparing to lead classrooms start telling the truth about the system they're about to enter?
Speaker A:Not theory, not frameworks.
Speaker A:Experience.
Speaker A:Two future teachers right now inside the pipeline.
Speaker A:And here's the tension.
Speaker A:They've lived the very system we're trying to redesign, and now we're asking them to step back in and lead it.
Speaker A:So the question is unavoidable.
Speaker A:Are we preparing them to transform schools or quietly inherit the same patterns we've been talking about all season?
Speaker A:A new episode of the Wheelhouse begins right now.
Speaker A:This is the Wheelhouse, a students matter podcast where we navigate the intersection of leadership, instruction, and humanity to build schools that actually work for each and every student.
Speaker A:I'm Dr. Grant Chandler, host of the Wheelhouse.
Speaker A:Over the last two episodes, we've gone deep.
Speaker A:With Rhonda Sembly, we pushed on leadership, coherence, and what it really takes to build systems that drift.
Speaker A:With Dr. Tanya Manning Yard, we confronted something even more personal.
Speaker A:Embarrassment, shame, identity, and the invisible weight students and families carry through our schools every single day.
Speaker A:And now we turn to the future of the profession.
Speaker A:But let's be honest, this isn't about the future in some abstract way.
Speaker A:This is about right now.
Speaker A:Because sitting in teacher preparation programs today are the next educators who will either replicate what they experienced, resist it, or redesign it.
Speaker A:And most of the time, we don't actually ask them what they're seeing.
Speaker A:In this episode, we're joined by two Siena University teacher candidates, and we're not asking them to perform.
Speaker A:We're asking them to tell the truth.
Speaker A:What did school feel like for real?
Speaker A:What are they being taught to believe about teaching and learning?
Speaker A:Where does it align and where does it miss?
Speaker A:And most importantly, what are they already worried about becoming?
Speaker A:Because if we're serious about building future ready schools, innovation rooted in humanity, then we'd better be serious about listening to the people we're sending in to do the work.
Speaker A:Not as recipients, as partners.
Speaker A:Let's get into it.
Speaker A:Good morning and welcome back to the wheelhouse.
Speaker A:I'm Dr. Grant Chandler, and we are super excited to welcome you to episode seven in season 12.
Speaker A:Before I.
Speaker A:Well, let me just introduce my Wheelhouse team and welcome them on, and then we'll talk about where we're going today.
Speaker A:So, of course, I'm always joined by three.
Speaker A:Three amazing partners in crime, and they are here again today.
Speaker A:Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa, and Dr. Alicia Munro.
Speaker A:Good morning.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker C:Happy Spring.
Speaker D:Happy Spring team.
Speaker A:Yes, it is 72 degrees on the radar.
Speaker A:Today I'm super excited.
Speaker A:All my outdoor furniture is out.
Speaker A:Let it snow tomorrow.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:Mother Nature, give me a gift.
Speaker A:Come on now.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:I was inspired by you and bought a beautiful, colorful new outdoor rug for my patio.
Speaker D:I am sprucing that patio up this year.
Speaker A:My second one comes tomorrow, and I need it to be 80 degrees.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And it's gonna be 35 instead, so.
Speaker E:Oh, that's okay.
Speaker B:That's okay.
Speaker D:We'll get there.
Speaker A:I know April is just around the corner, and then it'll be beautiful, right?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker A:So hopefully, wherever you are and wherever you're listening, hopefully we have beautiful weather, however you define that.
Speaker A:Super excited today for this conversation with these amazing guests and new friends that we have.
Speaker A:We've been talking a lot about future ready schools, innovation rooted in humanity, coherent human systems.
Speaker A:What does all of that.
Speaker A:We had an opportunity to talk to students who told us, stop hurting us.
Speaker A:We want to be seen and heard.
Speaker A:H E A R D We got to speak to an amazing principal who challenged us all in what it means to lead this work.
Speaker A:What does it mean to lead?
Speaker A:And to have a group of educators come together to build coherent human systems to support students.
Speaker A:We listened.
Speaker A:Dropping on March 31st is an incredible episode with Dr. Tanya Manning Yard, who really brings multiple perspectives, but the one that I think you will really latch onto the most is her experience as a parent and what does it mean to navigate this educational system Today, super excited because we are joined by Siena University students who are pursuing somewhere in their journey, they are pursuing credentials so that they can enter classrooms as teachers and to do this amazing work, I'm going to introduce them one at a time and ask them to just introduce themselves and then we're going to jump into the conversation.
