Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.

S2 E29: Finding Joy with Kindergarteners: A Conversation with Mr. Greg Smedley-Warren, Creator of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

• Olivia Wahl • Season 2 • Episode 29

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Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire "Mr. Greg" of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard and ELEVATE Conference shares why being a teacher matters most. Listeners will leave inspired by Greg's hilarious tales from the classroom and practical tips to try right away with their students!  

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When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Schoolutions - S2 E29: Finding Joy with Kindergarteners: A Conversation with Mr. Greg Smedley-Warren, Creator of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

[00:00:00] Olivia: I am Olivia Wahl, and I am so excited to welcome my guest today, the creator of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard, Mr. Greg Smedley-Warren. Greg has been a teacher for 18 years, 15 of those in kindergarten. He is the co-founder of the Elevate Conference for teachers, and when he is not in the classroom, blogging and doing all things teach, he enjoys spending time with his family.

[00:00:39] Olivia: Greg lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his husband (known as “The Mister”), their daughter Adelynn, and their dog, Butters. Welcome, welcome, welcome the one and only Mr. Greg!

[00:00:51] Greg: Well, hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. 

[00:00:54] Olivia: I am thrilled to have you as a guest, and the question I ask every guest to kick off the episode is, who is an educator that inspires you?

[00:01:05] Greg: Oh, that's so easy. It was my third-grade teacher. Her name was Mrs. Sears. We're still friends to this day. She just, she genuinely loved us, and we knew that that classroom was a safe place. We knew that we had someone who was our advocate and our cheerleader and who wanted nothing more than for us to learn.

[00:01:29] Greg: And she made learning fun and exciting, and that's what I wanted to be as a teacher. And so, ever since third grade, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, and I wanted to be just like Mrs. Sears. 

[00:01:39] Olivia: Ah, that's fabulous. Well, Greg, I'll tell you, man, from watching your reels, I'd love to hang out with you. I'd love to be in your classroom. Um, you exude joy. And I can't say enough about the state of education right now. 

[00:01:55] Olivia: Um, and that's why I really wanted to have you as a guest because there are so many teachers out there that are feeling demoralized…that have just lost the spark, and they're feeling really undervalued. I am careful. I've said this to you before. I’m careful to say demoralized versus burnt out because I don't think teachers are burnt out. It's the systemic undervaluing of teachers. Um, and that's why folks are leaving. 

[00:02:25] Olivia: So let's just face it, because you exude joy, positive energy, and you've made it really transparent that you are not going to leave the classroom. This is your jam. This is what wakes you up every day. I'd love for listeners to start off by hearing why did you become a teacher beyond your fabulous third-grade teacher?

[00:02:50] Greg: I always wanted to change the world. I always wanted to make a difference, and I figured the best way to do that (and I actually just had this conversation with my principal). I said the best way to do that is in a classroom. And so my mission, my philosophy, whatever you wanna call it, is: I'm changing the world, one student and one classroom at a time. And that's why I wanted to be a teacher.

[00:03:16] Greg: Like I said, since third grade, I knew this is what I wanted to do and I always had this desire to make the world better. And so teaching for me was the way to make that happen. And I feel like I do that. I feel like I am making a difference every single day. I know that my kids are leaving my classroom, and they're going to go into the world and make it better. 

[00:03:37] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:03:38] Olivia: And I know many of the children that you teach are bilingual, and you teach in a public school. So, what do you believe the purpose is of public education, especially when it overlays with the values and learning goals of your current school district?

[00:03:56] Greg: So I think the purpose of public education is to give all students the ability to be successful and to level the playing field. Now, I know we don't do a great job of that all the time, but I think that's the underlying purpose of public education. We accept all students, and hopefully we're giving them the tools necessary so that they can go out and make a difference and have a better life. 

[00:04:26] Olivia: Something I've watched you do so beautifully is give space for the children to explore, to have so much fun, and almost trick them into learning through all the games they play. And I know as a kindergarten teacher as well, I believed so strongly (when I had my own classroom) in inquiry and play. That both of those serve as the backbone of what kindergarten and what early childhood should be.

