The Value of a Good Teacher: Priceless

Chelsea Briggs is an experienced English educator with over a decade of teaching in Broward County. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, she began her career as a paraprofessional at Horizon Elementary and has taught at Stoneman Douglas High School since 2017. Currently teaching 11th and 12th-grade English, Chelsea is known for inspiring students and fostering a love for literature and critical thinking. Her engaging teaching style and strong student connections reflect her dedication to shaping the next generation of thinkers.

In this episode, Mrs. Briggs shares her incredible journey into teaching, revealing how past mentors inspired her to influence young lives. From encouraging students to pursue their genuine passions through innovative clubs like LED Dance and Acro Hoop to offering earnest advice on parenting teenagers, Chelsea emphasizes the critical role educators play as mentors and facilitators in their students’ lives.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or advocate for education, this heartwarming and eye-opening conversation highlights the importance of supporting independence in young adults and fostering a community that champions students to explore their interests and thrive.

Takeaways

1. Take the time to listen to your child
2. Empower students through passion projects
3. Gambling is a big problem in the schools today

Timestamps

00:00 Teaching Aspirations Inspired by Teachers
03:30 From Bartender to Educator's Journey
08:01 Kindergarten Para Experience Benefits Teacher
12:04 Indifference to Personal Responsibility
16:00 Overcoming Dyslexia: A Teacher's Journey
16:55 Empowering Students Through Advocacy
21:10 Prioritizing Student Enrichment
23:31 Support at Graduation
27:41 Youth Dreams and Reality Checks
32:22 Balancing Kids' Phone Access
34:52 Balancing Freedom and Safety for Teens
37:57 Healthy Fear in Parenting
41:45 Breaking Free from Self-Imposed Limits
44:29 Motivation Through Mentorship
46:39 Impactful Parenting Perspectives Podcast

🔗 Connect with Jessica Anger and Carrie Wiesenfeld:
Instagram | info@parentcoachesunleashed.com
Soaring Hawk Life Coaching |  Ocean Waves Parenting

Transcript

0:02

Welcome to parent coaches unleashed with Carrie and Jessica, where no topics are taboo or off limits. Join us as we let loose and discuss the real raw feelings about parenting. In each episode, we will bring you heartfelt discussions, real life stories, and special guests that will both entertain you and encourage community so no one feels alone in their parenting journey. Thanks so much for listening. Now, let's start the show. Hi, everybody. Welcome to our latest episode of Parent Coaches Unleashed. So Carrie and I, when we talk about our guests and we think about who we're going to have on the show, we talk about all different people that can help and that can relate to parents. And parents aren't always called mom and dad. And sometimes, a parent or someone who plays the role of a parent is not someone who's birthed their child. I'm talking specifically about teachers here. Teachers typically spend more time with your child than you do in some cases. So today, we have a very special guest, Chelsea Briggs. She is a teacher at Sohman Douglas, and Carrie's son had the pleasure of having her. They formed a very special bond. So I'm going to allow Carrie to introduce Chelsea. So first off, welcome. But I have an issue calling you Chelsea because my, in our home, right, it was always miss Briggs, miss Briggs, miss Briggs, and now that Ryan, who had you as a junior, is now a graduate of college, now you're just Briggs. So miss missus, she's now married too, and there's an additional name we won't go into that. But, anyway, welcome. Welcome. Bye, guys. Miss missus Chelsea Briggs. Hi, guys. Thank you so much for having me on. We're so glad that you're with us today. Oh, so happy to be here. We want to jump right in. And if you could tell us what has been your journey to becoming a high school teacher? Like, what led you there? Yes. So, well, originally, being young, you always have these aspirations in life, right, that what you wanna be, what you wanna do. And I kind of always knew that I wanted to help people, but I just didn't know how I was gonna go about that. I always knew that I wanted to be a high school teacher. Well, maybe not high school, but just a teacher in general. A lot of that came from having I had a amazing 5th grade group of teachers that just made me love love the just being in our classroom, and I felt very comforted by them. And then once I got to high school, I was really fortunate to have a 12th grade English teacher who really pushed me, into kind of thinking and going beyond just the textbook. And I think that allowed me to see that the world can be taught differently and through different expressions, through different viewpoints. And once I saw that, I kind of realized, like, that was my journey in life to to kind of go into the world of being able to help others and make them think maybe just a little differently and expand them on beyond just the textbook tests, all that. I really enjoyed that. So it kinda led me down that path. I was actually funny enough, I was a bartender all through, like, college. And, I thought that that personally prepared me to deal with kids for the 1 if you could deal with drug people, you can deal with kids. He's he's a lot of patience. But I started off as a paraprofessional for 3 years at elementary school where I had a really amazing mentor, Nicole Bo Adonis. She was awesome, and she really showed me how to stay organized, how to kind of grow that bond. And once I left the elementary school, funny enough, I actually when I applied to Stoneman Douglas, it was my first job that I ever applied to, and I got the job because of my old 5th grade teacher. She knew the principal at Stoneman Douglas. They were college, roommates, And I got a Oh, wow. Yeah. And I actually just called her