407 - The Leadership Journey: Insights for Instructional Coaches

Ready to enhance your role in educational leadership? "The Leadership Journey: Insights for Instructional Coaches" offers a practical and insightful look into the world of instructional coaching. This episode is perfect for instructional coaches, curriculum specialists, and educators looking to deepen their impact and leadership skills within the educational landscape.

We are talking with Natasha Rachell, Director of Instructional Technology for Atlanta Public Schools about personal anecdotes, expert advice, and practical strategies to transform the often solitary journey of an instructional coach into a collaborative expedition towards excellence! With discussions centered around personal and professional growth, this episode serves as a guide for those eager to inspire and lead with confidence.

Tune in to discover actionable insights and advice on transforming your approach to leadership. "The Leadership Journey" is your invitation to become a more effective leader in education. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, grow, and influence the future of teaching and learning.

Find Natasha on her Socials!
Twitter: @apsitnatasha
Instagram: @natashabrachell


Podcast Team
Hosts- Katie Ritter & Matthäus Huelse
Editing Team- Matthäus Huelse, Jeremy McConnell, Justin Thomas
Social Media/ Promo Team- Alyssa Faubion
Producer- Matthäus Huelse



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Transcript

Matthaeus Huelse: 0:01

Calling all Instructional Coaches, Curriculum Specialists, Teachers on Special Assignment, or whatever they call you. I'm Matthaeus Huelse.

Katie Ritter: 0:09

And I'm Katie Ritter. As Instructional Coaches, we are often responsible for our own professional learning and can sometimes feel pretty isolated in our role.

Matthaeus Huelse: 0:17

That's why we're here, bridging the gap with a wealth of tips, tricks, and building a community of coaches.

Katie Ritter: 0:23

So hit the restart button with us.

Matthaeus Huelse: 0:25

Recharge your coaching batteries.

Katie Ritter: 0:26

And hopefully you'll leave feeling just a little bit less on your own coaching island.

Matthaeus Huelse: 0:34

Hello and welcome fellow educators, coaches, and school leaders. With today's episode, we want to light your fire for leadership and growth. We're exploring the path from teaching to leading for all educators looking to harness their potential. Influence change and guide the next wave of teaching and learning excellence. Whether your passion lies in technology, curriculum development, or innovative teaching strategies, we're here to inspire your next career leap. Get ready for insights and stories that illuminate the path for educators and education leaders, transforming not just how we teach, but how we envision the future of learning. Today, we are Thrilled to welcome Dr. Natasha Rachel, a dynamic force in the field of educational technology. Transitioning from a high school science teacher to the prestigious role of Director of Instructional Technology for Atlanta Public Schools, Dr. Rachel's journey is a testament to her dedication to transformative education. Her innovative approaches emphasize not just the integration of technology in classrooms, but doing so in a way that enhances the natural flow of teaching and learning. As a Google Certified Innovator and Trainer and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, her work has significantly impacted how teachers teach and students learn, making education more collaborative, engaging, and creative. We're excited to welcome you to the pod!

Katie Ritter: 1:57

Welcome, Natasha!

Natasha Rachell: 2:01

That was like such an awesome introduction. Thank you.

Matthaeus Huelse: 2:03

Oh, thank you I love making introductions like that. It's always fun.

Katie Ritter: 2:08

Yes, and I don't know how you have any time left in the day. So I am super excited to get to pick your brain on some of these topics and, and share your story. and your journey to hopefully help maybe inspire someone else to take that next step and push just a little bit harder in education. So, Natasha, before we dive in, I know Matthaeus said that you had transitioned from high school science educator you know, to your current leadership role now, but I have the privilege of having just a little bit more of your backstory. So I know it didn't just start at high school science teacher. So will you kind of walk us through, What did that journey that, that brought you to your role today look like for you?