[00:04:55] Olivia: So, how do you incorporate play and inquiry into every day in your classroom?

[00:05:02] Greg: Well, the first way we do it in the mornings, when the kids come in, they eat breakfast, they have to write and draw in a journal, and then they get to play. And so we start our day with them just playing. And just watching them interact and laugh and work together to solve problems and, you know, create things with the magnet tiles or the blocks or whatever.

[00:05:23] Greg: It's just phenomenal. And there's more learning happening in that 20 to 30 minutes than sometimes most of the rest of the day, right? They're building language and vocabulary, those social skills, but that's just one part, right? One of the struggles I know that we are having is (and I say we, I mean me, my school, my district, whatever teachers in my district) is that we have these required curriculums that we're, we have to use, we are required to use them.

[00:05:52] Greg: We're required to follow the pacing which we're doing. But it can be monotonous, right? It can be hard to engage the kids. So why not take one of those activities and turn it into a game? And so when people are like, wait, how are you doing that with the curriculum? Well, I'm doing exactly what the curriculum's asking me to teach that day, but I just took it, and instead of it being the kids sitting on the carpet saying the letters, we turned it into a basketball game.

[00:06:18] Greg: Right? And so we're just looking for ways that we can take what we have to do and make it fun. 

[00:06:26] Olivia: I want listeners (because this is only audio); they need to have the visual of this basketball game because I watched the reel, and oh my God, it was fabulous. And the children were so entranced. It was magnificent. So paint a picture for us. What is this basketball game you speak of?

[00:06:45] Greg: So on Amazon, or I found this at a store called Five Below, you can buy; it’s called a basket head. And so there's this little plastic basketball goal that sits on top of your head, and it sticks up. So imagine, you know, I'm standing in the front of the classroom. We do it with all kinds of skills, but we did words this week.

[00:07:02] Greg: So I had words written on orange paper. So the kids had to decode the words, and then they got to wad up the paper, and they got to try to make a basket. 

[00:07:10] Olivia: Yes.

[00:07:11] Greg: So imagine, you know, you've got a bunch of little bitty kindergartners, and you've got their teacher standing up, and now I've got this basketball goal in my head, which makes it pretty high.

[00:07:19] Greg: And watching them try to make a basket is hilarious. The best part is when they miss and hit you in the face.

[00:07:25] Olivia: Yes, that did occur.

[00:07:26] Greg: Because they think that is the best. Like they laugh so much, but you're right. They don't even realize that we're really learning and practicing skills because they're having so much fun because They get to throw paper at my face.

[00:07:37] Olivia: They are. And I love the moment when the child tried to climb up on the table to get a little bit of an advantage. You still kinda were like, no, no, no, no, no. Down you go. That's not happening. Um, 

[00:07:49] Greg: but right! Good problem solving skills, right? Like that was a good strategy. 

[00:07:52] Olivia: It was so good. It was so good. So that moment, just seeing that it speaks to how you value keeping learning fun because I know a lot of curricular options feel like handcuffs for teachers.

[00:08:05] Greg: Yes.

[00:08:05] Olivia: I know you are saying you're required to follow the pacing. Um, my beliefs are that the children drive our instruction, and I have a feeling that's what many teachers say. Right? And so I think there's just such a disconnect between this mandate or these pacing guides, like what is it saying we believe about what's best for children if we're slogging through lesson-by-lesson versus tailoring instruction.

[00:08:31] Olivia: Right?

[00:08:31] Greg: Absolutely, and I, I just saw a post on social media this morning, and it said. Like the, I can't remember exactly, but basically, it was like the most powerful tool we have is not the technology, it's not the resources, it's not the programs, it's not the curriculum, it's the teacher because I know what my kids need.

[00:08:52] Greg: Because I'm with them every day. I'm working with them every day. I'm assessing them. I’m monitoring them. You could put up a picture of any of my kids right now, and I can tell you exactly what they needed to work on. I can tell you exactly what they're strong at, and I can say, tomorrow I'm going to pull Michael, and we're gonna work on this.

