When I got to college, I'm telling you with my freedom, it was my freedom academically, spiritually, morally, for me to start on the path to be who I wanted to be. Because somebody saw me at school in a in this activity that I love so much. And ironically, when I got to Tuskegee, I stopped playing in the band
TD Flenaugh:But you continue with that with that education. Wonderful. Okay. And so that was your first one. The law that led you to the law, the legal career
Shawntaye Smith:What lead me to legal career was, again, I'm trying to prove to myself that I was truly smart.
TD Flenaugh:Hi, thank you so much for joining the Falling for Learning Podcast. I am TD Flenaugh. We have this podcast to help parents and caregivers with having the resources strategies, and tools needed to make sure that their children are on track for learning and to stay on track for success. Hi, thank you so much for joining us on the Falling for Learning Podcast. Today we are recording from the CCSS which is the California Council for the Social Studies. And today I have an educator that could give you some tips, tricks and information about how to make sure your kids are on track for learning and to stay on track for success. Joining us today is Ms. Smith. So Ms. Smith, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Sure. My name is Shawntaye Smith, I teach eighth grade US history at Desert Willow Middle School Magnet Academy in Palmdale, California. This is my third year, a teacher my third career in my life. I should have started with this one. I absolutely love what I do. I love it. Wonderfu! So Ms. Smith, can you tell us what you into learning as a child?
Shawntaye Smith:My mother when I was very young, my mother read to me a lot. And I still to this day, remember how her voice sounded when I was laying in her lap. And then my grandmother was a cook at a preschool. And when I was two years old, my mother would take her, you know, take her to my grandmother and I was hitting the kitchen while my grandmother would cook. Well, there was a teacher there who said come on in here. And I started learning at the age of two. And so I was always it was just everything is always felt to me. And it was great. It was wonderful. And it's really was a way for me to see my value, because no one can take that away from you. And it is true that knowledge is power. So
TD Flenaugh:So I want to go back, you're saying you're in your third career as a teacher. So tell us about your first career did have to do with that cooking that you were talking
Shawntaye Smith:Well, I had to do with. I was a criminal about? defense attorney. Before I did it for two years. And I did I did not like I didn't like what had to be to be good at it for me. And so I just I didn't I didn't care for too much.
TD Flenaugh:Hold on for a second. So you didn't like who you had to be. Okay, tell us a little bit more about that.
Shawntaye Smith:Well, what happens inadvertently, because I was a attorney, I was in the courtroom, often, I worked for one of the most popular other facilities in Cleveland, Ohio. And so in order to be that you have to be competitive. But when you become a competitive, it's very difficult for you to remember your humanity instead of trying to win. Sometimes trying to win caused me to do things that morally and spiritually I was not comfortable with. But I have made choices. Now, this is me. Everybody's not like that.
TD Flenaugh:Right.
Shawntaye Smith:So I mean, it fits differently for some people, some people that brings out their greatest humanity. For me, unfortunately, it did. At least in my opinion, it didn't. I'm just not a shark in the in the water like that. Although it is an incredible profession it is I still love the law. And actually, I decided next next summer to take the bar exam in California. So I can be barred here in California so I can help people because at this time, I figured out a way that I can use the law to empower people instead of doing the opposite.
