SchoolWork

Hindsight is 2020

Episode Summary

In this episode, we talk with four of our district teachers on everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. 2020 was a hard year. What did we learn and where do we go from here?

Episode Notes

0:01 -  Welcome and Overview of Episode

01:50 - Round-table discussion with AISD Elementary Teachers Erin Miller and Roxanne Jenkins.

25:00 - Round-table discussion with AISD Secondary Teachers David Price and Heather Blythe-Yaws.

Episode Transcription

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Hey, everybody. Thanks for joining us. Susan. Happy New Year. 

Speaker 2 (00:04):

Thanks, Kevin. Happy New Year to 

Speaker 1 (00:05):

You. Did you do anything fun? 

Speaker 2 (00:08):

Well, I got a lot of rest and re . No, no, 

Speaker 1 (00:18):

Just, no, sorry. Okay, here we go. Here we go. 

Speaker 2 (00:21):

No, it was, I had a great break, and I hope you did too, Kevin. 

Speaker 1 (00:24):

Yes, ma'am. Awesome. Awesome. Um, hey, everybody, we're, we're excited about starting off the spring semester, um, and really just want to challenge you today. Um, had a chance to sit down with four of our teachers, um, two of our elementary, um, teachers, two of our secondary teachers. Um, you're gonna hear who they are and where they work and what they do, and we just encourage you to take a little bit of time. This, this one podcast may be a little bit longer mm-hmm. . Um, but really honestly, um, it's important to us, more important than hearing myself or Susan or Mr. Loomis, uh, talk about things in the district. The, the most important folks that we have are, are teachers. And so, um, really, we've, we've had a really awesome visit and, um, had a chance to, to get some perspectives and reflection on last semester, and then really have a lot of conversations about, um, challenges, um, and, and, and how to, how to really make adjustments and make, uh, 20, 21 a really great year for us as we finish the, the school year in a I S D mm-hmm. . So, um, here's, here's some awesome folks in the trenches and, uh, their perspectives on where we've been and where we're going. 

Speaker 2 (01:40):

We are glad you're listening in, and here we go. 

Speaker 1 (01:50):

Um, maybe, I think probably the cool thing about this episode is that instead of listening to Mr. Loomis the whole time, right, , we're, uh, we're actually gonna hear from the real, the real people who do the real work. So, um, joining us today is Aaron Miller, one of our teachers at San Jacinto and Roxanne Jenkins from South Lawn Elementary. And, um, we're just gonna kinda get their perspectives as we start a new school year, um, and, and just get them to talk us through, um, what they learned from last semester, um, kind of how long they've been in the district, um, what are the things that they saw that worked well, and, and, and, you know, things that they're gonna work on as they move into the new year. So, um, Susan, I, let's just let you kind of kick us off, and we will get to know these ladies a little bit and then ask 'em some hard questions. Okay. 

Speaker 2 (02:40):

If you ladies had one word to describe the fall semester of 2020, what would that be? Oh my gosh. Oi . That's a good one. 

Speaker 1 (02:52):

Oi, that's a good one. 

Speaker 2 (02:53):

That's a good one. Um, oh, gosh. I don't know. This is hard. I just might say, 

Speaker 3 (02:59):

I'm gonna say it. Ay a 

Speaker 1 (03:01):

Yy. Yay yi. Yeah. Awesome. Cool. 

Speaker 4 (03:04):

I'm 

Speaker 3 (03:04):

Glad it's over, huh? . Yes. 

Speaker 1 (03:06):

Talk to us a little bit. How, how was last semester for each of you? Um, what, what was the biggest lesson that you feel like you learned just in general, just kind of a reflection on last semester. 

Speaker 3 (03:21):

Uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna start with, let's go back to where we shut down. Um, right? Mm-hmm. at the, that moment really shifted, um, a whole lot of my mindset, like my thinking, uh, I literally had to sit and stop and say, I have to rethink education, like how I deliver instruction. Right. This was not my comfort zone. Right. Um, I luckily work with a phenomenal science teacher, and she is technology savvy, like no one else I've ever met. She jumped right in. I was like, I've gotta, I've gotta do this. I, I have got to change. So, um, I worked really hard during that shutdown to learn and shift my way of thinking when I did instruction, because I knew my job was to service children mm-hmm. , and to get them their best education that I could, I could give , because that's what I love to do. Mm-hmm. , and that's what I was called to do. So this fall semester, of course, it was very, um, it could be a little scary. How am I gonna do this? How do I shift everything I have done the last six years, seven years in education and make this work? And, uh, when the district pushed out Canvas, I was like, okay, we can do this. And then they started tossing in all the trainings, and I'm not gonna lie, I sh I was like, huh. 

Speaker 1 (04:41):

Right. 

Speaker 3 (04:42):

I mean, I was just gonna go with this simple task. That teacher, she came up to me, she goes, sit down, take a deep breath, start a training, start the class, kick training, start the EDpuzzle training, start a Pear Deck training. And I was like, okay, I will. And when I did that, that was a game changer. 

Speaker 1 (04:59):

Hmm. Just jumping in. 

Speaker 3 (05:00):

I, I, you, I had to, I had to just jump in and I had to learn. I had to learn because I knew those kids needed me. I needed it, but they needed it. Mm-hmm. , and I think that was the biggest, most important thing I did was stop for a minute, calm down and realize, I can, I can do this, I can do it. I did have a supportive staff and teammates that were like, this is what we're gonna do, and we're gonna do it. So that's kind of what really helped me this fall semester with those trainings and really doing them 

Speaker 4 (05:33):

Mm-hmm. . And I think for me, the last semester, it started off very rocky and just figuring out what does this look like? Why, or like our, just shifting to how our life is now so different. Right. And, um, finding those new expectations and like, even our, our class rules that we've had for eight years, don't, don't even apply anymore. mm-hmm. . And, um, just going back to basics and just like Roxanne said, like, why are we here? Mm-hmm. . And I think for me, the biggest thing I learned was just the importance of relationship and how just the value of that really matters. And especially like in the virtual setting, just knowing that when those kids know that they're loved and that we're expecting them to show up, and that we're showing up, they still, they're there. And then those relationships transfer also to like our staff and, um, helping, like, the district has bought so many amazing resources for us, but I don't know about Roxanne, but I had never used any of them. Mm-hmm. . And so it was learning, learning five or six different amazing programs and how they fit into our life and make kids be successful. Mm-hmm. 