[00:09:07] Greg: And so teachers should be the resource, we should be the ones driving the instruction in our classroom because we know exactly where our kids are. We know how to meet their needs, how to meet them where they are and give them every tool that they need to be successful. 

[00:09:23] Greg: But unfortunately, it feels like education has really shifted from that student-focused mindset to now this curriculum-focused mindset, and it's happening everywhere, and I can't fix it, right? Like I don't have that power, but at least in my classroom, I can make learning fun, and that's what I try to do every day.

[00:09:42] Olivia: You are! You're fixing it in a way by taking the lessons and at least thinking outside of the box to make them engaging for students because we know if we have children by their hearts and by that motivation factor, they'll be much more engaged. 

[00:9:59] Olivia: I'll say, Greg, you know, I really noticed a shift with COVID. 

[00:10:02] Greg: Oh, totally!

[00:10:03] Olivia: ..and, right? Where teachers were basically forced to get in line and be on the same page because of that online education.

[00:10:14] Olivia: And I feel like. This is bizarre, but we're, we're outside of COVID now in a way, and yet the districts are still there. With that, everyone being on the same page, even though we need to be exactly where you just spoke to, right?

[00:10:31] Greg: Part of that, too, was this narrative of the learning loss, right?

[00:10:35] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:10:35] Greg: There was this huge push, and there still is. I think we're starting to really understand more and see it more. We know there are gaps, right? We know there are missing pieces, but everybody went through that. We are all in the same place. And so this idea that there was this learning gap that affected just my kids and my district as a false narrative being pushed by, um, people who wanna make a lot of money, I guess.

[00:11:03] Greg: And so I think districts were like, oh, we need to fix that right now. And so instead of getting out of the way and letting the professional teachers find ways to fill in these gaps and to keep our kids moving forward, districts are just throwing everything they can think of at it. Every program, every curriculum they can, and it, it just becomes curriculum is what's driving us, and we're not meeting the needs of our kids. 

[00:11:28] Olivia: Yeah, so let's just think, you know, you and your colleagues, how many folks are on your kindergarten team?

[00:11:36] Greg: I have seven teammates. 

[00:11:37] Olivia: And so, how do you all plan together?

[00:11:40] Greg: So we meet weekly, we meet one day a week to do ELA planning, and then one day a week to do math planning. And so we look at our scope and sequence, so it tells us what lessons we need to be on that week. We go through the lessons, um, as a team, looking for ways that we can modify those lessons to meet the needs of our students.

[00:12:02] Greg: Looking at activities and being like, okay, this activity, this is going to be a challenge. How can we address that? And so we're carrying out ideas that we're gonna do in our classroom, ways that we're making it better. So that's how we plan each week.

[00:12:15] Olivia: And so I wanna know more like teaching right now it's, it feels pretty volatile. One of my friends and colleagues, Cornelius Minor, said, you know, we're in treacherous times right now with a hate that's being thrown around. So what's keeping you going through these volatile times that we're teaching in?

[00:12:36] Greg: If, if everybody leaves, then what? 

[00:12:39] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:12:40] Greg: Like, who's going to be there and now? And I know people will hate on me for that because, and I'm not saying, stay for the kids. It's, I'm not saying that. I'm saying it's a legitimate concern. If all of us were to leave, then who's advocating for our kids? Who's there for them?

[00:12:56] Greg: And so, um, I get it. Teaching is incredibly hard. It is exhausting. It is overwhelming. We aren't valued. We aren't respected. There’s ridiculous amounts of hate out there. I mean, as, as you know, as a member of the L G B T community, we're terrified, right? Um, you know, coming up in a couple weeks, I have to scan the books in my classroom so people can come choose what books I'm not allowed to have.

[00:13:20] Greg: Right? So, and our daughter goes to kindergarten in a year and a half, and so we're trying to figure out where is a safe place to send her. I get all of that because I'm living it. I'm in the classroom every day. I know how hard it is. But…if I leave, who's teaching the kids to be better? Who's going to help that next generation stand up and speak up and fight back?

[00:13:46] Greg: Right? 