Natasha Rachell: 2:50

Absolutely. That's what happens when your friends know you. They get like privy to all this information. I love it. So that is true. My career started definitely before jumping into being a high school science teacher. When I was in college, I was majoring in biology pre med. I went to Morris Brown College here in Atlanta, Georgia. And while I was in college, I got married and had my first son. And so I kind of was on the untraditional route of life. And so that happened after I got married and had my son. I was like, you know what? Like I, I toyed around with changing my major from biology to psychology. And I was like, I just need to graduate. Like, I just need to finish so I can move on with life. Still had no like career aspirations of being a teacher, although in hindsight, it had always been like nagging, like from the time I was a little girl. Right. And so I graduated from college while I was in college. I was working part time for Bath and Body Works, one of the locations here in Atlanta. And when I graduated, my district manager was like, Hey, do you want to be a manager? And I was like, heck yeah, I don't have to look for a job. Like, yes, sign me up. I'm good. So I started selling bubble bath and shower gel with a biology pre med degree. I will never forget my first salary was 27, 500 a year and I thought that I was just like bawling out of control. Did that for numerous years, got promoted and, and moved around throughout different locations throughout Metro Atlanta. Got recruited to another retailer and then I had my second son and life kind of. stopped, if you will. I just realized that there's no way that I can continue to work in retail management. The only two days, two days that you're guaranteed off in retail management are Easter and Christmas. The mall is open every other day of the year. And I remember my husband called me one day. I think my second son was maybe around eight weeks old when I had gone back to work. And he, like, I could hear my son crying, screaming, bloody murder in the background. And my husband was like, I fed him. I changed him. I don't know what to do. He won't stop crying. And I was like, yeah, it's, it's time to like, figure out what I want to be when I grow up. And so I did some soul searching. I quit my job. I became a substitute teacher at a school kind of like right down the street from my house. And about two weeks after substitute teaching, they had a full time science position open. Yeah. And I was like, huh? So I went to the principal and I said, Hey, I have this biology pre med degree. I've never taught before. What do I need to do? And she sat across from me. Her name was Margie Smith. Love her to death to this day. She sat across from me and she said, I see something in you. I'm going to take a chance on you. You're going to be my star baby. And you're going to make me proud. Those were her exact words. I still remember that to this day.

Katie Ritter: 5:30

And Natasha, I still get the goosies when you, when you repeat it. And I've heard you say that before and I, I love that.

Natasha Rachell: 5:36

Every time I say it, I get the goosies, too. But it's not like pressure to put on somebody that's never taught before to like, not only do a good job, but to live up to her expectations for taking a chance on me. And I think as educators, at some point, somebody has taken a chance on all of us. And no matter what we do. And so I became a high school science teacher. Walked in, I had a teacher textbook on the first day and had no idea what I was doing. Became alternatively certified and that kind of started it. So I was high school science teacher. Then I transitioned into a math and science transition to teaching coach, where we transitioned paraprofessionals to become math and science teachers in our district. Left there and became an educational technology student. Specialist here in Atlanta Public Schools and then a digital learning specialist for science and now the Director of Instructional Technology. So definitely an unconventional path alternatively certified to this role. Did I ever think that this would happen? Never in a million years. Never in a million years, but I think the people that you meet, the journey that you go on, the things that you do, the things you're exposed to, the chances that people take on you, is all part of your journey that kind of sets you up for your next steps in life. life

Katie Ritter: 6:46

Absolutely. And just such an inspirational story when we were talking about doing some sort of, you know, leadership episode and, and how can we encourage people to take that next step who are you know, our, our primary audience, our instructional coaches. So how can we encourage those that are maybe curious, wanting that next step? How can we encourage them to take it? I immediately thought, of you to be our guest for this episode because you just have such a great inspirational story. Um, And I'm curious just to kind of piggyback off of your journey. You have probably faced a number of times where you're like, this is hard. I want to give up. Right. Um, And, and you have had to persevere and, and push through. And so I'm just curious if you could share I guess some advice or if there's an example you'd be willing to share cause educators everywhere are, are really I think coming to grips with do I want to stay in this profession and what is the next step? And, and can I continue to persevere in this field? And so I'm just curious if you have an example or a story of a time when you were like, this is really hard. I don't know if I can go on. And then you did. And, and. being so glad at the other end of it when you got there.