to pick her brain about how do you apply to high school. And then she's like, hey. Come in tomorrow. You have an interview. Oh my god. That's the Which hilarious. Right? So I Great lesson for Kate also. You're gonna have to say so much about who you are. Community. Yes. You just don't know who knows who. Yep. It's amazing. So I actually I go in for the interview, and funny enough, I actually don't get the job originally. Ah. They called me and said, hey, sorry. We gave the position to someone else. And then a week later, I don't know what happened to that person, but they couldn't do it. So I ended up getting the job right after. Had you still been interviewing in the process? Were there any other No. It was my first interview. I just wanted to give it a go. Okay. That's great. Just wanted to feel out the water, see how hard it was to kinda get into the position. I was gonna go on job fairs and do all that, but they ended up calling me a week later once I kinda set up other things. And they're like, you know, we would love to offer you the job. Now did you have any second thought? Like, oh, they didn't want me the first time? Or you're just so excited, like, oh, a job? I was a young teacher at the time. You know, I just turned 26, and I was just right out of college. Yeah. I was like, first job experience. You know? Okay. So now you go into the classroom. Yes. Was it everything you thought it would be? Were there, like, oh my gosh. Nobody ever taught me this? What was what were you what was your initial reaction to being in the classroom? Yeah. It was like being thrown into a lion's den. You know, you have all these kids kind of looking at you, like, oh, you know everything you're supposed to know. And I'm like, oh my gosh. I'm an imposter. I don't know anything. I just felt like I it was just like that first day job jitter where they're, like, they're gonna see through you. They you don't know anything about anything. So, and I I honestly, going to school, I had an English degree background. So I wasn't really I didn't get all the observation hours like as most teachers got, you know, like when you're going through that degree program. So I did a few educational classes I knew I wanted to teach, but I was kind of focusing in one area where I didn't get that extra initial, like, jump in before test the waters beforehand. So this is me just as, like, a teacher's aide going into a classroom saying, okay. Figure it out, and I and I did. So I just wanna say that I I am, my master's, my, my undergrad, I am a I was I taught for 10 years, and no one no amount of schooling, nothing. There's no class. Nothing prepares you except for the experience of walking into the classroom. There's nothing there's no there's no class that could teach you what to expect when you walk into a class. No. Absolutely not. So was your 1st classroom junior? So 16 year old 16 year olds. Right? Yeah. So they originally told me funny enough, they originally told me they said, we're probably gonna put you in a 9th grade class. They said, great. Give me the babies. I this is perfect. And then they said, oh, actually, no. We're gonna have to switch you over to juniors. I'm like, oh, they're gonna eat me up alive. I think what really helped me in that scenario was before I started teaching high school, I was a para for, high functioning, students in the in the kindergarten classroom. It was a blended class. So we had a lot of kids who had issues of just behavior, and there was a lot of patience that goes into that. So I felt like that kind of prepared me for anyone who would, you know, come out with me Right. Come out me with anything that was, like, negative or And now, I mean, at that time, right, you were only 10 years older than your students. So do you think that that was an advantage for you or a disadvantage? Yeah. I mean, thank goodness I wasn't one of those teachers. I had just graduated from college and then getting straight into that kind of environment because I think that would have put me in a more of a disadvantage, but I think that I had gotten enough years in working with at least parents. Yeah. So it helped me at least gauge, okay, like, this is what, you know, kids wanna know, and this is what they don't wanna know. And then on top of that, my brother and sister are 11 12 years younger than I am, so by the time I started teaching, they were still in high school. Okay. So I kind of just took what my mom was doing and how she reacted to things, and I tried to apply that to my teaching of okay. Like, they don't wanna know this, but they wanna know this. And, you know, just being on top of I think that's a great segue into our next discussion. What about the parents? Do you see them involved at the high school level? Would you like to see them more involved? What is it? Or less involved? Well, you know, there is we have different types of parents. You know, I think from what I've noticed, especially in the, age group that I teach, you see parents that aren't as hands on anymore, and then you have parents that might as well be in my classroom. Really? So so it's it's interesting because at at 16, you know, they have a year and a half, 2 years left before they're going to Yes. College. So I know as a parent, when my kids are in high school, our job was always to teach them to begin to advocate for themselves. There have been times when we've had to step in. But now you're saying you have parents that they might as well be in the classroom with you. What is that like? What is can you give us an exam no names, but can you give us an example? Of course not. So, you know, you have you've heard of the term, I'm assuming, like the helicopter parent. Yes. We've done episodes on that. Yes. Yes. Just checking on well, now it's focused. Right? We had Pinnacle. Now it's focused. Just always be making sure that their kid's on top of their stuff. And now we use the terminology, the lawnmower parent. Right? Where they just take away the debris or the no problems for