Speaker A:So, Hallease, would you begin?
Speaker A:Just tell us a little bit about you and where you are in your journey to become an educator.
Speaker F:Of course.
Speaker F:So, hello, I'm Hallease Ozdemir.
Speaker F: ching certification in May of: Speaker F:So I'm working toward becoming an English teacher and creating a classroom where students feel safe, supported, and excited to learn.
Speaker A:We're super excited for you, for your career prospects and for joining us today.
Speaker A:If you're a principal or someone doing the hiring, you're going to want to check out this student, listen to the conversation, and you're going to want to reach out to her before someone else welcomes them into their teaching space.
Speaker A:Hallease, thank you for joining us today.
Speaker F:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker E:Hi, my name is Danilia grant.
Speaker E:I'm currently a grad student at Siena, studying childhood education and early childhood education.
Speaker E:I am currently not in the classroom, but I start student teaching either this fall or next spring.
Speaker E: ll be getting my certificates: Speaker A:Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker A:Well, we're super excited to have you here today, so let's jump into the conversation.
Speaker A:And I'm excited because both of you are.
Speaker A:You're far enough along in your educational journey.
Speaker A:The light at the end of the tunnel is there.
Speaker A:Hallease will be entering the job market in just a few weeks, so we'll be excited to watch.
Speaker A:Get her own classroom in the fall.
Speaker A:What brought you to this profession?
Speaker F:I actually started in a way different direction when I came to Siena, but then I switched my major to English because it's something I genuinely enjoy, and I knew I wanted to do something really meaningful with it.
Speaker F:And, you know, teaching just felt.
Speaker F:Felt right.
Speaker F:So when I think back to, like, my own school experience in middle and high school, I remember the teachers who, you know, made me feel safe and supported.
Speaker F:They made, like, school a place where I wanted to be.
Speaker F:And that's really what brought me into the teaching profession because I wanted to be that person for my students.
Speaker A:When you say safe and supported, how do you know what does it feel like when you are safe and supported?
Speaker A:And then how do you think about that as you extend that.
Speaker A:Those feelings to students that you're working with?
Speaker A:Even now as you're in your internship,.
Speaker F:It just feels comforting to have a space where you feel heard and supported.
Speaker F:If you don't really get that outside of school, it's just so valuable to have that space where you can be supported and just have that confidence in yourself to learn and grow.
Speaker F:So I think it's so meaningful, and I see it with my students in my teaching placement right now and just building that connection with them and them knowing that I'll be there to support them.
Speaker F:It's just that very.
Speaker F:It's an amazing feeling to have.
Speaker A:How do you know?
Speaker A:What do they.
Speaker A:How do.
Speaker A:How do they let you know that they feel safe and supported and cared for?
Speaker F:I feel like they just.
Speaker F:They just show it.
Speaker F:You know, they.
Speaker F:You know, they're communicating with you they, they can, they're excited to, you know, be in the classroom, you know, just their participation and just that glow in their eyes, you know, even though they might not directly say it because it's, you know, a very difficult thing to be aware of or say, you know, outwardly when you're in middle school.
Speaker F:But you can just, just the way that they walk into the classroom, you can automatically sense it right away.
Speaker D:So I think that especially in the middle school setting, you know, we've talked about this and with previous educators, I think Michael was really kind of lifting that up and just having this space with, with the adolescents and this really unique growing opportunity and learning opportunity.
Speaker D:Elise, so when you were talking about that and saying middle schoolers don't always want to say that or show that, you know, when you think about you as a human and when you come into that space, what does it look like for you when you want your students to know or that's just simply who you are as a human, that they are supported, that they're heard because that, you know, middle schoolers aren't just going to show up and be trusting of that.
Speaker F:Exactly that, you know, it takes time.
Speaker F:So definitely when I came in the beginning of, you know, the fall, you know, like once a week because I still was taking classes full time as the trust wasn't there fully that it is right now.
Speaker F:So it takes a lot of time to build that up with the students and to just show up every day.
Speaker F:Even if, even if, you know, I might be having a rough day.
Speaker F:I just have to show up for the students and make sure that I'm always there for them and talk with them.
Speaker F:How is their day going?
Speaker F:How is their week, anything exciting they did over break?
Speaker F:Just having that communication that's not always content related.
Speaker F:So it's, you know, being able to have that time to connect with them, you know, meaningfully.
Speaker F:I feel like that makes a huge difference.