TD Flenaugh:Right. So this is really about knowing yourself like this is not a good fit for me, because it compromises who I am
Shawntaye Smith:right
TD Flenaugh:And that takes a lot of reflection and self knowledge and, and really empowerment about yourself what you talked about earlier about what different things that hooked you into learning. So take us into what brought you into that profession. So you got into that profession level But what brought you there like when you know, as far as your college career? Oh, okay. That is a great, great question. I mean, if I can wear my shirt, my alma mater, Tuskegee University today yeah. I grew up in Palmdale, California. At the time. I grew up in Palmdale. I was not represented in my classroom very well. And I did not have a good sense of myself, which later on, it connects me to my love of history, right? But I'd have a good sense of myself and, and things were rough at home. It was during the 80s. And so what happened was is that I'm at school and ironically, I was a bad kid. I didn't care for school didn't like it. I thought I was stupid. I thought it was too stupid to go to college. But because I love band so much, I had to get a 2.0. So I was like, okay, so I started, I started doing my schoolwork. But again, that that preschool education kicked in at school was easy for me. So I ended up having a really great, great, but hardly any effort. I probably shouldn't say that here. But sometimes it happens. You get that way. But we'll talk about that later. Anyway, so but I still didn't have any ambition to do anything. And I got a letter from Tuskegee University. What is this I didn't, I did not know that HBCUs existed. So I didn't understand what this was. Now my mother is from Alabama, my grandma's from Alabama. So Tuskegee, Alabama, and things will go things were not going great at my house, right? I needed to escape because I didn't know of all things no matter. It's ironic, because I didn't think I was smart enough to go to college, but always knew I was smarter than the average bear. Right. And I was like, I gotta get out of here, in this letter. And that was I, it was my ticket to freedom. But I thought it was my ticket to physical freedom, but as my ticket to mental academic freedom, because when you have your education, you can do anything you want. It gave me truly, truly the keys to my success. That's so wonderful. I just want to highlight how, you know, the reason why you're caught falling from learning is because it's about hooking kids in to learning, loving learning, because, you know, as well, you know, we can't make them forced them, right. But once they love that video game, they're hooked onto that soccer or whatever, we can't stop them. And that's what we want to talk about those strategies, right? To get them to love learning. And your hook, in this case was band, right. And even though you know, you didn't care for school, whatever things are going on at home, but you're like, I got to my band, I keep my band, my to play. So that you know, by hook or by crook, right, like what is going to get your kid in, and it may not you may not care anything about band, but if your kid likes it, help them pursue that, you know, support them, because it can take them so far. Right? So the band, so the Tuskegee was looking at you to join their band? No, that's the ironic part to this day. I have no idea how they even contacted me. I really haven't. But I do believe it was my band teacher wrap up that saw something in me, because I'm always students. And we had a humongous ban or Mac marching band was 110 people. So we had a huge band, not a huge African American presence in that band. Right. And but me just being me got my personality, my grandmother and my mom, love you, mom. I was always seen some kind of way. And what I was compromising. So I thought it was you know, wasn't that greatest, I had the sense of humor, because I was a defense mechanism. It just worked for him to see me. And I feel like to this day, I think he's when I contacted Tuskegee University. And everything just kind of happened right on time, I was accepted to Tuskegee University two weeks before I'm supposed to be there. That's how late it was in the game for me. And I mean, it's just it all fell fell into line. And when I got to college, I'm telling you with my freedom, it was my freedom academically, spiritually, morally, for me to start on the path to be who I wanted to be. Because somebody saw me at school in a in this activity that I love so much. And ironically, when I got to Tuskegee, I stopped playing in the band. I didn't play anymore. But you connected with that with that education. Wonderful. Okay. And so that was your first one, the law that led you to the law the legal career, what led me to legal career was, again, I'm trying to prove to myself that I was truly smart. And at the time, I'm old, I'm 52. I remember when I was in high school, LA Law was on TV. And I thought those people were so smart, and like, you know what, they're smart, I could be smart like that. I couldn't do it, go ahead and go to law school, you know. And then, um, humanity, you know, humanitarian, I was like, it's way I can help people in the community, all kinds of stuff. That's, that's why practicing criminal law was difficult for me, because my initial vision was to help people, okay, and help weakness in the community, you know what I mean? So, that's what happened and as you get into it, I didn't really understand. I didn't really understand what it had to take me to get there like I had in my head. I didn't have a path to it. You know, a go Without a plan is a wish. So it was really a wish for me because I did not have plans. But you know, it all worked out. Wonderful. I mean, it's amazing, amazing story. Yeah. So tell us about your second career, your second, first career and then the second career. Tell us about that
Shawntaye Smith:My second career. And I'm laughing at it because it is due to the fact that a couple things. I'm from California, but my pickup family have been to Ohio. That's where I went to law school. And that's where I was practicing law. My grandmother, on the other hand, was still in California. And she was the strongest woman that I knew. But what happened was she my grandfather passed away. And she was there by herself, really, by herself. She was lonely. She was sad, she was getting sick. I'm the oldest of five children. However, my sister, one of my sisters was developmentally disabled. She's pictured past few years ago. And my other brother and sisters had children, small children in Ohio, I was the only one that was free that I can come in. And I did it without hesitation. She was my foundation. But I was as I was here, I was in Palm knows where she was, it was very difficult to find employment, with the education that I had with the jobs that were available. So no one wanted to hire me. I had a job for a lawyer as a paralegal. It did not work out. I was attempted to take the bar exam, it was just a lot to go to go through. So I was at church, I was disappointed with my job and the lady at church, like, you know, I work at this radio station, do you want to, I was like, it's fine. Because in my head, I'm thinking, I can work this radio station and study for the bar exam. I did that. And I did not pass the bar exam. I missed by less than four points. But it's okay. I didn't pass it and the studying for the California bar exam is more than undertaking. You cannot work you should need to study for 18 hours a day, at least I did. Maybe some people have it is very difficult. But my point is I did not give. Again, I didn't count the cost.
