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ChangED
ChangED is an educator based podcast for Pennsylvania teachers to learn more about the PA STEELS Standards and science in general. It is hosted by Andrew Kuhn and Patrice Semicek.
ChangED
NSTA Keynote Speaker- Unleashing Potential: Daryl Williams Jr. Sparks Educational Change
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Get ready for an episode packed with laughs and wisdom as we host Daryl Williams Jr., the remarkable educator who transformed his career from self-proclaimed "terrible teacher" to a two-time Teacher of the Year. Join us as Darrell shares his inspiring journey, peppered with humor and authenticity, about tapping into that unique 1% that can make a difference in education. We also get a sneak peek into Daryl’s upcoming keynote at the NSTA conference. This episode is sure to leave you entertained and inspired!
We're buzzing with excitement for the NSTA conference in Philadelphia, where Daryl is set to deliver a keynote that promises to be a highlight of the event. We've got a front-row seat to Daryl’s plan to ignite a spark in educators by emphasizing their impactful presence in students' lives. With the conference just around the corner, make sure to mark your calendars for Daryl’s keynote on March 26th at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It’s an invitation for all educators to harness their unique potential and leave with tools and insights that promise to reshape their teaching journey. Don't miss out on this chance to be inspired by one of education's shining stars!
Experience more NSTA podcasts and learn about the Philly NSTA Conference by visiting nsta.org/podcast.
Want to send us a show idea or just say hi? Email us at: thechangedpodcast@gmail.com!
Keynote Speaker and Education Insights
Speaker 1Welcome back to the NSTA podcast hosted by Change Ed . I am one of your hosts . Andrew Kuhn , an education consultant from Montgomery County Intermediate Unit .
Speaker 2Not Montgomery County in Virginia , I feel like is there a Montgomery County in every state .
Speaker 1Yeah , is that like Springfield ? Like there's a Springfield everywhere . There's probably a Montgomery County everywhere .
Speaker 2I think that's a good Google question . Throw that up on a poll .
Speaker 1Where are you ?
Speaker 2from which Montgomery County are you from ?
Speaker 1Yeah , so we're from the one that we're broadcasting from . We're from the one that we live in . We're the one that we're at .
Speaker 2And here with me is Patrice Sem semichak , also out of the montgomery county intermediate unit and part of change ed a resident fact checker no , I said set up a poll . I don't think .
Speaker 1No , that's too much work for me I would like to just apologize already to our guest , because this is not what he signed up for it's not , but yet he's here and being gracious and wonderful . We are so fortunate that we get a glimpse into our opening keynote and hear more about all that he has to offer . In this fantastic mindset , we have here with us Darrell Williams Jr . Welcome , darrell .
Speaker 2Thank you . Thank you . What's going on everybody ? Darrell Williams Jr , former terrible teacher turned two-time teacher of the year . Williams Jr , former terrible teacher turned two-time teacher of the year . And I help new teachers make the impact that they've always wanted to make and become the teachers they've always wanted to be At NSTA . I'm super excited to be able to share with you 99% of human 1% amazing . How are we going to leverage the 1% that makes us unique to make the impact that only we can ? Stay tuned , I'll let you know .
Speaker 1It was perfect . I mean , there's so many mic drops , but I also have a side question what's that ? I can now confidently identify with you as a terrible teacher , but I never became teacher a year . Does that mean I'm still terrible ?
Speaker 2Yes , no , there's a spectrum , you know .
Speaker 1He's on the bench . He's on the bench . I don't want to know where I fall in this spectrum .
Speaker 2Let's move on . That's not what anyone wants , but it's good to see you all this morning .
Speaker 1Honestly , thanks yes , yes , no , thank you . We're super excited . We're like we never get to meet a keynote beforehand . This is really after we hear a keynote . We're like , oh you know , would you like to be on our podcast ?
Speaker 2this is like reverse order for it I think it's awesome too because , like you said , then the attendees will be able to kind of get a sneak peek or snippet yeah , that relationship relationship .
Speaker 1Yeah , no , it's a win-win all around , for sure .
Speaker 2And do you know ? I'm very intrigued by your book . Do you know if they're giving people copies of your book or if you're going to be able to sell it there , or how that's going to work ? We're giving copies away , I think we said to 10% of the people , so is that maybe 600 copies ? That's awesome . That's awesome .
Speaker 1Okay , yeah .
Speaker 2So , yeah , I'm excited about that as well . So we'll be at a booth and I'll be doing a signing , and I mean first 600 , just come get your book .
Speaker 1Okay , just like Disney World Is there like a virtual queue . Can I get it Wait ?
Speaker 2We're going to I'm actually I have a conversation with them just to see you know what that will look like , you know , because I don't want to overlap times with , like when other presentations are going on and things like that . So when's the best time to do , like , a signing and things like that .