Natasha Rachell: 8:03

Yeah that is, that's, I love that question. Thank you for that. The example that I will probably use is while I was still teaching the school that I was at had after my principal that hired me left I had two more principals after that. And the last principal that I had He and I just were not on the same page for whatever reason. I don't know. I think maybe, I don't know. This is just my take. I think I was my hiring principals, you know, every principal has like their group of favorites and I was in like the group of favorites. I don't know. But anyway, it got to the point where he and I, like anything I did was just not good enough. I wasn't, you know, I just was not on the same page with him. And it really got to the point where I was like, do I even want to do this? Like, this is hard. It wasn't the kids. I loved the kids. It wasn't my fellow coach. It wasn't my fellow teachers. It was leadership. And. Leaders make such a difference for schools, for departments, for districts. And he is actually the reason why I kind of pursued that position at the central office. I just got to the point where I wasn't happy coming to work every day. And I'm not saying leave the classroom, but what I am saying is that I think there's a fit for everybody everywhere. And so for people that may find themselves not necessarily in like a feel good situation, and it, and it's not going to feel good every day, let's be clear. But if you're coming to work and you you know, you're just struggling with that joy and that, that desire to continue to make a difference, it may be time to, you know, pursue another location or another, you know, avenue or something like that. But leaving education, I don't know that I ever wanted to once I got in because of the impact of what I realized education is. It is the gateway to your future. Even for students that are graduating and not going to college, maybe they're going to, you know, some other career technical something or, or pursuing trade schools or what have you. It's, they've got to start with those foundations. They've got to know how to read and do math and all of these things. And the, Educators are the people that make that happen. Everybody from the garbage man to the president of the United States has gone through a teacher, which is why teachers need to be more paid better. But that's a whole other story.

Katie Ritter: 10:21

We're here for that.

Matthaeus Huelse: 10:21

We agree with that.

Natasha Rachell: 10:24

But just persevering and, and finding, finding your tribe is so important. The teacher crew, we call ourselves the TT crew, which is so crazy. I have a crew of teachers that I started with. And to this day, we are still, we have our group meet, we connect, you know, see each other face to face, not as often as we used to, but everybody has moved on to do other things. We continue to cheerlead for each other and just be there for each other. Finding ways to grow. Even if you are a classroom teacher, there's so many ways to grow in that position. Attending conferences, like I know I'm going off on 50 million tangents, but you really have to find those things that bring you joy and will fill, fill your cup up to, Get you to stay and just always remembering your why. Like, there's a reason why we all became teachers. And so if we can kind of keep that at the forefront every single day, that's so, so important. And so I think just always going back to that why.

Katie Ritter: 11:20

Yeah. And I think I, I appreciate the, you know, sometimes we feel like we're in this really bad spot, but one, always be on the lookout for maybe that's the sign you needed to take the next step, right? You were, you're such a great leader and, you know, maybe had you not had that Principle, maybe you wouldn't have taken that next step, right? You wouldn't be here today. So sometimes unfortunate situations, I do believe are put in our lives to, to push us to, to take that next step. And I think a lot of times teachers more than, maybe I'm biased because I've just My career path has always been surrounded by educators and education, but I just feel like teachers are and, and educators as whole. I think sometimes we're a little bit of a masochist, right? Like we could be in really horrible situations and we just take it. And I know some of that's tied to, you know, benefits and retirement and, and we can't just dismiss those things. But I just like your story to be inspiration that you don't have to leave the profession, but maybe there is another role for you. And it doesn't have to be forever, but maybe stepping out of the classroom for a year or two, or maybe stepping into a different type of coaching position or whatever it may be. It might be just the spark you need to get you on that next step, or to like refresh, remind yourself of why you're here and ultimately make you a better educator, or whatever.

Matthaeus Huelse: 12:46

And I also loved how you pointed out that we're all learning. We're all learners and we're all lifelong learners. I think teachers, we all understand that. We, we love to learn. We love to keep growing. I want to ask you if you have any kind of resources or practices that you would recommend for anybody that wants to grow in leadership specifically, develop leadership abilities personally. Do you have any cool resources or, or practices you can suggest to our audience?

Natasha Rachell: 13:11

Yes. Let me tell you what I'm in love with right now, and it's probably going to, Some people are going to just cringe when I say this, but I am loving watching these new leaders like vlog their days on TikTok. Like it is so inspiring to watch, like these new principals or assistant principals or people in central office leadership. And they're just really, they're just showing like what they're doing every day, but it's so inspiring to see the challenges that they're having, how they're overcoming their challenges. And they're so transparent about it. So. TikTok, I know, whatever. It's, I'm a scroller. So TikTok, I mean, I'm loving seeing those.