TD Flenaugh:Hello, parents. All across the United States, we have students who don't know how to read well and who don't know how to write well. Now, I'm not here to shame you. But I am here to blame you. If your child is behind, it is partially your responsibility, and your fault. That next generation needs to be the one that's telling your story, not other people, not other families, not other races or ethnicities. Your family needs to be able to tell your story. If your child can't write well, who's going to tell your story, I have written two books to help address these issues. It is the rewrite method. The parent and educator guide for getting middle schoolers to fall in love with writing and the rewrite method workbook, the parent and educator action plan for getting middle schoolers to fall in love with writing. This book gives you step by step and easy to use and implement activities to make sure that your child not only gets better at writing, but loves to write bonus for well educated Wednesdays every Wednesday on Instagram Live at falling for learning. It is a free parent question and answer session where parents can ask questions, learn about resources, strategies and tips to make sure their children are on track for learning and stay on track for success. That's every Wednesday on Instagram Live at falling for learning. We look forward to seeing you and helping the next generation thrive.
Shawntaye Smith:Another mistake that I made it didn't count the cost as what it takes to do this. So I eventually got discouraged. And I just thought, Okay, I'm going to radio. Well, I was qualified for the local Boff, I offered a job I had. So I easily moved up working in radio, to being the traffic manager. And is still It sounds very fancy, but it's just you just doing kind of paperwork still not using my degree not using my intellect. But it was okay because I have the freedom to go and take care of wherever whenever I wanted. There, my grandmother passed. And I got discouraged and felt lost. It was hard. It was hard. But I still even through all of that. I still knew that I would. I knew that there was a divine presence in my life. And I met my best friend who I call my sister because we may as well have been born in the same room. And she was a teacher. And she started youth ministries in church. And she's like, you know, we need people to help them like oh, he was no. She's like, all right. Well, you and I have been where you are And then and she told me, she said, you have all this education, right? You can do whatever you wanted, again, the key to my success, I was like, oh, yeah, I guess I could. And I started out substitute teaching. It was great. And several schools said, Okay, you can be a long term sub, which is great. But I went to my own class, right. And my heart still was with the law with social justice, with history. And I was like, you know, I want to go to sleep. Tired from doing good in the world. This is fun to me. I want to teach what I love, and make money doing it. Not a lot of money. So definitely more radio. But anyway. And so I became, so I decided withdraw everything I need to do. I'm still in my first year of induction, I'm finishing it. And I started it and I have, I absolutely adored it. I am. So this is my third career.
TD Flenaugh:So that was if you don't know, induction is like a beginning teacher certificate, you get your certification, and you have to get it cleared by doing a series of hurdles.
Shawntaye Smith:But I know I have my education, jump any hurdle?
TD Flenaugh:So absolutely. Yeah. So it's just yeah, I don't know how to explain it. Beyond that, you and you have a series of you know, probationers showing that you actually got those skills, right. So the teaching, you're doing, you know when to love, tell us about some great things going on in the classroom.
Shawntaye Smith:Oh, my goodness, I, first of all, I love my students. And I have this year, not about not bad about the other students I've had, they've all been amazing this year, these kids make me get up in the morning out of it. Now, these kids I'm talking about, they're at different levels. You have honors students, I have students that didn't think they were honors that aren't just like, oh my god, they just make my day. And they get there and I give them these challenges. I'm like, do this site MLA format, I need to complete sentences you spell that wrong, do it over again, I'm pushing, I'm squeezing their brains. I asked me, all of my assessments are about analyzation. And about relationships and about construction and seeing everybody in history. I told my students, I said, Who would I be? If I gave you something easy? That's like me asked me to do to Intuos four, I said, Who am I? Who am I? I said, I want you to see what I see in you. So you say my classes so hard. So hard, but you have a 98% of my class? What does that say about you? Because they can do it absolute? They can do it in a they never cease to amaze me? Because even students that don't necessarily right? Well, they because I think is amazing. I think kids need to talk to each other. So they get with their friends that write better. And they talk and they have synergy and they understand the goal rush earlier when we had another session here this morning. And they were talking he was the main main session, he was talking about the Gold Rush effect on indigenous Americans. I remember a moment in one of my classes, my students are reading about the gold rush. And he said, Oh my god, 90% of indigenous people were killed during the coal rush. I didn't tell him that. They're doing their research and working together. That's why I love because he understand we all we talked about themes in history, we talked about everybody's related how everything is connected to each other. All these communities were in everything, every point in every point in time in history. And so when you read about the event, let's read about okay, yes, that's what was written here. Who is it for? And they they work, they go on that journey, and they just inspire me, they really do. They really do. I love it. Wonderful.