[00:13:47] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:13:47] Greg: And if we're all leaving, then the people who aren't supportive of education and teachers, they win. And I'm not gonna let that happen. 

[00:13:56] Olivia: Well said, well said. Um, you know, I think right now, um, we have to lift each other up. If we're all grounded in what's best for children and keeping children at the center of our focus, um, that's what we can circle up around. And so, I wanna hear some stories about children. That's what keeps us going.

[00:14:19] Olivia: Right? So what are you studying right now with them? Or what's something that you've recently unpacked with children? And let's hear some kids' stories. 

[00:14:27] Greg: The kid stories are the best because people are like, wait, did that really happen? Listen, y'all, teachers don't have to make up anything. Here. And this is something like, there's a part of me and I, I know people will hate on me for this too, but I wish they would put cameras in our rooms just so the public can see what really happens in these classrooms.

[00:14:46] Greg: Cuz number one, y'all, we don't have time to indoctrinate anybody. Right? Okay. Let's just put that out there.

[00:14:51] Olivia: So true.

[00:14:52] Greg: If I were indoctrinating my kids, they would, they would listen the first time, okay? And they would stop picking their nose. 

[00:14:57] Olivia: So true!

[00:14:58] Greg: Or at least stop picking their nose and eating it. So, but like, it’s, it's unreal what goes on inside of those walls for eight hours a day.

[00:15:06] Greg: Some days I look around, and I'm like, what in the world is happening? 

[00:15:10] Olivia: Yes!

[00:15:06] Greg: Like, what is going on in this classroom? Because you just can't make it up. 

[00:15:15] Olivia: No!

[00:15:15] Greg: But that's one of the best parts about it. It's never boring, ever, right? 

[00:15:19] Olivia: Ever.  Ever, ever.

[00:15:19] Greg: Um, yeah, ever. We had a guest reader in our classroom this week who actually was the former mayor of Nashville, so you know, pretty well-known person.

[00:15:28] Greg: She was amazing. We loved her. She sat down at the front of the room to read, and one of our little girls sneezes, y'all. I have never seen this amount of snot come out of a child.

[00:15:40] Olivia: Oh my God.

[00:15:41] Greg: In eighteen years as a teacher and as a parent, I have never, never. Like I, I don't know where it came from, and it was a color I've never seen before. 

[00:15:50] Olivia: Oh God.

[00:15:51] Greg: But, and she was sitting right in front, and so, our poor guest reader just looked at me and like kind of motioned, and I was like, I got this. I'm like, I got this, right? This year I have a little boy in my class who has autism and he. He's very routine-driven. If we have to change our day, like I have to really work with him to work through that.

[00:16:12] Greg: But he narrates our entire day, so I feel like I'm in a documentary all day.

[00:16:19] Olivia: Yes.

[00:16:19] Greg: Because everything we're doing, he's narrating it. He's like, oh, Mr. Greg is walking to the door, and we're in line, and now we're walking. And the best part about it, of course, the beginning of the year was hard for the kids, right?

[00:16:28] Greg: But now it's just like the normal noise in our classroom. 

[00:16:30] Olivia: Yes!

[00:16:31] Greg: And he repeats everything I say, which can be eye-opening cuz he'll say something, and I'll be like, is that what I sounded like? I'm like, ooh, I better, I better tone that down a little bit. But he also now says things that I say all the time, and he'll say them before I actually say them. 

[00:16:47] Olivia: Wow!

[00:16:47] Greg: So, like, he's now my co-teacher cuz he's like handling behavior problems or, you know, telling the kids it's time to line up or we're going to lunch, or I'm like, oh great. I'm like; I don't have to do that. Thank you, sir. Appreciate that. 

[00:16:58] Olivia: Yeah, Greg, you just made me think of something. Years ago, I had a conversation with colleagues, and we were talking about the notion of flattening the hierarchy and how important it is to have everyone's ears and minds around the table. Um, And I, I'm thinking so much around the idea of mirrors, and often I use the language that children should be able to mimic anything we do if we're following what we believe to be true is best for them.