Katie Ritter: 13:51

Well, our last episode that was released, I don't think it'll be last episode released

Matthaeus Huelse: 13:55

Not at that point.

Katie Ritter: 13:56

when this episode comes out. I get, I get all like meta calendar confused when we're recording these podcasts, but it was, it was with Tyler and it, the episode was TikTok your PD and it was all about creating short form content. So we don't, we're not cringing here. We're, we're embracing the short form content to, to pick up something new.

Natasha Rachell: 14:14

Yeah. Twitter X, whatever you call it, is another place that I just continue to go to just for ideas and resources and to be able to form those connections. Establishing a circle outside of your like immediate circle, I think is super important. I was recently in a training I don't know if I would call it a training. It was a transformational, like experience the education, the forum for educational leadership. And one of the things that they talked about was your like who's seated, who is seated at your board table. So of course, like, if you have some like great idea or you're thinking about transitioning careers, you may go to like your circle of friends. It may be your friends from like high school, or college, or your teacher group of friends, or whatever. But to really like sit down and think about who has a seat at your board table, like who is at the head of your table on either side and who are maybe the six people, additional people that are sitting around it, that will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. And so when you really think about that, and you may have somebody from, you know, your friend circle sitting at the table, but who is really there, that's going to encourage you, guide you, have you think about make you think about those things that you may not necessarily have thought of. Who's going to challenge you? Like, if you were to come to me, Katie, and say, Oh, I'm going to be the next, you know, Secretary of Education. Like, who is going to challenge you and say, Hey, have you thought about A, B, and C? necessarily the right thing? Have you thought about your family? Like all of those things, like you have to have outside people sitting at your board table on your board of supervisors that are going to tell you again, what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. And so really just taking the intentional time. And it may be people Like it's a mentor or, you know I don't know. It could be you, like whoever it is sitting down and figuring out who those people are. And when you're making those major decisions, like run it through your board and like get their input and see what that feels like. I think that's really important for

Katie Ritter: 16:11

growth. I like how you phrased that. I wrote it down cause I like that being a question. I was just at a women's leadership conference and they kind of a similar idea, but they called it your critical friends. But I, I also, I like the take on thinking of it as kind of your, you know, board of advisors to help you overcome these challenges. So that, that's interesting. I'm curious in a leadership role, because we, you know, we were kind of talking before we got started and. Conferences and again, just having some insight. I know that you and your team are really, really passionate and make a concerted effort to get to attend and present at conferences, which is amazing. I'm curious from your perspective in your leadership role What, what do you seek out at conferences? I personally found, found it something that became harder to seek and find. Some of that's the, the role and the position I play not at a school district. But so I'm just curious, like, what advice would you give at conferences, right? Where like going in and knowing every tech tool Yes, helpful, but also not going to necessarily help you from a leadership perspective. So what advice might you give to aspiring and current leaders from a conference perspective, what to look out for?

Natasha Rachell: 17:30

Yeah, so conferences, as you guys know, are super overwhelming. Like you go and it's a million sessions and what do I go to, you know? And of course, you know, like if I were going to a conference today, AI sessions would probably like be all throughout the conference. But as a leader, is that really where you want to You know, so I think first of all, it's seeking out the right conferences, right? Like, so maybe, like, I know us in the ed tech space, we always go to our ISTE affiliate conference here in our state and we go to ISTE and, you know, maybe a couple other, you know, Google, Microsoft conferences or other things like that. But as a leader, those are great. I think for my team, those are amazing. And even for me, I love those experiences. But are there other leadership? Conferences or little mini conferences that I could attend that would be better suited for me. So it's seeking out the right conferences. And then once you go to the conference, really taking the time before you get there to go through the schedule seek out those leadership sessions, finding opportunities to network while you're there. So if I know, Here's a great example. There, I have a cup sitting over here from Arlington Public Schools from their Department of Ed Tech. And so there was a friend that I know through the Microsoft space that I connected with at ISTE and we were just talking and I think she posted on Twitter A cup or a bag or something. I can't remember. Some kind of swag from her district and they're a PS as well, just like us. And I think that was kind of the connection. Like the week after I got back from iste, I had like a swag bag that the her boss sent to me, like with this cup and like all this amazing stuff. And then I ran into her, to her, I ran into her at this past ISTE and like she was standing there and we were looking at each other like I. I think I know you. Maybe I don't, but you know, Twitter makes you feel like, you know, everybody. And so as soon as you said her name, I was like, yes. And so we were able to just have like a little networking session, like right there on the spot. But I think making sure that you set intentional time to do that, like, it's great for those one off kind of run ins. But having that intentional time to just kind of sit and network and talk about what challenges are you having in your district? How are you solving those? What are you doing to solve those? Who are you involving? Really will help us to to kind of like brainstorm when those challenges come up in our district as well. I think challenges are unique to every leader in every district, depending who you supervise and, and what role you sit in, what department you sit in. So challenges are going to look different, but I think talking through the progress of talking through the process, excuse me, of solving those issues is really important to hear from each