TD Flenaugh:As you know, just making history come alive and making sure students are, are into what you know, by challenging them. Right. So what tips or strategies would you say for parents that may be struggling to get their kids hooked into learning?
Shawntaye Smith:Well, number one, read to them. read to them. There's nothing wrong with a comic book. Some of the greatest literature on Earth is in the comic books, read to them, read with them. Talk to them.
TD Flenaugh:What if they're in middle school? Are you still recommending reading?
Shawntaye Smith:You know, in middle school is more difficult, I have to say, but I do still think I mean, there's a couple things they need to do is first of all, have the kids understand what the key of learning of success is. By making it practical. When you go to the store, let them do the math with the sales discounts, show them that is not that far away is with you. You know I have a budget. I have to have this much money and I have gas to buy and food to buy. Let them walk in and those part of conversations. When you're walking watching the news. Let's talk about how does this relate to you? Why should you be worried about what's going on? and Palestine and Israel, why should you going on what? Why should we worry about it, it's just have conversations, middle schoolers like to, they do like to talk, they have their opinions and their passions, and let just let them tell you who they are, don't tell them, let them tell you, when most of my students what as long as they feel seen and valued, they open up their world to you, they're struggling, they're not perfect. They're gonna make mistakes, but empower them. And you know, just the beauty of life without is something that is cookie cutter, you know, we have all of our students are special, they're special in their unique ways. And this, they can love themselves that way, then they can be full and prepared to do whatever they want to do, that sometimes listen to authority, even if you don't like the message is expedient for you to listen to and respect authority. Because it's a, it's a teacher today, tomorrow's a traffic cop. There is a way to do whatever you need to do, but you have to be efficient with it. You know, like the Declaration of Independence, if you want something, you can't just go snatch it sometimes. Sometimes you got to wait. Sometimes you have to understand that now's not the time. And I just, I feel like that those things to me are the most important that I see with our students, if they can learn to love themselves and find their voice and understand that just because one way of trying to get your voice across doesn't work, it doesn't mean you stop, you come back, analyze why did it work and figure it out again. You know, that's, that's what I recommend.
TD Flenaugh:I really liked that, I wouldn't go back to what you're saying that the students aren't perfect, or they make mistakes. And I also like to point that out to students, like if I make a mistake, and how I handled that are with young people or my daughter when you know she was growing up. So what is the mistake that you made the students or someone that you learned from it, right? Because this is all about falling from learning, and you know how to handle it. Or maybe you have to live differently again. So what's the mistake that comes to mind? My,
Shawntaye Smith:as a teacher, one of my mistakes I make often sometimes I just blow my top, I just blow my top and you know, go off on them or whatever. And the thing I really love about my students is that they give me room for grace. And so when I do that, I tell them you guys, I'm sorry. I had a bad day. Right stuff was going on, but that's not your fault. So I tried to bring you the best of me every day. And today I didn't. And I'm sorry. Can we start again? And they forgive me? So when they make a mistake with me? Who am I not to do the same for them? Right, right. You know, and I feel like you'd like you know what? We cool? So love you. Let's start again tomorrow. I'm not gonna be mad at you go home. You too low talkies? They're disgusting. I don't know how you come back from his used box. Sit down. Let's
TD Flenaugh:get some work. Right, right. I think that's something as parents, you know, we can think about because we aren't perfect. Of course, our kids aren't perfect. They're pushing against us, especially this middle school level. You know, the adolescence, right? So maybe making sure that we apologize to them. Because if we're not, we're flexible, we're not going to apologize, we can't really expect them to apologize to us. And then that reset, right? If I'm just mad, and I come back, and I'm whatever, and you should you should get it together. Because I'm not mad anymore. Like no, like, we got to talk about it. Yeah. So parents have to think about that teachers have to think about it. And you know, of course, when they make mistakes, then it's more easy for them to be like Sorry about that. Because they learned from us, right? So the teaching you started three years. Compare it to like your previous two careers compared for us.