[00:17:32] Olivia: It's interesting hearing you say that that mirror, it helps us gauge our effectiveness, our tone, um, by that student in particular, but really pausing to say, what are we showing children that we believe to be true about learning in general, about scheduling our day, and what a, a gorgeous reminder that having a child that narrates the day, it gives us a glimpse into is our routine consistent? Is it predictable? Because that’s safe! That is safety for children right there. 

[00:18:07] Greg: Absolutely. And kids thrive on structure. And I know people are like, wait, what? They like a schedule. They like the rules. They like, yes. Do they push back on them? Of course, they do because we all do. Right?

[00:18:19] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:18:19] Greg: But they thrive on that structure and that routine. And for so many of our kids, they may not have that at home.

[00:18:27] Greg: And so when they come into a classroom, and they have that routine, that structure, it's safe, and it's calming for them, right? It takes away some of that stress so that they can focus more on the learning and not worry so much about other things. 

[00:18:42] Olivia: Yeah, I ask this question often of myself. What's fueling me to keep going? And I'll say, right now, it's my colleagues and the children as well. It's my colleagues, though, that are problem solvers. They're not admirers of problems, and just, I don't do well with complaining. Don't talk to me about issues unless you have some ideas of how to work through it together.

[00:19:07] Olivia: Naming issues, yeah. But let's figure it out. So I'd love to hear from you, you know, yeah, you've named some issues, but what are other things that you're working through? Who are thought partners for you in this world of teaching?

[00:19:22] Greg: I mean, I'm surrounded by some amazing colleagues. Um, right now, as part of our Elevate Conference, Holly Ehle is one of our Elevate team members, and I've been working closely with her over the last couple of months around the science of reading. And how I can be a better teacher. And so she's helped me learn more about the science of reading to understand it too and to put it into practice.

[00:19:44] Greg: I think that's a, a big thing is like there's always stuff that we're being taught and we're learning, and new information's coming out, and we all take that in. But the gap lies in how can I put that into practice. What does that look like in my classroom? So Holly's been amazing at helping me with that.

[00:20:02] Greg: And that's why you see a lot of the games you're seeing in our classroom. I'm taking that research into how kids learn to read, and I'm putting it into practice. She's a phenomenal person. Um, I have great teammates at school. We were able to come together, you know, our school, and I think this is true for most places.

[00:20:22] Greg: There's a lot of stress. And so I have a great group of people at work. We call ourselves the unofficial fun squad. And so we know that teachers need some fun, and we need some relief and just some, you know, haha moments. And so we're always looking for little ways that we can bring more fun into our building.

[00:20:39] Greg: We get together and we try to come up with dress-up days, or we've done popcorn for the school. So it's good to have those people who see that there's a need. Like in my school, there's a need for more fun and people who are willing to help you and to do that work. 

[00:20:56] Olivia: Yeah. Let's shift our conversation. You are the creator of The Kindergarten Smorgasboard and Smorgasboard ending board, B-O-A-R-D. So I'd love for listeners to hear about that, but talk about fun. Um, let's go there. So why did you create the platform, and how does it support other educators?

[00:21:16] Greg: Okay, so I taught fifth grade, my. first year of teaching. Loved it. But I had a little girl in that class who couldn't read, hardly at all, and it just infuriated me. And so, I wanted to move to a lower grade because I didn't want that to happen to other kids. So I moved to second grade, and I loved second grade, and I, I thought, man, this is it.

[00:21:38] Greg: I'm gonna be in second grade for a while. I loved it. Um, so after two years in second grade, I had a principal who forced me to kindergarten. I did not want to go to kindergarten. I had never even thought about being a kindergarten teacher. I didn't see myself as a kindergarten teacher at all. So, um, actually, okay, let me tell the story cuz people always love this story.

[00:22:02] Greg: So it was close to the end of the school year. She calls a faculty meeting. We all gather in the library for this little faculty meeting. It wasn't even a faculty meeting, y'all; it was somebody selling insurance, right? Like, who was after school? Right? Like, come on!

[00:22:15] Olivia: Oh, come on!