Speaker B:So Danelia, I heard Hallease, Danelia.
Speaker B:And did I pronounce that correctly?
Speaker E:Yes.
Speaker B:All right, wonderful.
Speaker B:As you approach that moment because you'll be there soon, what are your expectations?
Speaker B:What are you looking forward to and what inhibitions might you have as you're getting ready to matriculate into the classroom experience?
Speaker E:For me, I'm firstly, I'm excited to get in and to start, you know, being hands on.
Speaker E:I'm looking forward to not only going to just push content, but creating an environment, as Elise said, like with, for them to feel safe, to remind kids that, you know, they have a purpose they're here, you know, they're here to grow.
Speaker E:I'm here for you to help you grow.
Speaker E:And you're capable of more than what you think.
Speaker D:And yours is gonna be happening at the elementary level.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker D:So really thinking about elementary students typically come in a little more open and trusting of the adults, until adults maybe show them that they need to not be trustworthy.
Speaker D:You know, they build that up.
Speaker D:So when you think about your experiences so far, Danel, what does that look like for you to build that sense of trust and support?
Speaker E:Things I've noticed so far, like doing fieldwork, students like when you show up as your authentic self, and they have a way to sense when you're not being real to them.
Speaker E:So just showing up and being 100%.
Speaker C:They do, don't they?
Speaker E:Yes, for sure.
Speaker B:Just show up and they'll let you know.
Speaker A:Mm, yes.
Speaker E:So I've seen that.
Speaker E:I've observed that.
Speaker E:So showing up and just being yourself, well, that leaves students to be open and saying, she, she's coming here, you know, she's being honest with us every day.
Speaker E:The least we can do is also be honest and also show up because she's setting that example for us.
Speaker D:But what about those that say, you can't, you can't do that because you know that, that then you lose that power.
Speaker E:Everyone has to approach it from a different level.
Speaker E:But from what I have observed, it's always been, once you're.
Speaker E:You show up as your authentic self for kids, they'll show up for you.
Speaker E:Once you show up that, hey, I'm, I'm here for you, I'm interested in what you want to do.
Speaker E:Yes.
Speaker E:Sometimes, you know, teaching, you have to put on a performance.
Speaker E:But you, in that performance, you can still be your authentic self.
Speaker E:For those who are saying that I can't, you can't, they should try again.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:And I just want that to repeat what you said.
Speaker D:When you, once you show up as your authentic self, they'll show up for you.
Speaker B:And in discussing that, that takes some vulnerability.
Speaker B:That means it's a give and take process.
Speaker B:There's a piece that we have to relinquish.
Speaker B:If we want students to relinquish a piece of themselves so that we could truly build a community of learners.
Speaker B:What are your thoughts around that?
Speaker E:You just have to give them something, something to hold onto.
Speaker E:I'm not saying you gotta go into the classroom and give them your whole life, just a little piece of thing that they can relate to.
Speaker E:Whether it's talking about your pet, because Many students have pets just giving them something to hold onto that is real, that they see outside of the classroom, that is happening in their homes, and for sure they'll open up.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I recently was in a setting testing a student whom I've never met because I'm in a district admin role.
Speaker D:So I'm not as, as close with the students as.
Speaker D:As you all are.
Speaker D:And so when I was testing her, that's the first thing, right?
Speaker D:To get to, you know, know her.
Speaker D:Her to get to know me.
Speaker D:I talked about how, you know, I'd been up since 5 o' clock in the morning.
Speaker D:You know, just silly, goofy stuff.
Speaker D:And she said to me later in the day, she said, every time I started to think, I can't go on, I thought, Mrs. Moni got up at 5:00 this morning and she's here for me.
Speaker D:That simple thing, that vulnerability about how when we got up and when we're there, that connection meant something to her.
Speaker D:So you're spot on, spot on.
Speaker B:So it's wonderful to hear that, Kathy, because I was thinking about, as Danelia shared, I kind of giggled to myself.
Speaker B:No tmi, right?
Speaker B:No, it's too much, you know, And I used to have to go into the classroom sometime and I was like, I see vulnerability, but we can't be fully transparent.
Speaker B:It's nice to achieve that balance.
Speaker B:And I'm glad you shared an example of that.
Speaker A:Kathy, what does it mean to show up as your authentic self, right, in classrooms?
Speaker A:And what impact does being real with students have on their ability to feel safe and supported and willing to engage with you?
Speaker A:So any thoughts that you want to share about that particular topic before I ask other questions?