Speaker 2 (06:41):

. Yeah. But, you know, I know I'm kind of, I kind of tend to be a perfectionist, and I've never been a teacher, but I know teachers, a lot of teachers are that way too. So how, I mean, how do you, um, reconcile that? Because, you know, this is all so new and it was also new for you all, and you had to learn right. Along with the kids. And how do you, how are you okay with yourself, you know, not being a perfectionist, how did 

Speaker 4 (07:06):

You I think we had to let go of that in March. mm-hmm. mm-hmm. . And just know that, take it like literally day by day or class period by class period, and know that this worked, this didn't, I wanna try this. And also, um, like in my situation, um, planning with other grade levels and knowing like, Hey, I jumped in to near pod and I am doing this with reading groups mm-hmm. , and like, I, I think we just have to adjust and, um, sometimes cry, sometimes move on. Right. Sometimes let it go. But just know that the next day we still have to show up mm-hmm. , 

Speaker 3 (07:45):

It's that it, we had to take it as not so much of a reflection of how well we are as educators, because we do a, a really good job. And like you said, we're perfectionists. Mm-hmm. , we wanna make sure when we deliver instruction mm-hmm. , it's the best thing we've ever delivered. Right. So that was hard because I remember starting out, learning all those things, I couldn't just throw them all in at one time. And I remember speaking to another colleague, she was like, what are you doing? I said, I'm keeping it simple right now. Mm-hmm. , I'm learning as I go. Mm-hmm. , and I expressed that to my parents. Like, you extend some grace to me in the beginning, I will to you as well. Um, I learned kindness goes a very long way. Right. Um, I mean, it was just starting simple. We had to, here's some basic things and it wasn't easy because I was like, I could do so much more, but I had to do what I did, simple and do it well. Mm-hmm. , and then I've grown build on that grown. Yes. Mm-hmm. , I've grown and changed, and there's still so much more to add to that. So that's been difficult not being able to feel perfect mm-hmm. , but it's, I have felt accomplished in learning the new things that we've done. So would 

Speaker 1 (08:50):

Y'all agree that that probably has been one of the biggest challenges for, for teachers just being okay with not being o being okay with not being okay? Yeah. Oh, yeah. 

Speaker 4 (09:03):

Oh, yes. 

Speaker 1 (09:04):

I, I would just say that that's something that, of, of all the things that have been challenging, that that is a regular one that I hear from teachers is that it is just, it's hard as a teacher to not have your a game every day naturally like you've been accustomed to. And, and so, you know, I would, I, I appreciate the honesty from these two ladies, because I think that's a very real issue out there. Mm-hmm. that I, I really, I mean, we've heard it and, and we're, you know, we're trying to send the message that we are extending grace to you all. And so for all of you out there, I I just take to heart what Aaron and Roxanne are saying, and, um, for those days when it's very difficult for you and you're struggling with the fact that it's not on target and it's not where you want it to be, um, keep working at it. I think Aaron said it well a minute ago, just, you know, come back the next day and, and go back to work on it. And I appreciate your vulnerability in those answers. That's really cool. So, um, 

Speaker 2 (10:06):

What are some things, uh, as you, you're entering this second semester, what are some things that you'll continue to, to use in your classroom that you learned maybe last semester? What are some things that worked well? 

Speaker 4 (10:21):

I think for myself, just the open communication with parents and, um, like for myself, um, they all have my cell phone number. And I, that has worked really well for me that, um, we, if their child doesn't understand something, they just text or call me mm-hmm. . And I think that has been the biggest change for me personally, because they're not, um, waiting till they get off work or waiting till their parents get home, or they're just reaching out. And then also, I've really liked having prerecorded lessons on Screencastify, um, because I didn't realize how many of my kids needed to hear their lessons more than once. Hmm. And so from this, I never would've thought about recording my mini lessons so they could hear it two or three times mm-hmm. . And that's something that I think I will, I, that's gonna change my, like from here on out. Mm-hmm. is knowing that that's a really cool way for me to differentiate something that I never would've done before. 

Speaker 2 (11:25):

Right. 

Speaker 4 (11:26):

Yeah. Um, Roxanne? Yeah, 

Speaker 3 (11:28):

I agree with Erin. Uh, the accessibility the kids have to instruction right now is phenomenal. Um, things that have worked right now for me and my classroom, I do both virtual and in person. Um, my kids in my classroom are doing pretty much the same thing my kids are doing online. The difference is me being there for the constant feedback, um, in person , but my lessons, they stay together. Um, so just continuing that, trying to keep all my kids, um, together on their lessons, um, aligned together. Also, the, the same things that I'm using, the Google slides, the ED puzzles, everything that I'm using now, I'm still going to be using, I'm hoping to amp it up some more. Mm-hmm. learning. 