[00:22:17] Greg: Like, can we just go home? So after this little meeting she has, she closes all of the doors of the library.

[00:22:23] Greg: She has us line up, single file, and as we're going through the line, she's handing out an envelope. And in that envelope was a little bitty piece of paper, and handwritten on that piece of paper was our job assignment for the next year.

[00:22:35] Olivia: Are you kidding me? 

[00:22:37] Greg: No, this is, this is 100% accurate. This is exactly how this went down.

[00:22:41] Olivia: This is painful.

[00:22:44] Greg: So after about three or four people, we figured out what was happening. So everybody's opening their envelope, reading out their job assignment for the next year. And a lot of people were moving to different grades. And so I said to my friends in line with me, I said, if it is kindergarten or fourth grade, I'm out.

[00:23:00] Greg: Like, I will go to McDonald's, and I'm out. 

[00:23:03] Olivia: Oh my God! 

[00:23:03] Greg: So I opened the envelope, right? I opened my envelope, I plot my little piece of paper, and of course, it says I'm moving to kindergarten. So I read it out and I looked around and I'd been at this school for like six years. You know, we were super close…

[00:23:16] Olivia: Oh my Gosh! 

[00:23:16] Greg: …and like just this look of fear on people's face, when I read that I was moving to kindergarten, I was like, Oh crap, this is bad. So, um, I did what all grown up men do at that time. I got in the car, and I called my mommy, and I cried. Uh, the best part is I got, when I told mom I was, I was gonna be the new kindergarten teacher, like I expected, you know, the, the normal mom, like, you can do this! Oh, I’m so excited! 

[00:23:39] Olivia: You got this? Yeah. 

[00:23:40] Greg: No, my mom, it was dead silence. 

[00:23:43] Olivia: Oh, she knew. Oh God! 

[00:23:44] Greg: I was like, oh God!

[00:23:46] Greg: I'm like, okay, if mom's not excited, I am in big trouble. This is really bad.

[00:23:50] Olivia: Oh my gosh. Oh! 

[00:23:52] Greg: But the first day of kindergarten, 15 years ago, I fell in love. And so I'm thankful to that principal in her own way that she forced me to find my passion and my calling.

[00:24:01] Greg: So we talked, and she said, just go to kindergarten and bring your creativity. And that's it. And we didn't really have a curriculum at that time. We didn't really have scope and sequence, which was fantastic. And so I was like, well, I have no clue how to teach kindergarten. I have no clue what it's supposed to look like.

[00:24:20] Greg: Uh, I had amazing teammates, and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna do what I think I should do. And so I just really went into it and did my own thing. Like we were teaching the same skills and the same standards each week, but I was really like, okay, if we're gonna have to learn this, you know how to add, how can I do that?

[00:24:39] Greg: What am I gonna do? And so I started coming up with ideas. And if things worked great, if they didn't, great, we'll figure something else out. And so I got teachers at my school and friends were like, you should write a blog. People would love to see what you're doing in your classroom. I think you're really different.

[00:24:54] Greg: Well, first of all, I'm a male teaching kindergarten, which is rare.

[00:24:56] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:24:57] Greg: And so I was like, eh, I don't; how does that work? Where do you even start? Who's, first of all, and who's gonna read it? Besides my mom, right? So I talked about it, talked about it, talked about it, and finally, Jason, my husband, was like, just shut up and write the blog!

[00:25:11] Olivia: Yes!

[00:25:11] Greg: And so that's where The Kindergarten Smorgasboard started, um, ten years ago. It's been ten years. And so it really was just born completely out of my being forced to kindergarten and just being able to do what I wanted to do in my classroom, And then hoping that I could reach a couple of teachers and help them and make their jobs easier.

[00:25:34] Greg: And so that is The Kindergarten Smorgasboard.

[00:25:36] Olivia: And let's just pause because you have reached more than a couple of teachers. I mean, it's a phenomenon, in a way. Um, and I will promise to include links in the show notes to the site. The blog is magnificent. Um, and I don't know how you find time to be as crazy awesome as you are in the classroom and to juggle all of this.