their kids. So the the kind of parents that I will see, especially more of on the extreme end, is just the parents who are doing the kids' work, and then they get mad at you if you grade their paper and it's not an a. You know, like So wait. He'll pause for a second. Can you clearly tell when the parent has done the work versus the student? Oh, yeah. The first thing you have to say is what's that word mean? God. And then when they get the grade that they do, the parent will come out, well, I have my master's degree in English and I just don't understand why my student didn't get an a on this and I helped them. And you're just like, but I didn't ask you to do it. Do you call the kids out on it and the parents? Well, that's where the the line gets a little sticky because as much as you want to call a parent out for just doing the work, you you really truly don't know what's going on behind closed doors. So I can't just accuse a parent of saying, well, you know, you did this for them, but you'll have kids who admit that their parents do it for them. Right. And you're like, why did would you tell me that? Are they proud that the parent does the work for them, or are they ashamed? Like, where don't think they care, and I think that's really why the biggest issue that we've been seeing is that if it's not something that they care about or it's not something that, consumes their day to day. If their parents are willing to do it, they kinda look at you like, well, it is what it is. And you don't have anyone, especially now that you don't you know that the parent is is kind of on their side with this. You really have no one to really complain to about it because it's not like you can say, well, their work was done by someone else. It was done by you, so I can't even complain to you about it because Right. You would not like, you're taking that, like, responsibility of doing it. So So have you ever had to have that conversation with a parent and say, I know this is your work. I know you've done it. And what has their reaction been? Have you come out and said to them, what are you doing? Let them be independent. They're a junior. Are you going to college with them? I mean, what are you doing? A lot of the parents that I see that do this, a lot of their kids have some type of issue with something. So it it could be, like, they're on a 504 or an IEP. And by that point, there's really nothing I can do because now there's a legal paper involved. Now, you know, it's like there's just I mean, I've mentioned that you the most you can really do is go to admin. And even that when one thing gets pushed over to them, it's kind of out of my hands. So then let me ask you this. If you could, right now, say something to all those parents who are doing the work for their kids, what would your message be to them? Well, my biggest thing is just a disservice to their child. A lot of them don't realize that they don't get that kind of help in college. Professors don't care. You're paying to go there. You're paying to be a part of the system that allows you to get a degree. So all you're doing is setting your your child for failure. And as much as I could say that, and we all know that, they kinda have to come to that realization. And I see a lot of kids that end up going to a college, and their parents don't realize why they can't finish. Right. And that's you know, again, my at the end of the day, I tell people all the time. I'm like, you know, I don't care what your kid does in life. They can they can do whatever they need to do to be successful in their own way. But I'm like, as long as they're a functioning human in society, that's all we really should be striving for. You know? I just think that they don't realize that in life, you're not gonna be able to do you can't like, if your kid waits tables, you're not gonna be there behind them picking up, you know, the bus on their tables or doing whatever, like, a simple job like that. I mean, that really deters them from becoming successful in any way, shape, or form. So And independent. Yeah. They have no sense of independence because they've never had to. Right. So you obviously were my son's junior teacher, the luck of the draw. You know, as much as an amazing teacher you were to him, you also became that of a mentor. You encouraged him to join clubs, hold a position in a club, and eventually his senior year became your TA. Now I love my child. He is super smart, but he is not the strongest English student. So I know probably in your relationship, in your eyes, there were other skills that he had, and that was helping him in another way rather than you were just using his really strong English skills. But what is it that you see in your students or as a teacher, like, what allows you or gave get like, where did the idea come from that you can be this mentor and this special person for students in addition to just being their teacher? And, like, do the kids find you, or just somehow you find them? That's a great question. I truly believe that a lot of it has to do with the way that I grew up in my educational background. I mean, I believe it or not, like, I grew up having an IEP my entire classroom career starting from kindergarten on. And because I had teachers that saw that I wasn't I was lacking in some aspects of my life, especially funny enough, As an English teacher, I am dyslexic, and there are still times where I Wow. Your stuff over and over and over again so that I can retain it because I have that issue still to this day. But I tell people that if I can do it, you can totally do it. And that's why I believe, like, I wanna be that advocate for some of these kids because I had people who believed in me and got close to me to be able to make me the person I am today. And I just don't think people realize that even if you have a shortcoming, it doesn't mean you can't be successful in any way, shape, or form. So, like, for me, having those advocates and having people that had kind of that back