Speaker 1 (12:18):

Mm-hmm. . So tell us, um, we talked a little bit, Aaron mentioned about parent communication and, and challenges for virtual kids, um, or, or those kids that are struggling or even those kids that are unengaged. What has worked the best for you guys in terms of engaging kids that are struggling or families that, um, that are struggling? Because I think the fair thing is, you know, folks in my role hear from both teachers and they hear from both parents, um, from parents as well. And, and I think both groups are, to some degree saying communication is hard. And so what, what has worked for mm-hmm. for, for you all, 

Speaker 3 (12:58):

Uh, constant communication. I know it's hard, but also sending boundaries from communication. So like she said mm-hmm. , she has her cell phone number. I use a Google Voice phone number. Right. Um, it's easier for me to separate mm-hmm. my, uh, their phone number and with my parents. Right. But I also use our natural, like class dojo system, right? Mm-hmm. , um, the parents only use my Google Voice when it's like something they know they need to immediate response to. We have set clear expectations for parent communication, as in when are the best available times. Mm-hmm. , um, you can message me anytime. If I don't get back to you, I will. Um, canvas has a messaging system for the students, so we always send messages to the kids if they're missing assignments, they know that they will get a message from their teacher, their parents know. 

Speaker 3 (13:50):

If those kids are not responding to those messages, we are gonna direct line that to the parent. Mm-hmm. They will get a message, your student has not done this, this, or this. They need to have them completed by, um, if you need help, please reach out and let me know. And they have done a really good job. Um, it is, you have to stay on top of parent communication, and I know that that can be hard for some teachers. Mm-hmm. , um, it's time consuming. Mm-hmm. , but like I said in the beginning, kindness goes a long way with parents. You know, some generosity, some compassion, um, even saying, I know that at 10 o'clock you may have a question for me mm-hmm. , and I wish that I could be there to help you mm-hmm. . Um, but I have, you know, a family I'm attending to, so as soon as I can get back to you, you will hear from me. And making sure that as teachers we follow up on that. Um, and I feel like that's worked really well. Just having an open line of communication with boundaries that are clear Yes. Um, to keep a healthy balance so their kids fall behind and they're also not, you know, getting frustrated. 

Speaker 2 (14:55):

Yeah. 'cause I was just sitting here thinking, you have five girls, so I do. So I think it's really good that, you know, admirable that you set boundaries because I mean, you know, you can't be on call 24 hours a day. 

Speaker 3 (15:08):

Yeah. And that's hard for teachers. Mm-hmm. Because we want to, we want to be there. 

Speaker 2 (15:12):

They wanna help. Yeah. 

Speaker 4 (15:14):

And I think, like, to speak to my parents, they have just done such a phenomenal job of, um, respecting times and saying, if they text me at a certain time, um, like, really, I don't really get any calls or texts after school hours mm-hmm. . And if I do, it's because something like really needs attention or I don't know, it doesn't usually happen. Mm-hmm. . But I like an example, this week, my, um, kiddo got or was running a fever at daycare. Mm-hmm. And so I had to go get him and couldn't make my Google meet. So I just sent a text to the parents in one big group chat mm-hmm. . And they were so quick to say, I'm so sorry that happened. Thank you. And all of them understand how to get in canvas. They all know how to operate. And they were just so kind and graceful to me. 

Speaker 4 (16:02):

And I think just that relation, going back to that just is so important in those instances. 'cause just like, I mean, Roxanne and I are both, we are mothers, we have families, and Right. Things happen. And I think, um, they, we also use ClassDojo and I love that too, for posting announcements or mm-hmm. , your I station is due this week, or there's just a thousand things . So yeah. I just think it, I don't know if there's a right way to do it, but I think it just really does go back to those clear expectations and understanding that the bottom line is your kid has to do their work and we have to show up for each other. 

Speaker 3 (16:43):

Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Showing up for each other as teachers and students, it's important. Mm-hmm. , I think as mothers, we also can look at it from ano, like, being at home, what would we want for our children? Sure. Mm-hmm. . So being available is important. 

Speaker 2 (16:54):

Right. 

Speaker 1 (16:55):

So as we move forward, um, you know, a lot of people we're struggling in the fall, and as we're in a new year, and as you look ahead to better days, and again, I hope all of us, you know, we're, we're hopeful prayerful that, you know, we're, we're gonna have a vaccine that's coming and hopefully, you know, we begin to knock this down, not only here in Amarillo, but in our world in general. Um, so what, what's your one piece of advice for teachers moving into, um, this semester, starting a new year? What would, what would you say to your peers as the, your one best piece of advice? Um, as we, as we head into the spring? 

Speaker 3 (17:35):

Can I, can I state a quote? That's kind of been my Sure. Yeah. My, my mantra this year mm-hmm. . Okay. I wrote it down so I could share it with everybody. Cool. Um, you gain strength, courage and confidence in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I can take the, take the next thing that comes along, I must do the thing I thought I could not do. Awesome. That's by Eleanor Roosevelt. It's a hard time. Sometimes it's being selfless and, and really just taking this opportunity to grow mm-hmm. and challenge ourselves because it's been the most rewarding thing I've done in the last seven years. 

Speaker 1 (18:14):

Hmm. Wow. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. That's 

Speaker 4 (18:17):

Great. I think for me, thinking into this new semester, it's just the reminder to have grace and flexibility, because we all do that for our kids all the time, but we don't do it for ourselves. Mm-hmm. . And I think we have to remember that what we're doing is hard, and like, speaking from this elementary perspective, like, we're expecting these babies to get online and learn, and they don't know what the keys to the keyboard are. Right. Or teaching them, like, that's called an icon. Right. Or those things. And I think we, we don't focus on that enough and remember the big leaps that we take mm-hmm. and, um, just remembering that we're, we're teaching great things. 