Speaker A:So you share this idea in common, right, that it's really important to be authentic in building this environment for students.
Speaker A:And a lot of times that means including things that are not necessarily connected to the content that you're assigned to teach in order to do that.
Speaker A:Why do you think that that's so difficult for so many teachers to be authentic and real in the classroom?
Speaker F:So I think it's based on our past experiences as students as well, how we remember our teachers, how they used to be.
Speaker F:And so when I look back, I can't remember, like, when my teachers ever, like, shared, like, a lot of personal things about themselves.
Speaker F:So I guess when I, like, think back, you know, I feel like it might be difficult for some teachers to, you know, hone into that personal element, incorporating that into their teaching, because we just want to do.
Speaker F:We just want to, you Know, do what's correct, you know, and not, you know, do something that we're not supposed to.
Speaker F:And I feel like, as with time, though, you get, like, more comfortable.
Speaker F:So I feel like for, like, new teachers, you know, you're still getting used to connecting the lessons to the standards and making sure that, you know, you're helping the students learn academically and helping them grow personally, too.
Speaker F:And so it's really hard to find the perfect balance between those two.
Speaker F:But I feel like with time, it gets a lot easier and you're able to get, like, more personal with the students.
Speaker A:You're talking about something that we talk about a lot.
Speaker A:Hallease.
Speaker A:Which is this tension between curriculum and pacing guides and standards and really being authentic and real and human with students.
Speaker A:And so there's that tension that exists, right?
Speaker A:Because, you know, we all work in schools, and we all work in schools where they are required, where we're required to teach certain things.
Speaker A:But how we teach that and how we build those learning environments for students is really important.
Speaker A:And I think what you've just successfully done as a new educator is to illustrate that tension that we all feel, right?
Speaker A:When is it okay to slow down a little bit?
Speaker A:Because I need to be real and I need to be human versus, oh, my goodness, I have, you know, I'm expected to be here on a certain day curricularly.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And there's that tension.
Speaker C:I'm a supervisor at Siena University, and I'm popping in the classrooms all of the time, and not only watching teacher candidates like the three of you at work, but I'm also seeing that work in conjunction with your mentor teacher or your co teacher.
Speaker C:And I'm just curious what you've observed so far as students who might be in their placement or students who are in the program doing observations.
Speaker C:What have you seen from the teachers you're observing that you're working with, where they make space to center the young learner before the content?
Speaker B:How do you get them ready to rock and roll with the lesson that is provided for them or that you're getting ready to deliver to them?
Speaker B:Am I correct, Michael?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I'm thinking of moments where the teacher is sensing that a student isn't ready or isn't engaged, and so they take a different approach that isn't so much about the content in that moment.
Speaker B:So we're asking, how do they differentiate their approaches?
Speaker C:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:When you see that everyone is just not ready to rock and roll.
Speaker E:For me, something that I've observed in fieldwork, it was a math lesson, and they were doing, but things started getting out of hand.
Speaker E:So to bring them back, she just told everyone, you know, to put their heads on the desk.
Speaker E:And then she started doing some breathing exercise, some countdowns, and it brought the whole classroom together.
Speaker E:And just seeing that and see how it made everyone get back on track was amazing.
Speaker A:So as we move toward the finish line, I want to ask you a big question, and then there'll be a couple little questions that come from that.
Speaker A:You're all at varying stages, but you're also all very close to having classrooms of your own.
Speaker A:Some of you are closer than others, but in the very short future, you will all have classrooms of your own.
Speaker A:When you think about that, if you could make one commitment to yourself as an educator, what would that be?
Speaker A:What kind of educator do you want to be?
Speaker A:Hallease.
Speaker A:What kind of educator do you want to be?
Speaker F:So when I think about the future and having my own classroom, I feel like the kind of educator that I want to be is to create a classroom where every student feels seen, valued, and capable of, you know, having the ability to grow.
Speaker F:Just like how we discussed previously, how, you know, everyone is human, right?
Speaker F:So we're human beings and, you know, students have their lives outside of school and they have so many things going on.
Speaker F:And I feel like when we're in the school setting, we sometimes can forget that, you know, because we only see the students when they're.
Speaker F:They're in school, and they only see us as teachers in school.
Speaker F:So I think it gets forgotten that, you know, we have.
Speaker F:We all have lives outside of the school setting.
Speaker F:So I definitely want to, you know, incorporate that, having those personal moments in the classroom and, you know, making sure that the students have the opportunities to, you know, share their voice and, you know, grow in their confidence and, you know, just be able to grow overall.