[00:26:01] Olivia: Um, but I think something that I struggle with, and I've spoken on the podcast about this before, is that balance between loving what we do so, so very much. And maintaining balance with our family and our children, and our awesome dogs. Um, right, like getting fresh air. So how do you juggle everything right now and maintain such joy in your life?

[00:26:31] Greg: So, for me, the focus is always going to be on my family. So this morning, Adelynn, I said, what do you wanna do this morning? She said, let's go to my bed and watch TV. Okay, perfect. Like we, we did, we hung out in her bed all morning, and we played, and we talked, and we watched TV, and that's my focus, right? Especially on the weekends.

[00:26:50] Greg: But for me creating, I'm sitting here now looking at my desk. I went to Walmart and bought way too many Easter eggs. Because I have ideas for how I'm gonna use them in my classroom, but that's my stress relief. Like coming up here into my office and creating something for my classroom, or creating a resource, or writing a blog post, or making a reel.

[00:27:10] Greg: That's my hobby. Like that's how I explain it to people. That's my stress relief because I love it. It's so much fun. So that helps. One thing I do is I do schedule on Sunday. So on Sunday afternoon, I spend three to four hours up here in my office, um, and I plan and prep for the entire week. Everything is done and ready to go, so I don't have to stress it during the week.

[00:27:35] Greg: I can get at school a little before the kids come. I can leave it dismissal like I don't have that issue. If my planning time is taken away, it's not a big deal because I have everything ready. I can use the planning time to focus on the busy work, the paperwork, all of that stuff that I need to do. So that really helps a lot.

[00:27:53] Greg: Um, just, and then, you know, I know people are like, but I don't wanna give up my weekends. I get it, I get it. But that was, for me, that works. That's how I was able to find that balance because it really takes some of that stress away. The other thing that has been really helpful, um, for me over the last couple of years is not being afraid to say no, and realizing that I don't have to do everything at my school, right?

[00:28:21] Greg: So it's okay if I don't hang out in the hallway after school and talk to my colleagues. Like if I wanna say, Hey y'all, I gotta go pick up Adelynn, and I'll see you tomorrow. That's okay. 

[00:28:30] Olivia: Yes!

[00:28:30] Greg: Right? And if I want to hang out in the hallway and talk to my colleagues, that's okay too. But having those boundaries, not serving on all the committees, you know, not being the kindergarten team leader.

[00:28:41] Greg: Having some of those boundaries so that I can focus on my classroom and focus on my kids, and then I can leave and go home and focus on my family and The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. So for me, those are some of the things that have really helped with that balance. 

[00:28:57] Olivia: Yeah, I did the same exact thing on Sundays for my own class, and I always planned the whole year out with chunks of time. So I knew where I was going, usually six-ish weeks unit wise. And then having that long-term vision was so freeing because the day-to-day falls into place when you have that long-term planning done.

[00:29:19] Olivia: Um, and then my Sundays were recalibrating, I called it, right? So I would look at every two weeks at a glance and say, okay, so this is my long-term plan. What am I looking at for the next two weeks? And planning like that was incredibly freeing. Because I like to teach knitting club after school, and that was my jam, right?

[00:29:40] Olivia: And so when we know what drives us, what our passions are, um, then we can choose to spend time with that creativity. And I think it makes us happier when we can put our energy into the things that just bring us joy personally, 

[00:29:58] Greg: Oh, absolutely! 

[00:29:59] Olivia: Yeah.

[00:29:59] Greg: And we've talked a lot about how hard teaching is, and so we need those outlets, whether it's reading or knitting or, you know, if you're a crafter or whatever, find that outlet and make time to do that. It really does help. It's funny because I can tell when I've not had a lot of time to come up here and to make something.

[00:30:22] Greg: Or to create something, I'll be like, oh, I need that. And I can tell when I get the chance to do it, I feel better. And so I know how important that that is for me. 

[00:30:31] Olivia: Yeah, and I would say too, it's also recognizing when we're not okay. And I remember I was working with a group of teachers, and it had just been a rough morning. And I went in and sat down with 'em, and I felt like it would've been so inauthentic to just be super positive when I was not vibing as super positive. And I looked at them and said, I just need you to all to know I'm doing mostly good today.