Speaker 1 (19:06):

All right. So that's great. We kinda, um, we kinda, we kinda, professional development wise, let's talk about that for just a second. So, I don't know, midway through the semester we kinda really realized, and we did a podcast on this actually. We talked about oxygen, and we talked about teachers needing oxygen. And, you know, unless, unless a training or professional development or a meeting was about a very small number of things that we, we began to realize that were the most important things for you all to be focused on. We weren't gonna do 'em. So in some senses, professional development wise, we, we kind of, we kind of started turning the valve off. And so how, how have you all been able to maintain learning what you need to learn? Um, and you kind of talked about this a little bit earlier, but anything else you would add about how you've, you've been able to keep up with what professional development you need, even though we really tried to limit what we were, what we were doing, and what you were asked to do as teachers, 

Speaker 4 (20:11):

I hope professional development is always in canvas, forevermore, . Wow. Because I love that I can go back to it. And I loved that it was set to my own pace and that I could do it with my team. And some of 'em I understood very quickly, and some of 'em I needed a lot more help with mm-hmm. . And I, I would hope that going forward, maybe, um, I know our digital learning team, like, did such an amazing job on those and creating amazing trainings. I would love to see them reopened so I could go through some of them that I didn't get to. Or like Roxanne mentioned way earlier that , we did so many things at the beginning of the year and it was kind of overwhelming. And now that I understand how Canvas works mm-hmm. and how I can actually apply it to what I'm doing every day, I would love to have an opportunity to revisit those things that were even already created. Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (21:04):

Yeah. Go back and refresh. 

Speaker 3 (21:05):

Yeah. I agree with there. If they were available, you know, there, so if anybody at any point needed them, we could. 

Speaker 1 (21:11):

And I heard you say earlier, you really learned a lot initially with a colleague. I did. A team 

Speaker 3 (21:17):

Member. Mm-hmm. . I did. Yeah. She was amazing. I'm, I mean, miss Amy Bunch, if you're listening, that's, that's you, my dear . Uh, some people are real tech, tech savvy. So I think on your campus, I mean, there are people, you know, that's one of the, I think at our campus, one of the things that we have grown with, if a teacher's unsure mm-hmm. and doesn't know how to do something, there is someone on campus that's able to go, come look at this, come watch this. Mm-hmm. , um, share this, can, I'll share this lesson with you. I I'll show you how to upload it. I'll show you how to put it into this format. So I think we've gained a lot of professional development within our campus. Um, I even had some teachers come and ask, how did you do this? I'm like, oh, just like this. 

Speaker 3 (22:02):

Mm-hmm. now go here. And we would work through it together. So I think it's been a collaborative thing, um, where we are reaching out to each other as teachers, um, and really looking for our resources within our campus and even outside of our campus. I mean, I have teachers, friends that work at other campus and they're like, have you tried this? And I'm like, oh, that's really neat. Thanks. And so that's really where I think a lot of mm-hmm. , our current professional development is coming from mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. is within the walls of our campuses and in with other teachers and colleagues. 

Speaker 4 (22:30):

Definitely. That's great. And like my principals let me do a class kick day last week where teachers could come during their planning and we walked through it and what it looked like mm-hmm. and how it could look in their own classrooms. Mm-hmm. and I got to go into their rooms and help them teach and set it up with their kids and 'cause it's overwhelming to introduce it to a room of seven year olds. Right. . And so just teaming with them in that, and also our, um, our tech gal, Katie Cummington, has been amazing and come to our campus and done small professional developments. And I, I love that, that I don't have to leave school or work after hours mm-hmm. to do it. That it's in my normal workday 

Speaker 3 (23:11):

And social media. Social media is a big deal. I mean, even though you can learn, we learn a lot from other teachers. We follow teachers on Instagram, we follow them mm-hmm. on Facebook where we join different groups. I just recently joined like a Jamboard Facebook group and jam board's been a lifesaver for my live lessons. They're interactive. And so, um, I, I, you know, sought out some different things when somebody mentioned something. I'm like, oh, that's, so I think social media's also helped in some 

Speaker 2 (23:37):

Of that. Mm-hmm. That's great. It can be used as a good, good 

Speaker 4 (23:40):

Resource. Definitely. Yes. 

Speaker 1 (23:41):

Yeah. So, um, really just to wrap up, ladies, I, first of all, I just, I'd, I'd just have, you know, that from, from, you know, the district leadership to you guys, um, to all of our teachers. We, we appreciate all that you've done. I I sure appreciate your insights today and, and the transparency and just being a little, little bit vulnerable, um, about how this has affected you as a teacher. But, you know, most of all, I, I just appreciate that you've, you've, um, hit it head on as a learning opportunity and, and mm-hmm. it, I know, at least for myself, it, it's easy on any given day in this to talk about what's happening to us. And what I hear from the both of you is that it, this early is about what, what do I need to do to learn to help my kids? And that's, um, man, that's a, um, just a, a huge thing and, um, shows a great deal of professionalism. So, um, thank you for sharing your insights with us, um, and we hope you have a great new year and a wonderful spring semester of 2021. Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (24:52):

So, okay, Kevin, for the second half of our podcast Yes, ma'am. We've got, yes, ma'am. Uh, secondary teachers with us, uh, Heather Blythe from Memo High and David Price from Johnny Allen's sixth grade campus. So I just wanna start with, with a question, if you all, uh, could think of one word that you hope will describe the second semester, uh, spring semester 2021, what would that be? 

Speaker 5 (25:26):

Oh, the second semester specifically, I would say, are we ever going to get to relax the social distancing at least a little bit 

Speaker 6 (25:35):

? 

Speaker 7 (25:38):

Ooh. I think for me it would be, um, finding the joy again, of teaching. Mm-hmm. not the list and the social distancing and the, oh my gosh, do we have it in canvas? And are we ready to go? But really just being able to connect mm-hmm. back with the kids in a different way. Yeah. So, so your 

Speaker 2 (26:00):

Words joy. 

Speaker 7 (26:01):

My word is joy. I like that. 