Katie Ritter: 20:11

Yeah. That's great. And I like, you know, and being intentional about networking, building your board, right? Finding those people who you can add, add to your own personal board. So, okay. I've been really excited to get to talk to you about this because I've seen it on Twitter. I will forever say Twitter, so don't come at me in the comments, but I know it's X. So I have seen on Twitter, The, I believe it's called the APS fellowship, a recent group that I believe your team is facilitating. I don't want to say much more because I've, I've been following along on Twitter. So I know it's, I know it's this amazing group, but I'd love to just let you speak to it. What is it? What was the goals that you're hoping to get out of it? How did you pull it together? Cause I, I think from what I've seen, it just looks so amazing. So

Natasha Rachell: 20:58

thank you for that. So that just kind of sidebar goes to the importance of telling your story, right? Like if we don't tell our story, somebody else will. And nine times out of ten, it's not the story that you want to be told. So I'm so glad that us sharing our story is inspiring to other people. So we have two fellowship programs that we're running. We have our EdTech Fellows, which are run by Jen Hall and Melissa Walker, two of our digital learning specialists. And so that is a totally teacher like, Hey, I want to give up my time to learn more about ed tech tools and how to advance my knowledge in the ed tech space and become kind of like an ed tech leader in my space. And so it's voluntary. They sign up all of their PD is it's kind of a hybrid model, but it's all done in the evening. So they're giving up their evening time to take part in these sessions once a month. And they will actually culminate next month. Jen Hall and I were just talking about it. And so it's just really cool to kind of build these little mini ed tech specialists in each of our schools throughout the district. So that's one fellowship that we have kind of. The other one, which I think is the one that you have probably seen, like, everywhere, all over Twitter is our APS Personalized Learning Fellowship, and so we became a personalized learning district, I guess I'm doing bunny ears three years ago, and so the first year, we Kind of voluntold, like schools that trust us. They were like, Hey, we'll do it. And it's not just my department. So it's instructional technology, media services, and professional learning. So we have three departments that are facilitating this. We partnered with the company Education Elements. And so they're working with us on this. And so the first year, kind of our first our friend principals that trust us. We're like, okay, we'll do it. What is it? And so we had about 32 schools, I believe, joined that first year. And then the second year we had about 30 more. And this third year, everybody was supposed to join. What we realized is that telling people, this is what you have to do, doesn't necessarily work. And so we have pivoted. And what we have done now, instead of having whole schools opt in, we have had teachers and I'm going to use the word teachers, but it's media specialists, it's central office staff. So we really should say educators. So any educator in our district can become a part of this. And I think at our kickoff, we had about 240 individuals that said, Hey, I want to do this. And so we had a big kickoff. They came. We gave them all of the information. There are four core that they're focused on. And I'm gonna mess them up, of course, because I'm on the spot. Collaboration and creativity, targeted instruction. And there's two more. I'll just leave it at that. And so what's awesome about that is they get to pick one of these core four to kind of Become an expert in and specialize in, and throughout the course of this fellowship, they will take kind of online classes through our online learning portal that we have, and then it will culminate with this big like presentation capstone. This is how I took the core four that I was focused on, and this is how I implemented it in my classroom. And so that's where we are with that. It's just super exciting to It's a really great way to see all the buzz around it. The teachers are excited and having that opt in model, I think was like the magic secret sauce for us. Because these are people that actually wanted to join and do it. And so we have these three departments supporting. For example, one of the things that One of the core four does really, really well are these choice boards, these student choice boards. And so my team has been really instrumental in going in and saying, Hey, this is how you can merge those instructional technology tools to create these amazing choice boards for your students. So we're just seeing a lot of success with it. People are excited. And I'm just like excited to see where it goes.