corner, like, rally for me really helped me want to do that for my students. So it's, like, just finding those things that they're passionate about. Especially, like, in their lives, a lot of their parents have goals for them, which are great. There's nothing wrong with wanting to see your your your child do something in particular, but I think a lot of them don't realize that some of their their kids have passions that they don't even know about or things that they're even interested in. And having one person who just sits there and says, wow. That's amazing. That's awesome. You should try that. I think really gives them at least a little bit of hope that it's not just I just have to be good at this one thing. And I've had kids that will just come to school just because they wanna be a part of my club, and it just gave them motivation come to school just to be a part of the club. And they kept their grades up to stay in the club. You know? So it's just finding those passions. Kelsey, that's such a powerful statement just for parents to just actually listen to their kids and find out what it is they're passionate about. Because a lot of times your vision for your child and their vision are completely different. And if you take the time to listen and see what they're interested in, you'll find you so much of parenting, especially as they get older, is just listening and to see what they what, like you said, what they're passionate about. So what is your club? What club do you teach? Or what club do you mentor? Or I actually run 3 clubs. It's I'm too many too many clubs. But, I run, so the one that I'm most passionate about is my LED dance club. Actually, Ryan was in that club for a little bit. I run, like, an acro hula hoop style club. We actually performed last night in Fort Lauderdale at this thing called Florida Flow Fest where, the kids get to perform in front of all these flow artists, and it's kind of like Circus Olay. Like, that's the kind of style it is. We have light light up hula hoops. They do aerial rigs. Like, we do a lot of performances. And, I actually have a girl. She still comes back every year to, like, those events. She's currently pursuing a career for Circus Olay, so she's actually, like, doing the process of that now. And she told me yesterday Was she interested in that before your club? Or is that what was, and then she realized we had a club that kind of went into her interest. Wow. And she's like, I would not have come to school if it wasn't for that. And she learned more skills. She actually is a contortionist, and she was able to do all these amazing things in the club. I was so sad when we when she graduated. But she did all these amazing things during the club. And once she did those, she decided that's what she wanted to continue with after school, after she graduated. So she's been training to eventually be in the circus. That's so cool. Yeah. It's like you kinda think about, like, how people get started in that and the fact that we have a club. Who's actually running away and joining the circus. Yeah. She is actually running away. No. Just minus the running away part. Yeah. No. Everyone everyone knows where she is, so that's good. Okay. And what are the other 2 clubs? That's amazing. Like, the I also run the Dance Marathon Club with another, teacher of mine, Paul Bakken. We raised money for the Nicholas Children's Hospital. That's a big one. A lot of kids are involved with that one. Yes. It's a big one, and it's a lot of work. But, last year, we raised over $27,000 for the children. Wow. That's awesome. Amazing. Congratulations. Thank you very much. So we're hopefully, you're on that track for this year. And like I said, we we do fundraisers throughout the year, trying to raise money, and, we do, like, a lot of community events to get the community involved as well. And then, I also run the ISA club, which is the Indian Student Association, and they I just got suckered into that one. So they're like, can you be our sponsor? You're cool. I was like, okay. So Wow. So how do you have time for all this? Because then I know in addition to a teacher, clubs, you're a newlywed. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. You are super, super creative and an artist and do all this creative stuff on the side. So. You know, my husband asked me the same thing. No. I I I say it all the time. I don't have children, and that's probably a lot of the reason why I'm able to get as much done as I am. If I did have kids, I probably would have slowed slowed a lot of that stuff down. So, I mean, I've definitely take on way too much, but I think it's important that these kids have a high school career that they can look back on and really enjoy the small things. I think that's kinda what makes up your high school career, and I was lucky enough to have teachers that stayed after school and sponsored my stuff, and I just wanted to do the same for others. And as much as it caused me a huge headache at times, I truly do love seeing the smiles on their face and seeing them get to walk the stage with knowing that they were a part of something and not just kind of going through the motions of school, taking tests, trying to get out. You know? They can look back and make friends, have a small community. I I think that's so important when you're in high school. Yeah. Definitely. So what feedback do you get from other teachers, like, that have been in the school system and especially at Stoneman Douglas for, you know, twice the amount of years you've been, like, what feedback do they give you as a teacher and, like, how you're going about your career as a teacher? Like, what do you hear? They do acknowledge that I do a lot, and they tell me all the time, like, take time for yourself because you don't wanna lose that It's a big one. Perspective. You know, it's it does catch up to you, and I feel like everyone does the same thing in the beginning of their teaching career. They kind of overdo themselves with kinda trying to show