Speaker 2 (26:03):

I like 

Speaker 1 (26:03):

That. Tell us, just, uh, if you could just summarize a reflection of last semester, so, you know, what was the biggest lesson you learned, um, you know, what worked well, just kinda generally what's a reflection for each of you on last semester? 

Speaker 5 (26:23):

You know, obviously it started off very hectic. Um, I don't think anybody would deny that. Right. But I, I do think some lessons were learned from it. And I think when we sit back and think about it, I think there are some good things that have come out of this year so far, um, especially looking forward to some things we can continue to, uh, fix and adjust with canvas and the virtual learning and all that. But there are some positives that I hope we get to talk about, um, during this time. 

Speaker 1 (26:49):

Absolutely. 

Speaker 7 (26:51):

Um, I think for me it was, I had a plan and then, I mean, even with Canvas, like I spent all that time working so hard, and the first two days with kids in class, it was like that, that isn't working at all. Not at all. And 

Speaker 1 (27:10):

A new meaning to monitor and adjust. Huh. 

Speaker 7 (27:12):

Oh, I thought about that when I was driving over here. Like, as teachers we're trained to monitor and adjust constantly all the time. And that was like, not at all prepared for it to look like a disaster. Right. And then the second week, it still looked like a disaster. Um, but then learning how to give grace to myself, but to my kids as well, and mm-hmm. and really listen to what they were saying. And I think in the past I've heard them, but we've just always done it one way. So we keep doing it the same way. Mm-hmm. . And this year, that wasn't an option when I rolled out my canvas and it was a disaster, and it was not functional, even though in my mind it was, but sitting in that kid's spot, it wasn't right. We had to listen. We had to hear like, this isn't working. And we had to ask questions and really look at it from a, their sitting in their seat. And, um, I had never done that in the past. 

Speaker 1 (28:15):

So I, I mm-hmm. , Susan's gonna follow up, I think kind of with a converse of, of my first question there, but before she does, um, tell us a little bit. I think one of the things that we've heard, um, very frequently throughout this from teachers is that it was just, it, it's hard as a teacher to not be on your game, to not be perfect today. I mean, all of us have the bumps and we have that lesson that doesn't work like we thought it was going to, but, you know, I mean, this really has brought new meaning of how to come to grips with a disaster to, to use your word, Heather. So, how, how have the, both of you, how did you deal with, how are you gonna continue to deal with, um, the disasters that come? Um, and hopefully, I think I've heard both of you say it, it's getting better. We can continue to make tweaks. How did you, how did you come to grips with that? 'cause that's hard for teachers. 

Speaker 5 (29:07):

Well, Heather said it, uh, the best that first week we thought we were prepared, and then you're right. That first week it all went south on us. And I think that's almost everybody across the board, um, including district leadership, I think. Sure. Um, and I was talking to a teacher the other day, only half jokingly saying we could have had a month to prepare for this mm-hmm. , and that first day still would've been the exact same disaster. Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. , because like you said, the kids had to be there to test it out for us, right? Mm-hmm. and tell us and show us what the, what needed to be done. And those are things that we were not gonna know until the kids came back, whether we had an extra week to prepare or six months to prepare. Mm-hmm. . So, I agree. 

Speaker 5 (29:44):

Um, a teacher said it best the first day before we came back in August or September. I guess we're gonna have to expect that things are gonna go wrong and be okay with that. Mm-hmm. . And so just that mindset of yes, we know even now, even now that we're a semester in, I know that if I put a lesson in Cammi, there's a decent chance that it doesn't open for kids. Right. But at least I'm starting to understand what that glitch may be and be able to fix it. Or at least I know I better have some kind of backup plan in case it doesn't work. So one of the positives we're, we're growing more technologically advanced in terms of just being able to troubleshoot some of those things for ourself rather than having to call on a digital learning leader or, or help desk and stuff like that. But I would echo what Heather said, just giving yourself some grace and knowing it's gonna happen, but also being prepared for it. 

Speaker 7 (30:36):

I think too, that we say out one side of our mouths to our kids, well, hey, it's okay to fail. Right? It's okay. Right. You know, no big deal. And, and we take that test grade and they failed. And it's easy for us to say mm-hmm. , hey, it's okay. Mm-hmm. , you know, you'll get a second chance. But we were looking at, I think as teachers, we are failing here. Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. , like what would, and my thought so many times was, are my parents, what are my parents saying? Mm-hmm. , are they giving me an F here because I was giving me an F. Right. And so I really had to step back and go, the, the greatest thing I can do is be uncomfortable in my failure. Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. so I can grow out of that. Mm-hmm. . Right. 

Speaker 7 (31:21):

And so I started asking questions like I was, um, I found my people that I have done, uh, you know, blended learning training with and stuff, and like, okay, what are we gonna do here? Mm-hmm. , what do we need to do? What's my thing that I'm gonna get really good at? And what's your thing you're gonna get really good at mm-hmm. and then let's teach each other how to do it. Mm-hmm. and really, um, very spontaneously not in a professional development setting, so to speak. Right. Right. We start having conversations between passing periods or, um, across the hall when I know she has a, um, a period off mm-hmm. , I'm in there, what did you do and how did you do it? Mm-hmm. . And then it would be the opposite. And so I think it taught us, um, how to rely on each other. 

Speaker 7 (32:05):

Mm-hmm. a different way mm-hmm. , but also grow out of our failure. Instead of like he said just, oh, well we better call Tammy Newsom, or we better call, you know, whoever the learning leader is. 'cause they couldn't get there. So it was like, you figure it out. Right. You rely on on somebody mm-hmm. on your campus. Right. And so it caught, for me, it really created an opportunity to grow mm-hmm. , but as teachers, our jobs are to mentor our kids, maybe not just in our subject area. Right. Um, but that they're seeing, oh my gosh, she failed in that. Right. And it did. It's hard. It's, and, but she's hearing and adjusting mm-hmm. and she's growing out of her failure. And I think that sets our kids up ultimately mm-hmm. for a greater amount of success because they're seeing the people that are teaching them failing at something. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , that's hard. Mm-hmm. and our kids came in learning canvas and a brand new subject and it's, it was okay. Mm-hmm. , it was teaching them that it was okay. Right. To struggle and to it be hard. Right. And we still grow and move out of it. Yeah. 