Katie Ritter: 24:40

Thank you for sharing. I could probably talk to you for the whole time just on that, but I was really excited for our listeners to get to hear just a little snippet, right? They can, we'll make sure that we share your handle and everything so they can follow along with you on Twitter and maybe connect with your team more about it. But I think it's such a great example for our coaches who, you know, maybe they, maybe they don't want to; a new position, right? Maybe they don't want to leave their school, but they would like to take on additional leadership opportunities. And I think that this is something that I certainly don't think any one person could do this alone. But I think that this, you know, that sounds like a great opportunity for a coach to be able to, to spearhead something similar within their own district, whether it's to help build their resume or, or just to, to get additional leadership experience because they're happy where they're at and ultimately really having such a great impact on the teachers and the students by the support. So, I think it's phenomenal. I'm excited to see how that program continues to evolve and grow with you all. And it certainly is no surprise that you guys were named ISTE's Distinguished District. So congratulations on that too. I know you all recently did a presentation on that with them. So that is, you guys are just doing such amazing work.

Natasha Rachell: 25:57

Thank you so much.

Matthaeus Huelse: 25:58

As you were describing this, I could pick out a couple of things that I see that I thought were great for any kind of professional development. I mean, it was this jigsaw approach where everybody gets a little opt in section and they become experts about something. So you're building literacy amongst your staff that. Also, it's collaborative because they share again. I love how that connected directly to what they did in the classroom and how you gave them agency by letting them choose. Do you think those are the main components that would describe what would make a good program or are we forgetting something or is there anything else you want to add?

Natasha Rachell: 26:27

No, I think that, I think you hit the nail on the head. Thank you for pulling that out. That's exactly what I said.

Matthaeus Huelse: 26:31

Okay, fantastic!

Natasha Rachell: 26:33

No, thank you for pulling that out. I think the agency is huge. Like we always want to give students like choice and voice in what they're learning. And it's the same thing for us as adults. Like we want a choice in what it is that we're learning. The hybrid model I think is another Great thing because we're not saying you have to come every Monday from three to four to do, like, people's schedules are crazy, so you learn when you can learn it's at your own pace, it's flexible, and so that's really important, not just for our students, but for our adult learners as well.

Matthaeus Huelse: 27:02

Yeah, we've been talking a lot in the season about, you know, reaching teachers in different ways. And I think those principles are just really important and that's great. We're going to take a really quick break to our sponsors, and then we'll be right back with Natasha and Rachel talking more about leadership.

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Matthaeus Huelse: 28:34

and we're back. We're back talking with Natasha. We're learning a little bit more about leadership. We're learning about all kinds of important principles to make professional development relevant and to keep building literacy and skills in our faculty. So for our last question, we always ask, What are your top three tips? Then tricks that you can give our listeners that they can immediately put to work and immediately put into action.

Natasha Rachell: 28:59

So I love this question. And as I was thinking about this, it actually prompted me to just like, I started jotting some notes down in my notes app on my phone and it kind of turned into a blog post that I actually shared on Twitter on Saturday

Katie Ritter: 29:12

Oh good!

Matthaeus Huelse: 29:12

I love when that happens.