especially, like, you try to show your administration, like, okay. Look. I'm I'm in it. I care. I want you to see that I'm a team player. Right? Team player. I mean, I I made a point last year. I went to every single football game because if a kid invites me to a a sport event, I wanna make sure that they see me in the stands if they invite me because that was you know, that's something that they wanna see their teachers go to. I go to prom every year. I go to homecoming every year. I go to graduation. I mean, I do those things, but it does get overwhelming at times. And I do have coworkers that tell me, alright. Like, you don't have to go to everything. But, you know, I feel like I do owe the kids that in some sense because And do you see the appreciation from the kids that you show up for them? I do. I mean, they really do appreciate those things. I mean, sometimes I, you know, I I'll give you a story. I had a girl last year. She I don't know what her family dynamic was per se, but there was a situation where her family could not come to graduation. And she was like, miss Briggs, like, will you be there for me, like, just to to cheer me on when I walk the stage? And I said absolutely. And the fact that she just had one person there supporting her, which, like I said, I don't try to get I I unless they tell me I don't really pry into business of why something's happening or not. But she was just she told me she's like, they I'm just so glad there was someone there to to move me across the stage. And maybe, you know, it broke my heart, but there are kids like that, like Yeah. Either their parents work or they don't have the the the support system or, you know, they're just kinda navigating through life and without that that guide. And I'm sure that meant the world to her. Yeah. I mean, you know, she she just wanted someone to cheer for her when she walked the stage. So I was like, oh. Yeah. That's amazing. That's amazing. It truly is. What are the biggest challenges that are you seeing in the classroom today? And are they different than when you first started? Oh, absolutely. I mean, when I first started, I would say that you still had a group of kids who were motivated to at least aspire for something. I think the generation that we live in today, especially, it doesn't necessarily reward hard work. You don't have to work very hard to be successful, And I think kids kept kind of pushed into that or leaned into that lifestyle. Now I'll give you an example of what what I mean by that. A lot of kids do like, I don't know if you're you're familiar with this, but they're they're really into, like, the day trading now. They do a lot of the gambling online because a lot of their you know, they they have access to it. So wait. But they're not 18. They're not 18. So I'm assuming their parents have given permission for them to do so, or are they pretending that they're 18? It's either one or the other. I'm not again, they talk about it a lot. I try not again, one of those things I don't touch because Okay. You know, you hear a lot of it, like, oh, well, my parent I'm on my parent's account, or they're probably lying about how old they actually are. But someone has access to that. Their parents are very aware that they're doing this. Okay. There's no way that they're they're not because they have to cash out this money somehow, I'm assuming. So So they're day trading and babbling on their phone during during in class? Like Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, at least not not in my class, but they might be in class at least during lunch, you know. But they they are doing these things, you know, because they always talk about, oh, I put money on this sports team or this and that. Two separate things. You see the kids day trading, and then they're gambling in the classroom as well. Oh, yeah. Two separate things? I mean, I don't know if they're doing it during class, but they're definitely doing it outside of class or whatever. I mean We thought you were gonna say something like baking or As I have said, I'm like, I remember the baking days. It wasn't as stressful as this, but, Wow. Yeah. No. It's it's pretty crazy. Okay. So that leads into the fact that they can do something at the age let's just call them 16 because that's what your age alright. At 16, they've been day trading and or gambling, so they're making money Yes. And they're seeing that just by make spending a little time placing a few bets, there is a reward. Yes. And you're saying that that's now affecting how hard they're willing to work Right. At their education or other things because why? Because they have money. So what do I need an education for? Or Let me just think about it like this. Right? It's just that quick feeling of, like, just having Yeah. Cash coming in. You didn't have to work that hard for it. You either you see, they have these, they watch these people on Instagram, TikTok, whatever, who are just super successful for really doing what? Nothing. Nothing. And, you know, a lot of them think that they're going to either make it in some type of, like and again, not saying they can't, but it's just you have it's such such an oversaturated market of kids doing the same thing. So you have kids who are like, oh, you know, miss Briggs, I'm gonna make it, you know, to the NBA or to the NFL, and I'm going to become TikTok famous or I'm going to you know, I have this many views on here or I'm just gonna keep doing my gambling and make all this. But, you know, like, they they express all this stuff to me. And I think in my head, I'm like, well, what if those things don't work? What if you tear your ACL? What if you lose all your money in the stock market? What if you you know, it's like all these what ifs that they're not even thinking about because it well, a lot of it, it's not their money that they're really gambling away. Or or You know? Their brains are not fully developed, and so all they can think of is the impulse and the instant gratification Right. That