Speaker 2 (33:07):

That's 

Speaker 5 (33:07):

Great. You know, I think that's a really good way to build relationships with kids, honestly as well. Mm-hmm. , just to be honest with them and say, hang on guys, sorry. Mm-hmm. , Mr. Price has got this messed up. Just gimme a second. Mm-hmm. Alright, let me fix it. Right? Mm-hmm. , and then you fix it. And you're right. They see that you've, that you've fixed it. Yeah. And another interesting thing on, at Johnny Allen, we're a very small campus, and so kind of what you were saying about being able to ask each other for advice, what's your person across the hall? Do we can do that on a campus level? 'cause we literally have less than 20 staff mm-hmm. . Um, so it's actually pretty easy for us to, I mean, you can almost talk to the entire staff and say, what did you do? What did you do? What did you do? What did you do? Mm-hmm. . And so in that way, I guess we're, I don't know, you can speak more to how it is at Amarillo High, but I feel like we're able to have a better, an easier time building those teacher to teacher moments. Um, like you said, without even being in P L C mm-hmm. , it just kind of happens naturally. Mm-hmm. . 

Speaker 2 (33:58):

Yeah. And you know, Heather, you mentioned, um, parents a little bit, and what are some of the things that you all found that worked with parents and communicating with parents and, um, maybe, you know, engaging those parents who weren't maybe at first engaged. You have some tips along those lines. 

Speaker 7 (34:16):

Um, I probably didn't do this until I was for sure about my canvas and how it was working. Mm-hmm. , I'm glad I didn't do it in the beginning because I would've recorded it 12 times Right. Or more. Um, but about midway through the semester, I recorded, uh, this is what my canvas looks like. So if you wanna take you and I sent it out through Skyward. It was just a Screencastify, it was not even five minutes, so it wasn't a long time. And I just said, Hey, this is how I communicate with my kids daily. This is where you can find the modules and this is how we do our tests, and this is where my recorded lectures are. And I sent it out to the parents. And the response back was pretty great, because they also are totally overwhelmed by the new learning system. 

Speaker 7 (35:02):

Sure. And I know some, some of my friends did that quicker than I did. Um, I didn't feel like that my canvas was at a place where I should send that out yet, you know? Mm-hmm. mm-hmm. . But once the kids kind of had a handle on it, then they, um, went in and like with my virtual kids, I started being really intentional about if they weren't showing up in my canvas, sending an email, and I would send an email out weekly with their grades mm-hmm. , and, Hey, this is what we're doing, and check out this. And the response back, and it wasn't long, it was just a few minutes, but it was being consistent in the conversation with my parents. Right. That, um, I think helped the transition even where I felt like I was failing. At least they knew I was trying mm-hmm. mm-hmm. . So that was my, that was for me. Yeah. 

Speaker 5 (35:50):

One of the things I think that helped a lot, and I, correct me if I'm wrong, I think this came from the district level, was every campus finding a way for all the teachers to synchronize the way their canvas course looked? And so we were hearing from parents that, well, math looks this way and science looks this way, and we have no idea what's going on with any given subject. And I think that's a valid point. And so once we kind of made everything the same, we started to see students and their work start to click of, okay, this is how we turn stuff in. We started seeing parents, we were able to call up and say, so-and-so hasn't turned in X assignment. And they, they're better able to go look at it and see it, as opposed to us spending a lot of time, which we were in the beginning, kind of walking students and parents through just the technical side of canvas. So mm-hmm. . 

Speaker 1 (36:41):

So I, I'm glad I'm, I'm, I'm really glad that you brought that up, um, David, because I, I think that I, I'm just gonna use that as a teaching point. 'cause that's kinda what we're trying to do here with, you know, kind of an all, all staff faculty meeting is, um, I, I think it's a really good point. And, and it's one of the challenges of what we try to do to help in that we want to give you all as much autonomy as we can because you're the ones that are teaching the kids you know what to do best in your classroom. And then you balance, you have to balance sometimes what you hear. And, and you're right. I mean, that was a very common message from parents, Hey, you know, within my child's school, or sometimes, you know, I've got, I've got one kiddo that's at school X and their little brother is at school y, and things look so totally different. 

Speaker 1 (37:31):

And so could we find some kind of commonality or at least some structure to it? And so, um, I just, it it it's a really good point. You know, sometimes, and for a while we, we didn't really go that direction and we just realized at some point, man, parents are really becoming frustrated. And, and I think that you're right. That's one of the things that, even though we hesitated to do that at the district level, I think once we did that help, that helped us and, and, and at least get people started and on the right road, so to speak. 

Speaker 5 (38:01):

So, right. And I can't speak for all campuses, but I know at our campus, yes, we went to a more, synchronous isn't the word, but more consistent, consistent model, but we still have autonomy to plan our lessons. Right. My, my lesson and the way they do it is different than the way social studies or, or math does it, it's just the fact that it's the same, the same route to get there, I guess you might say. Right. But the, the autonomy I've never felt stepped on or anything. So I think it's has been a great balance. 

Speaker 1 (38:27):

Awesome. So, um, little bit different, um, angle for, for the next question. I think you've talked a lot about using canvas and content and some of those things. So tell us a little bit, how have you tried to support, um, not only kids, but I would say how have you tried to support your colleagues socially and emotionally through this whole ordeal? 