[00:31:00] Olivia: Um, that's what I'm gonna, I'm gonna stick with it. I'm not fabulous. I'm not feeling great. I'm mostly good. And the teachers looked at me, and I said, you know, based on what's going on at home perhaps, or based on just the energy level in the world. I think it's important to be able to, to be honest with each other too, and feel safe in that and just be welcomed for who we are in that moment, cuz that's how we want our kids, right?

[00:31:30] Greg: Right. One of the reasons I try to post my stories every day on Facebook about my classroom because it's real, right? This is real life in a classroom. Yes, I'm a happy person. Yes, I'm a positive person. Yes, I still love teaching. I'm not leaving the classroom. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. This is where I wanna belong.

[00:31:48] Greg: But it's hard. And it's funny cuz people will be like, oh, how do you get your kids to be perfect? We see their videos and I'm like, well, they're five years old, and so they're not perfect. Like, you know, you see a three-minute video. Of them, but they're real-life kids in a real life classroom with all of those real life struggles and challenges.

[00:32:07] Greg: And so I want people to see that, that it, it is real. And even you can still be happy and positive, but you can also be very transparent about the struggles and the challenges. And so that's why I share the funny stories. And when the, it is a hard day, or when I've had a bad day, or when we've had a hard day in the classroom, I share that as well because I want people, to know that, that we all go through that.

[00:32:31] Greg: Right. And it's okay that you go through that because tomorrow's a new day and we start over. 

[00:32:36] Olivia: That's it. Right? With each new sunrise, life begins anew. That's, that's how we roll. That's how we roll. So tell us, please, what is our call to action when it comes to teaching our youngest learners?

[00:32:50] Greg: So whenever I speak to teachers, I always end with this: Teaching is hard. It's overwhelming, and I think it's getting more so because there are so many attacks on education and teachers, but it's the absolute best job in the world. Even on the hard days. Even in this current environment, it's still the best job in the world because we get to show up every day, and even if we don't realize it.

[00:33:24] Greg: We're making a difference. We may not see it because kids may not always show it. They may not tell it. It and especially for early childhood; we may not see the fruits of that labor until later. But when we walk into our classroom with our students, we absolutely, 100%, every day, make a difference. And we can't give up. And we simply cannot do it alone.

[00:33:58] Greg: And so my call to action is this, take care of one another. Support one another, love one another, encourage one another. Be there for each other because we can't do this alone. And the thing is, if I succeed, you succeed. If you succeed, I succeed. And if we all succeed, our kids succeed. And that's what it's about.

[00:34:22] Greg: It's not about followers or likes or who has the cutest door for the door decorating contest, cuz we all know that's a thing (unless you have a crazy fire marshal). It's about the kids. 

[00:34:35] Olivia: It is.

[00:34:35] Greg: And we can't do that without each other. And so if you take nothing else away from this, support each other, take care of each other.

[00:34:45] Greg: We know that the rising water lifts all boats. And so we, we absolutely have to be there for one another. I tell people all the time if we can help, reach out to us. We're here. I'm in the classroom. I'm here to help. Please reach out to us, but just take care of each other and be there for one another because we have to stick together for our kids, for our profession, and for our communities, and we're stronger together. 

[00:35:14] Olivia: Yeah, and that is exactly why I wanted you to be a guest because you motivate me on days. I'm not feeling, uh, like I have a thought partner. I can watch one of your reels. I can read a blog post and. It just brings that back to the center of why we are doing this every single day. Our goal is to grow better human beings in our classroom than what is out there with a lot of grownups right now.

[00:35:49] Olivia: There's so much hope with children, so much hope with children, and I just, I can't thank you enough for everything you do for the profession, um, and for our children. So thank you so much, Greg. It's been an, uh, a gift to have you as a guest.

[00:36:04] Greg: Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. 

[00:36:07] Olivia: Yeah. Take care. 

[00:36:08] Greg: Thank you.

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Olivia Wahl

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