they're getting, so there is no ability to have a long term Right. Thought about it. Right. This is where parents need to be involved and paying attention. Yes. But Chelsea said some of these parents are involved. Like, some of these parents do know that they're doing this, and they give their permission. Right. Because a lot of a lot of the parents, at least from what I've heard, you hear and and, again, this is just kids talking because they tell you everything. A lot of their parents are either involved in the financial world, or they're giving advice on who to who to pick for the games and whatever. You know what I mean? Like Oh my gosh. I hate to say that, but that's just the world we live in. Like, that's the reality of it. Nobody's questioning how that's really affecting these kids in the long run because you start getting them hooked on something that isn't necessarily feasible, and, you know, they think, oh, I may you know, let's be honest.$2,000 to a kid is a lot of money. Yeah. They're gonna think, oh, I made $2, and I can put in$200 into this or $400 into this, and then they lose everything, and then they're betting against their friends. It just becomes the whole thing. I come from a lot of experience with this. The addiction of gambling is just as serious as an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Parents, if you're listening and you're giving your kids permission to do this, I I really think that you need to look at this as the beginning of the possible addiction in the long run because the the, chemicals that are being released when they have a win is the same it it's the same ex your body is experiencing the same type of chemical release as when they get a high yes. Mhmm. Yeah. So I'm truly flabbergasted. I mean, I cannot believe that. I feel a little naive, actually, that I didn't even realize that that was such a big thing right now. Yeah. It's huge. I mean, especially I mean, like I said, a lot of this started, at least from what I've noticed, a lot of this started happening when, like, the hard rock released their gambling on the the app. And again, you can't control who's on an app. So, you know, kid says I'm over the age of whatever or it's connected to a parent's account. Nobody's monitoring that. You know? So that's one of the biggest issues that I've seen at least, like, within our generation of kids coming up. And So let me ask you this question. I know, right, it's a blur I I know as a teacher, right, you work with administration, but we're in a a huge school district. So Right. Seeing that this is a challenge in present day time, Is there education like, it would this be something that the school board decides, you know what? We should bring in a speaker to educate the students and the parents on, you know, state of things. Or right? Doesn't it seem like? Or they don't even have the time to do that? It's just resources. We don't have enough resources in our community or our school districts. I mean, like I said, as you know, teacher pay is not anything special. You can barely get people to show up for work. I mean, we have issues with subs all the time. I mean, we can't even get a sub in the classroom half the time. So it's like you can educate these parents and kids, but it's like how much enforcement is really going on? I mean, my biggest issue, at least with the cell phones, they passed, you know, something where you you can tell I can take away a kid's phone. It's not an issue anymore. But after, again, experiencing a tragedy, I'm very weary of, like, not have letting the kids have, like, like, at least their cell phone on their person. Right? Like, you just want them to have some sense of, like, okay. I can have access to my family if I need to in a in a heartbeat. But it's like but then you have access to all these other things on top of it. And for me, it's like I mean, again, I don't have children personally, but being involved as a you know, with these kids for so long, it you know, I've had parents call me in teacher parent conferences. Well, they're 16, and I don't know how to like, I can't do anything about it. And I'm like, but you can. You pay their bills. I'm like, you have access to cut off their Internet during the school day. You can do a lot of things, but you're choosing not to because you're you're you think your kid's not gonna like you, or they're gonna be upset with you. Like, it's like Yeah. This is where parents are afraid to be parents. They just want they're they wanna be the friend. Right. And I've heard this so many I mean, I've had parents even tell me, like, I'm done tea like, I'm done parenting, basically. And I'm like, if you look at if you feed and put a roof over your child's head, you're still parenting. And, you know, I I mean, you're there's I could I could go on with some stories, but I won't even bring them up because it's just horrifying. But there's just things that 1. Just come on. Give us 1. I mean, I I can tell you right now, a lot of these parents are very aware that their kids have fake IDs and wow them downtown and party it up. And Wait. Wait. They're driving them down and dropping them off to go to the club. Know what? Like, I someone told me the other day, a kid told me that, I guess, their child left their fake ID at the bar, and they called the bar. The parent called the bar and said, my my kid's ID is there. But we might wanna edit that one out there. I don't know. No. This is good stuff. Like, here, we thought we were just talking about teacher what you're you know? Classroom stuff. Classroom stuff. And, again, this is not Ellie. You know, this isn't every kid, but it's definitely as you can tell, it's a it's a it's a democratic happening. It's It's happening. And and like I said And these are conversations parents should openly be having with their kids and their families. Yeah. And they need to think about it with their spouse or if they're the only parent, like, how do I feel about this as a parent, and what do I want my rules