Speaker 5 (38:52):

I think you definitely have to become just a, a sounding board for, for certain teachers that are just struggling more than others. And I think, again, I go back to us being a small campus, we're able to build those relationships maybe better than at a bigger campus. Mm-hmm. . And so I, I can't think of anybody on our campus that wouldn't be comfortable going up to anybody else on our campus, uh, administrators included and just saying, look, I need, I just need to talk for a second. Sure. Um, or so and so is happening and I'm frustrated and, you know, I know me personally, sometimes that's all I need. I just need someone to listen to what I said, and then we're good to go. So I think in that regard, that's been very important to us. And also for kids. Um, even back going into the spring, you heard people say, we've gotta, we've gotta put our kids first and give them the grace because this is a tough time. And I think we're still in that, uh, mindset. We're, we're expecting more academically than we were, especially early on. Right. But we've still gotta understand that they're, in my case, sixth graders that are trying to do something that honestly college kids sometimes struggle with. Right. And this online learning. So I think just understanding that, um, is the biggest thing. 

Speaker 1 (40:05):

Heather, anything socially and emotionally you're trying to really work at 

Speaker 7 (40:08):

To help? I think just making connections. Um, one of the things that I figured out pretty early because of social distancing is that we kind of hole up in our classrooms mm-hmm. and don't leave the same way like we used to, you know, you'd go, everybody eat lunch together or whatever. Like, we would have our groups that would eat together. And so I found for myself and some of my closer friends on campus, that all of a sudden we felt as isolated as we were asked to be in order to curb covid. And so I started trying to make more of an effort of saying for me emotionally and my colleagues on my hall, that being out and not always being in my room working so hard because the working so hard was ending up being detrimental to me emotionally. Right. Because I wasn't making the connections. 

Speaker 7 (41:02):

And I mean, I am very relational as it is mm-hmm. . And so, um, it was important for me to kind of go, okay, whoa, getting that lesson plan's really important, but if I don't have some connection with the human other than Canvas today mm-hmm. , I'm gonna have a, I'm gonna be struggling worse. And so, and then with kids, I mean, they've struggled. It's been hard to watch. It's been, I mean, it's been hard to watch, like at the high school level level, us not being able to have pep rallies and mm-hmm. the social aspects that are part of high school. Mm-hmm. , um, the kids have really, really struggled with that mm-hmm. . And so just being available and remembering that, yes, learning biology is super important, but if I don't unders, if I don't have their heart, if I don't have their connection mm-hmm. , they're not gonna learn it anyway. Mm-hmm. . So if we're struggling at home and we are having some issues and I don't stop and address that and even take 10 minutes, then, then I'm losing them anyway. Right. And so the emotional aspect to me has been as important as the content aspect mm-hmm. right now mm-hmm. in this, in this place that we're in. 

Speaker 2 (42:12):

Yeah. And how have you balanced, um, your own family life with school? Because I know, I know teachers are spending so much time, you know, building those connections and trying to keep kids engaged and parents engaged. And so how do you, how do you balance that with your own? 

Speaker 7 (42:31):

It's been really hard. Yeah. Um, I was quarantined the first part of December, and I mean, we worked hard in the spring mm-hmm. , but it was nothing like what I did while I was quarantined. Mm-hmm. And there was no, like, in, in the spring, we weren't creating, we weren't in the middle of learning. Right. And this time, there wasn't any stopping. And so there was not a disconnect. There was not a drive home where you could readjust and, you know, become mom and wife mm-hmm. . Now I'm totally, like, I never, I never knew how it was very hard. And so, even, like I said, when I start the new year, I'm gonna, I've gotta set better boundaries, right. Because my home life can't suffer otherwise. School suffers still. Right. Exactly. And so mine was, mine is a lot about boundaries, about saying, it's okay if I only have half this unit done mm-hmm. , but I'm good, then I need to go home and I need to say, Hey, I'm finished here. Mm-hmm. , it's, you know, it's four 30, it's five. And, um, so that's that. It, it's hard. It's really hard. Yeah. So, yeah. 

Speaker 5 (43:38):

Yeah. I think Mr. Phillips, you said it really well in the beginning, you said teachers naturally want to plan the best lessons and, and make it perfect. Mm-hmm. and that's what we were trying to do in the beginning. And, you know, it just, it just didn't work out. No. Um, but then going back to what we talked about, about being able to let yourself fail, being able to give yourself some grace and understand that maybe I'm supposed to have a whole unit planned right now, but sorry, I only have tomorrow planned. Right, right. And yeah, go home, shut it off. And there for a while we weren't, 'cause we couldn't mm-hmm. , we, we were drowning. We literally could not shut it off. Um, but then like I said in the beginning, we, we've gotten better. I think teachers have gotten more used to it. 

Speaker 5 (44:18):

Students have gotten more used to it. And we've had a lot of things come from the district. Uh, number one for me would be getting skyward and the absences, uh, figured out a little better. 'cause that was a major struggle for a lot US teachers. Mm-hmm. Sure. Mm-hmm. . Sure. Um, so just as things started to kind of fall into place more and more, it kind of felt like a little bit was taken off your plate to the point that now I don't think any teacher would say that they go home totally prepared and feel a hundred percent perfect, but it's definitely better than it was. 

Speaker 1 (44:50):

So as we head into to the spring, and I think we're all just, you know, we're, we're determined to have a better semester and, and we're making adjustments. Was there anything that you experienced in the first semester that was kind of a game changer for you that you would just say to somebody, okay, if you, if you're really looking for a better semester, here's something that, you know, you would encourage people just to jump off into, you know, maybe it was something you didn't really want to do, or it made you uncomfortable, or you were scared to do it, but you jumped off into it and you did it and it seemed to be a game changer for you that, that you might encourage other people to do. 