Speaker E:For me, the one commitment that I would want to always be as a teacher is to just always true, truly see who my students are.
Speaker E:I want them, you know, not to see them just for grades or performance, but, you know, seeing them with the potential that they can become.
Speaker E:I want to create a space that is safe for them, somewhere they can grow, you know, somewhere that they feel okay with making mistakes, doing challenges, and not feel like I'm judging or.
Speaker E:For me, I feel like teaching for me is a call in.
Speaker E:It's not just a career path for me.
Speaker E:So I want to look beyond just academics and have, like, that space where students come every day and know that they are capable.
Speaker A:So those are.
Speaker A:I mean, those are fantastic, right?
Speaker A:Those are fantastic visions of what you want to do for all three of you in the classroom.
Speaker A:So this might be a harder question to answer because you're not necessarily, you're not working in that environment yet.
Speaker A:But I want you to think about your classroom space and your first couple of years in the classroom.
Speaker A:We all know we have a boss, right?
Speaker A:Who's our principal, right?
Speaker A:When you think about this, the kind of educator you want to be, what kind of support would you like to get from your principal in order to help you do that?
Speaker A:You all talk about these beautiful human characteristics that you want to bring to the classroom for each and every student.
Speaker A:And I applaud that and that I love that about each of the three of you.
Speaker A:But, you know, the reality is we also work in a really tough environment, right?
Speaker A:What we're expected to do is huge.
Speaker A:And so, you know, hanging onto that vision is really important and grounding that into our work is really important.
Speaker A:Can you just hypothesize a little bit, maybe?
Speaker A:What kind of support would you look like, would you like from your principal to help you do that?
Speaker E:I want someone that is present, someone that communicates clearly and is just genuinely invested in their teachers.
Speaker E:Not someone who just shows up and evaluates.
Speaker E:So someone that, you know, give honest and constructive feedback.
Speaker E:Someone that's help willing to help me grow.
Speaker F:I definitely agree with, you know, school building leaders that are supportive, present and, you know, definitely the communication is there, you know, not.
Speaker F:Not just to just do observations or, you know, give always like hard critical feedback to you.
Speaker F:Just like someone that you can trust and who is there to guide and support you.
Speaker F:You know, just like how we are guiding students to achieve their highest level of potential.
Speaker F:That's what I, that's what I really want from school building leaders who, you know, who's going to guide me to be the best possible teacher that I can be, you know, and I really would like in the future support from colleagues, mentors, because, you know, first year teachers get that amazing support, you know, being able to have someone that's next to you and, you know, show you the ropes, you know, people that I can collaborate with and learn from and just, you know, for me to receive honest and meaningful feedback.
Speaker A:I'm going to, I'm going to ask the wheelhouse team to make some comments as we wrap up, but I just want to say what I've heard you say, right, is you've set the bar pretty high for.
Speaker A:And I love that, right?
Speaker A:You've set the bar pretty high for yourself in terms of your commitment to what kind of educator you'd like to be.
Speaker A:But I hope principals are listening to what these three people just said, because they set the bar pretty high for you as well, right?
Speaker A:To be the leader that they need in order to help them do this amazing work.
Speaker A:So, Kathy, what'd you hear today?
Speaker D:I think those pieces around being our authentic selves and being able.
Speaker D:I didn't hear really anything about I need to be a content expert in order to do this work.
Speaker D:You know, that's.
Speaker D:That is a secondary piece to be able to, okay, I am human first, content second.
Speaker D:And knowing the significance of that, I think Danelia said, you know, when I show up, the students show up.
Speaker D:So it's really that connection.
Speaker D:And I also heard all of these descriptions of what is desired in that support.
Speaker D:And the principal, the building leader, is exactly what was described in who they are and who they are growing even stronger into being.
Speaker D:So I think that that gets lost somehow when.
Speaker D:When principals move in, when teachers move into these principal roles and understanding that that same level of support, that same level of connection is.
Speaker D:Is what's needed, because that's what humans desire.
Speaker D:That's how we thrive.
Speaker D:And I so appreciate lifting up those pieces and connecting with.
Speaker D:Okay, here's what our young people need in the classrooms from elementary, middle school, and high school.
Speaker D:And you know what?
Speaker D:We need that, too.
Speaker C:We talk a lot on our podcast about the concept as an educator of having a North Star, those core principles that guide us, especially when we're in uncharted territory, where we're engaging in new experiences.