Speaker 1So I don't know yet , but you're in the first day , though , right . Yeah , the first day , and so , but I'll be there for all three days .
Speaker 2Like Daryl , and then like it's like snacky time , so I think you're good , ok , so right after , ok , think so that's what I recall , but I could be very wrong .
Speaker 1They'll tell you something .
Speaker 2We're just podcasters , daryl , we got it , got it , got it , got it . And it's funny , I didn't , I didn't realize how big nsca was . So I'm actually at my school right now we have a podcast studio , so it's kind of cool in the high school . And , uh , a teacher came up to me and was like you're keynoting nsca , like I want to go , I want to go . I was like okay , like I didn't know .
Speaker 1Nice , nice . So , darrell , where are you from ?
Speaker 2I'm in Charlotte , north Carolina . I'm from New York , you know , born and raised in Staten Island , New York , and I came here . I spent half my life in New York and I spent the last 15 years of my life here in Charlotte . But I'm currently in Charlotte , north Carolina .
Speaker 1The way you said it automatically made me think of Will Smith , when you were like born and raised . I don't want to say on the playground , that's where I went with that . You've been in North Carolina for a while , and what do you ? What do you do down in North Carolina ?
Speaker 2Yeah , so currently I'm the associate director at Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte , north Carolina , and that is actually a new position for me . I've been . I've taught middle school math . Honestly , no joke , no exaggeration I've always wanted to be a science teacher , I promise , I promise that was my favorite subject growing up . But then , you know , math I was . I did . Honestly . The reason why I went into math was because I did better in on the math section of the ACT than I did on any other section . So then my mom was like you're good at math , you should be a math teacher . Yeah , okay . So so I did talk math for six years and then I was an instructional coach for two and assistant principal for two , and now I am the associate director here at Country Day .
Speaker 1Yeah , massive .
Speaker 2I taught middle school math too , for a hot minute , and I did that . That is not for me . Takes a special person .
Speaker 1Takes a special person to do middle school period but middle school math .
Speaker 2And so it was just yeah , because they always say it's like you , it's like you have to be an amazing salesperson because you're selling a product that nobody wants . Nobody wants middle school math . Nope , nope .
Speaker 1You might be able to sell ice to Eskimos at that point .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , yeah , it was a lot .
Speaker 1Two what made me think of that , with the way you were explaining it with your mom , is that the impact of assessments goes beyond just immediately . In educational institutions , right Like others , can make decisions based off that information . So the way that we assess and the information we're getting really has long-term career impacts for individuals .
Speaker 2Yeah , and it's interesting how much weight we put on those things , you know , like the standardized testing and things like that . You know , when I think about the students that I have at my school and the students that we serve just kind of over my whole career , when I think about the pressure that goes around standardized testing , I mean we have ninth graders coming . Well , no , we just we just did an eighth grade tour not too long ago of our high school and eighth graders were coming in and we were showing them the campus , talking about the lunch , like trying to get them excited about the school , talking about the sports programs , all those things , and then we asked if they had any questions and the first person raised their hand and said what's a good SAT score to get into Carolina ? And we're like yo , you're in eighth grade , like relax , just come have fun . But there's just so much pressure around I got to be great . I got to be great , you know , around these standardized tests .
Speaker 1Crazy . Wow , yeah , that's a good point and I and imagine you know , seeing with my , even with my own children , the how it's been escalated to what you're saying . As you're saying , with the access they have to social media and to all these things , they're thinking about it so much faster .
Speaker 2I was not my concern in eighth grade I don't remember what it was , but I know it wasn't that Probably girls yeah , and we see it trickling into , especially with that social media , it trickles into now so many other facets of their life . So again , now we can't just play sports just to have fun . Now I have to go D1 . Yeah , everybody's talking about D1 to the point where they're lying , you know , and saying that they have offers Again . So me , being in the administrative role , I see the offers that are not coming in , but I see , you know , hear them talking , you know .
Speaker 1I just got an offer from Duke . I just got an offer from Georgia , but you didn't Right , so it's yeah , it's a lot of pressure . Do you want me to fact check that for ?
Speaker 2anybody .
Speaker 1No , no , I just , I just sit back and I'm just quiet , like okay , they send that to your house and nobody knows Right right , right , Statistically speaking of that actually happening are so low but yeah , that seems to be everybody's vision that everybody will be able to do that .
Speaker 2Everybody will get to that spot . But no , I mean , I think that's why it's so important just to kind of be able to recognize and identify your strengths and recognize and identify the things that sets you apart . Because when we think about and this is kind of what I talked about in the book 99% of human , 1% amazing , recognizing what your 1% amazing is , what sets you apart from everybody else , because you don't have to walk the same path that somebody else has walked , like the way that you are gonna make your impact on this world is by leveraging your uniqueness and the differences that you bring . So really , if we spend more time kind of identifying what those are , I seeing what our strengths are , what our talents are , the things that we're good at , and then we can utilize that to make our impact in the world and not necessarily focus on this cookie cutter approach or what other people expect and how we need to be able to do .