Speaker 5 (45:30):

I think a lot of teachers are doing this, actually, but it's one that I did struggle with and in fact I haven't implemented it very well yet anyway. Um, and now in my campus, we're changing to a different model for virtual students. So this will help in that regard. But the point I'm trying to make is, I think in the beginning I should have made it a much higher expectation that every virtual student attends a Google meet every day with me, or at least every other day, just if nothing else, just to check in. Right. But, um, one of those misconnections with students we were kind of talking about is, uh, just feedback. Um, especially immediate feedback. And those virtuals just aren't getting it right. Um, not in the way they would in the classroom. And we can try to grade their papers and make a little note to 'em. But I think there's a lot to be said for those students that can just get that immediate feedback of, oh, you made this mistake, or, Hey, you should be a little bit further along in this lesson by now. Or, Hey, let's sit down and talk about this 'cause you're a little bit confused. 

Speaker 1 (46:28):

And that's a, that's a little bit scary, I think, because that's a lot on you, right? Right. Mm-hmm. . And so I, that's what I gleaned from what you just said is, is that it, it, that's that, the scary part about that is, and the, the hesitation to jump off in that is, okay, once I start doing that more often, it probably is gonna reinforce the need to keep it going. And, and that's pretty, that, that's something that's gonna take some stamina to keep up. So I, I appreciate the, the transparency. That's, that's really good. 

Speaker 5 (46:56):

Well, and I wonder if you don't see some unexpected benefits from it in the fact that all of a sudden your kids start engaging more and doing better on the lesson, so then maybe you're not having to spend as much time tracking them down. Sure. Mm-hmm. , or seeing if they got X assignment done. So I don't know, it could have some added benefits as well. Heather, 

Speaker 1 (47:16):

Anything you would encourage somebody to just jump off into? I 

Speaker 7 (47:19):

Kind of two things. One is along the Google meets, Google meets is just, it, it, I mean, y you know, because I was on one with you the other day, , um, it, it's, they, they just have a tendency to be awkward. Like there's this random awkward silence and you're like, wait a minute. Is anybody even there for starters, , you know, you ask a question and they have to unmute and it takes forever. Yes. And the wait time is way worse than a classroom. Yeah. Um, and so in the beginning with my, um, with my AP bio kids, I, that were virtual, I didn't reach out to them in that manner either. Mm-hmm. probably just because, what do you say to someone you've never, ever met and now you're meeting them, you know, it's just weird. Mm-hmm. , I mean just mm-hmm. , I don't know, it's just awkward. 

Speaker 7 (48:08):

Mm-hmm. Um, I tried to go around it like tiptoe around what I really knew I needed to do and it was an investment in my own time. Like I knew it was gonna take something out that I really could be planning or prepping canvas. And um, so I started doing it and then I started seeing them in real time and it makes them not a piece of paper or a number. Sure. Right. Or it makes them more real. Mm-hmm. , even though it's not as much as we would like to have them in the classroom. Sure. And so that Google meets for me, was a big thing. One of my biggest changes, and it has required a large amount of time, was I, um, when I taught freshman bio, we worked out of Veria and I always had my data, but I also teach International Baccalaureate and then now I'm teaching AP this year and there was no way that I had ever been able to track my data mm-hmm. 

Speaker 7 (48:58):

, um, because there was no really way to do it. And so in Canvas, I start, I moved every test that I had ever made into Canvas, into quizzes. And I went from not having any data to having data. Wow. And it required, it did, it required a lot of time from me. Mm-hmm. . But the fact that I can look in and actually see the kids' data and it's right there mm-hmm. and it's building a test bank mm-hmm. . So now I've like got a semester of test bank for seniors that are i b and juniors that are I b and my AP kids. And it, yes, it's required. It takes me a long time to write a test, but when I come back next year Right. I will actually have something to look at. And I've never had that before. Right. And so the time commitment was well worth it. 

Speaker 7 (49:42):

Yes. And I know a lot of people still are working out of Google Forms 'cause that's where it is, where we've had it, but the move for me was, um, phenomenal. Like, it's giving me data that I don't even think that I can get out of c we ever got out of Veja. Foria. Right. So. Right. So that was huge for me. Lots of work on the front end, but we'll save you time. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Lots of time in the long run. Yep. Yeah. So both of those things were my probably two big takeaways. Mm-hmm. , um, we were talking, I was talking with my colleague across the hall and where I was very nervous about school starting in the fall. Um, just not knowing what it looks like. I feel like leaving tomorrow for Christmas and coming back in January, I'm excited to see mm-hmm. 

Speaker 7 (50:29):

what I, because it's, that part's not new. So the stuff we used to do that was more engaging with the kids, I feel like I have the ability to bring that stuff back. Where before I was just trying to like survive from one 30 minutes to the next rights. Great. So I'm, I'm excited to see what, what's gonna happen in the spring mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. Because I think it's a new, it's a fresh place mm-hmm. to start and the kids are in a fresh place, but they know what they're walking into mm-hmm. and we do too. Mm-hmm. . And so I think it gives us an opportunity to really launch a spring semester that despite what's happening, we can still make it amazing. 

Speaker 2 (51:09):

Yeah. That is so encouraging. That's great. 

Speaker 1 (51:12):

So here's the deal. Um, we appreciate y'all very much. Yes. We do. Just, I mean, every day, but especially, you know, during really what you've done to help us make our way through this. We're thankful for all of our teachers and, and you just spending a little bit of your time to talk about, um, how we're gonna, how we're gonna head into this semester and make it better, um, and, and look forward and, and continue to, to push forward instead of looking backwards. So, um, thank you and happy New year, um, as we kinda wrap up this fifth episode of schoolwork. Everybody have a great semester. Thank 

Speaker 2 (51:50):

You so much for being here. 

Speaker 1 (51:52):

Thanks for having 

Speaker 7 (51:52):

Us. Yeah, thanks for having us.