Olivia: Welcome to Schoolutions, where listening will leave you inspired by solutions to issues you or others you know may be struggling with in the public education system today. This episode is an ode to teachers, those who live in the trenches, who show up every day for children in a variety of roles.
Olivia: The catalyst for launching Schoolutions podcast this past March was to find solutions to issues I see in K-12 education. In ten short months, the podcast has become a connected community of worldwide thought partners. Each guest has helped me center what I believe to be true about teaching and learning. It has been beautiful to see how their stories are the common thread that ties each episode with the next, alongside the importance of listening and being present.
Olivia: The work of being an educator is intense and complex. We need autonomy and time to practice and hone our experience, expertise, and craft. All of this is in service of guiding each student based on what concepts they understand and what they need next to thrive independently. We have to study and learn from history's patterns, not falling prey to divisiveness as a distraction on this journey.
Olivia: And, in Maya Angelou's words: We will do the best we can until we know better. Then, when we know better, we will do better. At the beginning of every Schoolutions episode, I ask guests to share about inspiring educators from their lives. So, to wrap up 2022 with the utmost gratitude and joy, I asked students to call me and leave a message, sharing what they love and appreciate about the grown-ups in their schools. As you listen to their messages, pay close attention to what they truly value from their relationships with their teachers.
Student 1: I'm in 8th grade, and I really appreciate how my English teacher supports our writing and is very understanding and takes really good feedback.
Student 2: Hi, I'm in 1st grade. I like how my teacher doesn’t get mad the first time I don't listen to her.
Student 3: I'm in 4th grade, and I appreciate how my teacher respects me and my classmates.
Student 4: I'm in 6th grade, and I love that my P. E. teacher makes me feel included when I'm left out.
Student 5: I'm in 7th grade, and I love my teacher because she always makes our math really fun. Even if the subject is a little boring.But she always cracks jokes and does a lot of fun stuff.
Student 6: Hi,I'm in 5th grade, and I like my teacher because she's funny and she uses that to teach us.
Student 7: I am in 11th grade, and I appreciate how my Precalculus teacher brings great energy to the classroom every single day.
Student 8: I am in 1st grade, and I love that my teacher gives me time to do my work.
Student 9: I'm in 2nd grade, and I love how my teacher is soooo kind.
Student 10: I'm in 5th grade, and I love how my teacher makes activities fun.
Student 11: I'm in the 12th grade, and I appreciate how my Food Science teacher always brings a smile and jokes in class.
Student 12: I am in 5th grade, and I appreciate my Gym teacher holding open the door for me in the morning.
Student 13: I'm in 8th grade, and I like how my German teacher makes lessons fun and interesting.
Student 14: I am in 5th grade, and I appreciate how my 4th-grade teacher helped me on improving my writing skills.
Student 15: I'm in 6th grade, and I appreciate that my Homeroom teacher plays Wordle with us in the morning.
Student 16: I'm in 5th grade, and I really appreciate how my writing teacher explains the direction to us instead of just handing us a packet and telling us to do our work.
Student 17: Hi, I'm in 10th grade, and I appreciate the way that my Chemistry teacher keeps labs interesting and fun.
Student 18: I am in 1st grade, and I like it how my teacher makes us laugh all day long.
Student 19: I am in 3rd grade, and I like how my teacher lets me pick books I like.
Student 20: I am in kindergarten, and I like how the teacher I love how my teacher gives us extra choice time.
Student 21: I’m in 8th grade, and I love how the teacher gives us fresh baked bread.
Student 22: I'm in 5th grade, and I'd like to help my teacher makes us feel like a team.
Student 23: Hi, I'm in 5th grade, and the teacher I appreciate is my Art teacher. In the beginning of class, he gives us options on what we can draw. So, throughout the class, we can draw different things instead of just doing one thing that he tells us to do.
Olivia: Now, let's pause. Did you hear what really matters to these students? Teachers showing kindness and bringing positive energy. Having a great sense of humor. Having patience and understanding. Being writing coaches, and accepting feedback from their students. As students, they love having opportunities to make their own choices.
Olivia: Their learning being fun, and engaging. They appreciate feeling respected and included. They love having time to play and work independently. And of course, receiving beautiful snacks like fresh baked bread. I often circle back to Parker J. Palmer's words from his book, The Courage to Teach, because they capture the essence of this podcast.
Olivia: He says: This is for those who have good days and bad, and whose bad days bring the suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for us who refuse to harden our hearts because we love learners, learning, and the teaching life. When you love your work that much, and many teachers do, the only way to get out of trouble is to go deeper in. We must enter, not evade, the tangles of teaching so we can understand them better and negotiate them with more grace, not only to guard our own spirits, but also to serve our students well.
Olivia: So, listeners, let's keep sharing our stories to stay inspired. Keep listening in 2023 because we can all gain solutions from Schoolutions. Take care and Happy New Year.