Natasha Rachell: 29:13

I came up with this as I was going through, I came up with this crazy acronym called HEART. And so it's five components. I know you said three, but just five things, really quick things to consider. Well, thank you. Just five quick things just to consider just to continue to grow and make an impact in your school. So I said consider the heart. The first one is have fun, right? So you are the expert in what you're doing. Have fun when you do it. Like nobody's going to want to learn from you if you're walking in being all boring and monotone and the teacher on Ferris Fuelers day off. So have fun. You're the expert. Spread your, your, your funness. It's contagious. People are going to pick up on your energy. The second one is to employ others, right? So you being the expert, and this is a great example for our EdTech Champions program, you're the expert. So share that knowledge with people. As coaches, we're not always going to be able to be in your school every single day. And so if I'm able to make little Natashas around all of my schools, that knowledge just spreads. And then as leaders, they continue to grow. So employ others. The third one is to acclimate yourself. If you support more than one school, every school is going to be different. Even if you're in one school, every teacher is different. And so acclimate yourselves with that particular school, that leader, their vision for the school, their strategic plan, like every school is different. So make sure you acclimate yourself with each individual school. Fourth one, relationships matter. Cliche, we say it all the time, but it really, really does make a difference. If you build those relationships, take time to learn about the people that you're working with. Just, I mean, even a simple smile, like makes such a huge difference. Take time to intentionally build those relationships. Because I think it will help you also be able to get into those classrooms. And then the last one is tell your story. So again, if you don't share your story, other people will, and it won't be the story that you want to be told. So tell your story. Also, as you're working with different teachers and students, make sure the principal knows what you're doing in that school. So I have 16 district educational technology specialists. And they're in between five and seven schools every single week. Like, it's easy just to like walk in the front door and go to, you know, Ms. Brown's classroom, but does the principal know what you're doing that's aligned to their strategic goals, their vision, and what they're what they have laid out for the school? So share your story, not just with the community, on social, make sure the principal and the leadership in the school also know what you're doing as well. So consider the heart.

Katie Ritter: 31:46

love that, especially that last little piece of the advice. I think educators are also humble creatures and they, they're afraid that they're going to seem bragging or they don't even think what they're doing is that great. But we, we have to tell that story. That's amazing. So, okay, Natasha, where can everyone find you and connect with you online?

Natasha Rachell: 32:07

Yes. So, of course, on the Twitter, I'm at APSIT Natasha and anybody on my team is APSIT. So it stands for Atlanta Public Schools Instructional Technology. And then our first name. I do have a website that has a form if anybody wants anything that way, it's just www. natasharachel. com. And those are really the main, I'm on LinkedIn. You can find me there. Those are the main two or three that I kind of lean

Matthaeus Huelse: 32:33

Awesome. Do you have any other cool, fun projects in the works that you're excited to tell us about?

Natasha Rachell: 32:38

Nothing cool and fun. I mean, work is always fun, right? We're just gearing up for professional learning for this summer. Summer leadership conferences coming up. Of course, we'll all be at ISTE. So yeah, we're just kind of gearing up, closing out the school year and getting ready to ramp up for the summer and get ready for an awesome school year.

Matthaeus Huelse: 32:56

Okay.

Katie Ritter: 32:57

Awesome. Well, thank you so, so much for being here, sharing a little bit of your story. I'm excited for people to get to connect with you and learn from you.

Natasha Rachell: 33:05

I was just going to say, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate your, your time and just the opportunity to share a little bit about myself and what we do here in Atlanta.

Matthaeus Huelse: 33:13

We're just so happy that you were able to come. Thank you so much. Listeners, if you want to give us some feedback, you can do that as well. Follow us on Instagram. Follow us on Twitter at rrcoachcast. Or come to Spotify. Look at Apple Music. Find our podcast. Leave us a review. Leave us a couple of stars if you think we're deserving of them. That helps us tremendously.

Katie Ritter: 33:32

Or all five if you want to.

Matthaeus Huelse: 33:33

I mean, a couple of them. As many as you are willing to share. And thank you so much everybody for being here and have a great day. Thanks for spending time with us today. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with an educator friend.

Katie Ritter: 33:49

And connect with us on social media at rrcoachcast to let us know what you thought of the episode and what topics you want us to discuss next.

Matthaeus Huelse: 33:57

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Be sure to subscribe to Restart Recharge wherever you listen to podcasts.

Katie Ritter: 34:03

So press the restart button,

Matthaeus Huelse: 34:05

recharge your coaching batteries, and leave feeling equipped and inspired to coach fearlessly with the Restart Recharge podcast,

Katie Ritter: 34:12

a Tech Coach Collective.

Matthaeus Huelse: 34:19

And we're back. We're back talking with Natasha. We're learning a little bit more about leadership. We're learning about all kinds of important principles to make professional development relevant and to keep building literacy and skills in our faculty. All right.

Katie Ritter: 34:34

Good thing you remembered the sponsor break.

Matthaeus Huelse: 34:36

I know, right?

Katie Ritter: 34:37

Because we're at the last question.

Matthaeus Huelse: 34:39

Yeah, we are at the last question. So,