Speaker C:And I hear the North Star for each of you so clearly come through.
Speaker C:And in thinking about what you would appreciate from a principal, from a mentoring colleague, we don't always get it.
Speaker C:That's the truth.
Speaker C:And so what I want to say to each of you is, in the absence of getting what we need, that's also when we need to rely on our North Star, those set of core principles that guide us.
Speaker C:And you each have a very distinct voice as an educator.
Speaker C:I heard that come through so clearly.
Speaker C:And I can hear your own individual North Stars being articulated.
Speaker C:And so here I am in the twilight of my career, and I'm listening to three young educators at the dawn of theirs.
Speaker C:And I'm so proud, so grateful, and so honored to hear such strong, clear voices articulating their North Star.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I'm excited because when I first came into education, for me, it was about legacy building and all of the educators that are in this space today Some of the seasoned and the veterans ones, the one that sit on the panel.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We have built great legacies and we are extremely proud of each and every one of you.
Speaker B:Because I feel confident passing on the torch and that each and every child will learn and they will learn holistically and grow.
Speaker B:I want to echo exactly what I heard from my dear co panelists and co host Cathy as well as Michael.
Speaker B:But I do want to add a few key notes.
Speaker B:The focus of the conversation which really allowed my heart to leap was human connection.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Not driving the content.
Speaker B:Because when we get buy in from our students, this is what I heard.
Speaker B:They will show up.
Speaker B:Because when we show up for them, they show up for us.
Speaker B:Then I heard it's not about what the mandates are for grade level performance.
Speaker B:It's about our students achieving their full potential.
Speaker B:And their full potential may look very different.
Speaker B:But as long as we're seeing them grow and we'll know that they grow because we have relationship with them.
Speaker B:And then I heard a key term that really ring true to my heart was I'm not getting into this job because it's a profession and a vocation.
Speaker B:It's a calling.
Speaker B:So when it's a calling, that means we go above and beyond because this is mission work.
Speaker B:We're on the front line because we are called for a purpose to do great things for who we serve.
Speaker B:So I could go on and on, but I also want to pick up is that there will be fail forward moments in our lessons.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And we have to have some humor in this because the way it went through in our head and the way we planned it definitely was not delivered when we got in front of that class.
Speaker B:And for us to have a relationship with our students where we could be vulnerable enough to say, okay, that was a lesson.
Speaker B:It went different in my head, but I'm glad you're sticking with me.
Speaker B:It's really important because the humor is some of the energy that's going to keep you all moving.
Speaker B:When we can laugh at ourselves, that means that we are really ready to stand in front of the classroom.
Speaker B:So it's truly a joy for me to be in this space with all of you today.
Speaker A:So I just want to say thank you.
Speaker A:You bring some very real authenticity to the conversation.
Speaker A:We're thrilled to share this space with you.
Speaker A:We're so excited to see what you're going to do in your careers.
Speaker A:So thank you very much for joining us and we'll see you next week in the wimpo.
Speaker A:And that's A wrap of Season 12, Episode 7 A special thank you to our guest Elise Ozdemir and Daniela Grant from Siena University, and to the wheelhouse team of Kathy Mone, Michael Pipa, and Dr. Alicia Munro.
Speaker A:Here's the part we can't ignore.
Speaker A:They're not coming.
Speaker A:They're already here.
Speaker A:Future educators are sitting in classrooms now, watching, noticing, deciding.
Speaker A:And whether we like it or not, they're learning just as much from what we do as what we say.
Speaker A:So the real question isn't, are they ready?
Speaker A:It's really what are we actually preparing them to walk into and to become?
Speaker A:Because if the system stays the same, we don't get transformation.
Speaker A:We get continuity.
Speaker A:And after everything we've talked about this season, coherence, dignity, identity, student voice.
Speaker A:Continuity isn't neutral.
Speaker A:It's a choice.
Speaker A:So here's your move coming out of this.
Speaker A:If you lead educators, bring future teachers into the conversation now, not as observers, as contributors.
Speaker A:Ask them what they see.
Speaker A:Ask them what doesn't sit right.
Speaker A:Ask them what they're afraid of losing about themselves when they enter the profession.
Speaker A:And then, this is the hard part.
Speaker A:Don't defend the system.
Speaker A:Listen.
Speaker A:Because the future of schools isn't something we build for them.
Speaker A:It's something we build with them.
Speaker A:This is the wheelhouse.
Speaker A:Until next time.
Speaker A:Keep your doors open and your hearts even wider.