Shawntaye Smith:You know, our previous two careers were about something else. It was like my career in law was about me and my ego. My career in radio was about number one my niece and I have outside of work, but then also to give me really an opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do because it wasn't that was a middle ground. I stayed too long. Okay. I had stayed way too long. I just I'd like I said, I got lost. I lost my grandmother, but it was still a middle ground. I knew was never the end. Okay. And I call it a career. But the truth is, it was a job. There is a difference, right? And, but when I got into teaching, I work. I work probably about 12 or 14 hours every day, sometimes six days a week. And I don't regret a second. Okay. When I was working in radio, I suppose good work at 830 ish? About 530 ish. I may have a long lunch, just, it was a chore to get there to go. Okay. So the difference is, is that I finally go to bed now tired from doing good. Like you were saying it Yeah, right instead of going to be tired of being mediocre teaching brings out the Excellence in me because I want to say to my students,
TD Flenaugh:so you were saying that the radio career was more of a job. So what makes the distinction? You just said there was a difference? What are some distinctions for you about invalid job versus a career.
Shawntaye Smith:One is for money, and one is for money to make ends meet. The other one is for something so much more than what money can be. It's about your purpose, walking in staying in your purpose.
TD Flenaugh:Walking and staying in purpose. So difference between just getting a paycheck as a radio person, and like you said it was more for making sure you have that room to take care of your grandmother and all of that. Good. Okay, so what's the plan? for like five years? Like you're at this conference? What are some things that you want to do to help? You know, further, hook your kids into learning help them reach their goals? Wouldn't you know, what are you getting from the conference that you want to use? Well,
Shawntaye Smith:number one, inspiration, inspiration. Talking to fellow educators that love students like I do is inspiring. Talking to other history teachers about brand new ideas that I'm interested in light podcast that I want to start next year, just just to bring out the ways to bring out the best in all them in different ways. I in five years, what I would love to in a want to say myself, but I don't know if I'll be well versed enough in it. But a friend of mine is really excited. We're super excited about edge protocols. They are amazing tactics for our students. And being a person that loves to teach history, Edge protocols is used a lot in math, and in science, and reading, I do believe but in social studies, the ability to teach the children so much in such a clever way is incredible. It's really incredible. So that's what I hope I'll see more sessions about edge protocols or even see a friend of mine, maybe present something.
TD Flenaugh:Can you tell us more about your protocols, when we have parents who are sometimes very active with their kids? And then we have some parents that might be doing homeschooling that are involved in that latter podcast, too. So would that be something and you tell us what it is? And would that be something for homeschool parents?
Shawntaye Smith:It absolutely it absolutely can. I'm sure of it. Not that I wrote a book on it. I did it, I read one. But basically edgy protocols are just procedures, we can use an education to help help the kids learn without making them feel like they're working so hard. Okay, like one thing. One edge protocol is called sketch Intel, for example. And you have on one side, the case draw picture and the other side, they explain what's in the picture. And you can use it for all kinds of incredible things, right? You have things that have been around for a while they have been adopted agile protocols, like fair models, we use those in vocabulary, but I usually history often, like you have the center part I want to do you just access different parts of it, use it for so many things. And the students have the right, it is not about the quantity of what they do is about the quality of what they do. So it's just in there's tons of books about it. I shouldn't say times, there are tons of books about it in their specific subject matters and edge protocols or whatever. But it's a Facebook community that they can get on to just if you're a parent, and you want to know what more what it is in your protocols community on Facebook, okay, you have people on there, they just post stuff for free, and they can look at it and talk to people. So it's a really good resource.
TD Flenaugh:Okay, that sounds good. Any thing that you want to leave our listeners with, or our viewers with, about how to hook kids into learning or you know how to overcome some struggles that the kids might be having in their adolescence? Well,
Shawntaye Smith:one thing was with kids into learning is if you're excited about it, they'll be excited about it. If you understand it and love it, they'll understand it and love it. And as soon as struggling in middle school, just as difficult as it might be for parents. They're just trying. I have not there. I have most of the students I have met, no matter what their so called reputation is they're still just kids. They're gigantic. Some of them are six. Right? And some of the girls were lashes better than I can ever imagine. But they're still kids. Give him a break sometimes.
TD Flenaugh:Thank you so much for joining us, Miss Smith, and we appreciate you for joining us. And thank you all for Joining us as well and have a great week thanks again for supporting the falling for learning podcast. New episodes go live every Saturday at 5pm. You can watch us on youtube.com at falling for learning or listen on all major podcast platforms such as Apple, Google, Audible, Spotify, and much more. For more resources visit falling in love with learning that calm. We really appreciate you have a wonderful week