to be? Right. And let's openly communicate it. Like, not, oh, let's turn, you know, line I. I do understand that parents wanna know where their kids are at. And I and I think there's that's where the the balance becomes a little weary because you don't want your kids thinking out and going out with a frenzy to to a to a bad situation. Right? You don't want that because you know where your child is at. And I also think if you're allowing your child to go into these adult situations at such a young age, you're not really, like, helping them in any sense of the word. Right? Like, it's not a sense of, like, there's gotta be a sense of being 16, maybe you can do this, but you're not allowed to do this. This is what adults do, and this is what 21 year olds do, not what 16, 17, 18 year olds do. And it's like, I know you wanna go out with your friends and have a good time, but you have so much time to do that in college. And I think once they get to college, they've already partied majority of the time, like, in real life adult situations that it's it's like, what what else is there left? Right. What's the next step? What are you gonna what's going to happen with them? Like, you're either gonna be down a path where you're just trying to find more excitement, which is not gonna be a good thing, or you're just you're gonna be so burnt out by the time, you know, you're in your early twenties that you're gonna be either wanting to drink all the time, you're not gonna be able to go out without vaping or doing whatever. Like, it's just it just doesn't harbor a good, like, relationship, and you lose a lot of your young years. Like, I tell kids all the time. I'm like, just be a kid. This is the only time in your life you don't have to worry about anything, and you're already like, I know that that that need of wanting to feel like an adult and feeling like you have all this, like, freedom, and I get it. We all felt that at one point. But it's like just you're gonna get it. It's only 2 more years. You're gonna get it. Just chill. Like So we started by asking you how things have changed from your 1st year till now. Would you say that that's a big one that you see kids starting and exploring younger than when you first started? I think with the vaping, with the Yeah. I mean, the vaping has always been a thing since I started. I think a lot of that was more hidden. I think kids hid that a lot more. Now you I mean, I hear parents that buy it for their kids. Like, it's just it's just a sense of wanting to be a friend, and I just think we need to start you know, again, I think there's said there's healthy boundaries. Right? Like, I always said that I had, like, a, I had a healthy fear of my mother. Right? Like, she wasn't horribly aggressive, but there was that sense of I didn't wanna disappoint her. And I think finding that balance of not wanting to disappoint your parents by maybe just saying, like, hey. Like, my friends vape, and I wanna try it. And then saying, you know, this is the reason why you shouldn't try. Like, being able to have those open conversations without just saying, okay. Well, here. I'll get it for you. I'll you can do it in my house. It's okay if it's as long as I know that it's going on. Right. That's that's definitely something I encountered a lot with my kids when they were in high school. We wanna be the house that not me, but parents that would be what they if they're they're gonna do it, let me give them a safe place to do it. I and I get that I get that mentality, but it it's like a boundary situation. Right? Like, your kids do not want to feel the need to do that in front of you because you allow it. It should be something like kids are gonna make mistakes, and they're gonna do things without you knowing. Right? But, like, if if there's, like, that little thing in the back of their head, like, well, I don't want I don't want them to find out because I don't want them to, like, be upset with me. I think parents having that healthy fear of, like, well, if you do this, I'm not gonna be mad at you. I'm not gonna punish you. I'm just gonna be very disappointed in your behavior. I think that hurts more than actually just yelling at them not to do it or just allowing them to do it. Well, but I also think that there should be the fear of a consequence too because, like, our our lives have consequences. Yes. And they should learn how that feels. Because if you're not ever afraid, right, of a consequence, like, we're taught, like, breaking laws and cheating and jail. Like, there there are serious life consequences. Life consequences. Yeah. I mean, it does. It affects them. How how does a child learn? I mean, they have to have them Yeah. And break them Right. To learn and know how that feels. Right. But a lot of a lot of parents don't even give them the opportunity to fail. So it's like, you know, it's like the sense of again, you know, I'm I don't wanna say how people should parent because I don't know, but and I don't think anyone really knows what the what what the right thing to do all the time is. But it's just a sense of, like, responsible boundaries. I just think there's things that kids should not be experiencing at their age because it's not really helping them grow into successful people. You know? It's just making them go down a path that they think is okay. And I'm sorry, but you don't want your kid to be an alcoholic at 21 years old. Like, that should not be a thing. You know? Like, where they feel or they were just addicted to nicotine because you're just, like, okay. It's as long as I buy it for you. Or Right. You know? So knowing all of these things. Right? From the moment you decided education or being a teacher is my thing to where you sit today. If you had to go back in time, would you do it all over again? Would you still choose the career as an educator? I mean, I will say this. Like, there's there's some times where I think about, oh, man. I'd be so much better off if I did x, y, and z. But, I I wake up every