Speaker 1I love that so much , tying the whole conversation together . My 1% is my 1% . Just because I watch someone else's 1% on TV doesn't mean that that has to be my 1% . So I love that for each of us as individuals , like owning who we are and even narrowing in on our skill set . What is our passion ? What ?
Speaker 2do we love and not being ashamed of it . It's funny . So Kobe Bryant , you know , rest in peace . One of the greatest basketball players that ever lived . In the book I tell his story where he was in an interview speaking about him growing up . And you know , his dad played basketball . He grew up like overseas , playing basketball , but he said he had an idol when he was growing up . And did any of you know who his idol was , who he wanted to play ? Just like ? Okay , a lot of people think it's Michael Jordan .
Speaker 1I was going to say Michael Jordan , but I was like that's too obvious .
Speaker 2You should have . But it wasn't Michael Jordan , it was Magic Johnson . And Kobe Bryant said I want to be just like Magic Johnson . So when he was watching him play , he would try to do everything Magic Johnson would do . He would try to do the same moves . He would try to shoot like Magic . He'd try to defend like Magic . Everything he wanted to do was just like Magic . And he realized that that was helping him be mediocre , like that was helping him be OK . When he was exactly like Magic . He was good . Him be okay when he was exactly like magic . He was good , he said .
Speaker 2But what really set me apart ? Once ? I realized that I needed to stop trying to be magic and start trying to be Kobe . That's when things shifted for me . And then Conan O'Brien heard that and said yeah , because it's the failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique . Wow , look at Conan O'Brien being true to thought .
Speaker 2Because Kobe was saying listen , I just want to be magic , I want to be magic , I want to be magic . And he kept idolizing magic and trying to be just like him and he would have just continued to be OK . But because he broke free of , I want to be . Exactly like magic , he was able to step into who he was supposed to be . And when I think about that , with teachers in the classroom , how often do we see other teachers or other teachers , even on social media , other teachers in the building , other teachers that are doing things , and we say , I want to be just like that person , I want to be just like this , I can do this same thing that they're doing in their classroom . But in actuality , it's our failure to become a perceived idea that ultimately defines us and makes us unique . What sets you apart and how are you going to make the impact that nobody else in the world can ?
Speaker 1In striving to be a carbon copy , he found that he could be something totally different . Absolutely the thing that connects for me with that , when we're talking about the NSCA conference and NGSS , is that we are trying to search for that 1% in all of these students and creating this opportunity where they're thinkers , they're doers , they're creators and what does that look like ? Versus a maybe older model that's outdated , where it's like , well , let's just print , copy , repeat , print , copy , repeat . Let's do these worksheets and work through these things . Instead , let's get messy , let's get crazy , let's get into the science , let's figure out how it works . Nothing is definite . We're not going to go through the same process every time , but in that we're finding that one percent awesome that exists within these students .
Speaker 1I'm definitely using this . I I need your book to go on tour with me and say look , not every scientist has to be a capital s professional scientist . We're all scientists and they can be lowercase scientists , the lowercase s . Within that you can find your one percent awesome to be like . I love this part of science and asking questions and being curious . The tie-in is so , so strong .
Empowering Keynote Speaker for NSCA
Speaker 1Obviously , the conference organizers know exactly what they're doing .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's going to be great .
Speaker 1I'm so excited .
Speaker 2Oh my gosh .
Speaker 1Our opening keynote can't get here soon enough because I want to hear this Like I'm super excited and I feel like when ? Have you been Like I mean honestly like you need to be in front of everyone .
Speaker 2Well , let's do it . I'll be there and I'm excited . I'll be there , we'll bring some books , we'll make sure that everybody you know gets signs and pictures . And we're there , I'm ready the whole , all three days .
Speaker 1Well , Daryl , this has been fantastic . Can't wait for the keynote . We want to give you the floor for a closing thought , whatever teaser or trailer you want to put out there to get people excited to come hear from you to kick off NSCA in Philly .
Speaker 2Listen , what I need you to know is that I am somebody who understands the position that you are in and have been in . I've been there and my whole purpose and mission and goal is to help you realize that you are called for this , you are made for this and you can make an impact that literally nobody else in the world can . So let's figure out how to make that impact and make a difference in the lives of our students that they deserve .
Speaker 1If you're listening to this podcast , the chances are extremely high that you are going to be at NSCA Philly in March . Make sure to book and plan everything around being here at Daryl's keynote . This is only the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to Daryl . There is so much more to this individual , this rising star in education , one of the change makers who's going to help us all see and experience education in different ways . So schedule around everything so that you can be there for this kickoff on March 26th at 515 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center .