day, and I love going to work. I truly do. I don't stress. And I think before when I was doing the you know, when I was bartending and doing all these things beforehand, like, I would wake up dreading having to do the same thing every single day. Teaching really does keep me on my toes. I get to interact with kids all day that actually genuinely enjoy talking to me about life and their their problems and their things, and and and I just feel that I don't see myself like, I don't, like, I don't wanna define myself as, like, I'm a teacher because I'm more than just a teacher, but it really does bring a big joy to my life knowing that, like, at least one kid, like, can go on and do something that they love. And I tell them all the time. I'm like, if you wake up every day and love what you do, then you'll be you'll be fine. And I'm like, I don't make a lot of money. Advice. I I love what I do, and not not many people can say that. So Which is amazing. Right? I think as a parent, that's what you wanna hear. You wanna hear that when you send your children to school, that the people that are with them the most enjoy being there and enjoy doing their due diligence. And it sounds like they are very lucky for having you. Oh, that's sweet. Yeah. No. I mean, I don't know that they feel that way all the time when I give them exams, but, but I love them. And Listen. Another life lesson. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I I think I think just bringing them back to reality is, like, my biggest, you know, lesson in the classroom. Like, I try to tell them that nobody's gonna care about, like, who like, what makes you so special and so different than everybody else? Like, you have to be able to find your place and what makes you happy and what's your thing, and you can't let anybody else put you in a box. You know? And I think they put themselves in boxes a lot of the time. They think, well, I'm not good at this, so I'm not gonna do x, y, and z. Or I am supposed to just do this, and they don't kind of expand onto, like, bigger picture. You know? And I'm like, you guys have so many options, and you it's hard to see it now. But I'm like you have so many options to do so many great things and things that make you happy. And, you know, it's just I think just the support system. I think having a good support system is really one of the largest things that I can encourage. You know, just being able to have people that love you, that show you that, you know, whatever you choose to do, even if you fail, it's fine. Just get up and do it again, or get up and do something that makes you like, that's different. I I think just having that is super important. Do you have do you keep up a lot of relationships once your kids leave the clap your students leave the classroom? Do you keep up a lot I know I know your relationship with Ryan, with Carrie Sun, but do you have that with a lot of your students? I do, actually. So fun fun funny thing, during my, wedding, I did my first look with all my former students, and that was probably the the the highlight of my wedding. They all How many students did you have at your wedding or former students? 20 of them showed up. So that was amazing. How many did you have at your wedding? Ear in my eye. I have a tear in my eye because I saw the pictures, and Ryan was so blessed too and grateful to be one of them. So Well, I love Ryan. Ryan is is amazing. I mean, I that's funny enough. He actually came yesterday. You know, he was shooting the wedding, took pictures to the wedding, and he came by and watched the girls perform for for the LED dance. So he came and, you know, just the support. And I love that I can see them grow. I think that's, like, the biggest accomplishment for me is knowing that these kids are growing, that they're going through school. I have a lot of kids at FSU, USF, and they still keep in contact with me. And I wish I could've could've invited more, but, you know, it's not it's not, cheap to feed people. Right. I'm not gonna worry. So I have to be a little selective. But knowing that they they drove 5 hours because I had a out of state wedding, They drove 5 hours to be there Wow. Just kind of showed me that, like, I made some type of impact on their life. And Yeah. It's just a fudge impact. And it and it makes me you know, it's like that's why I do what I do. I don't do it for them to come back and see me or anything like that. It's just to know that they still need me in some small capacity to say, look. I did book what I did. You know? Like, I did it. Like, you know, you helped, and that makes me feel really good. And a lot of these kids, like, I do a lot of college advising on the side, and a lot of these kids, like, I help them through that whole process. And you can see, like, just the relationship that you know, forming a relationship with them, their parents, and their environment really kinda keeps them motivated. And it's just it was such a it was such a blessing to have all those kids come and be there for that moment, just knowing that they were just happy to see their teacher get married. You know? Wow. I I it's just unbelievable. And listening to you talk about how much I mean, it's clear how much you love your students and love what you do, so it's it's really not surprising that they wanna keep coming back to you. You've built such a strong relationship with these kids that they want to keep you in their life. Yeah. No. In their life. Yeah. No. It's it's it's it's honestly incredible. And like I said, my biggest thing is being able to see their journey and see them become successful in their own right is just I mean, it's priceless. You can't put a price on that. So I think we might have just come up with a title for our episode, something with priceless. Priceless. Priceless education. But Oh, I like it. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, we wanna thank you so much for spending your day off from teaching with us today. Actually, when it launches, it's not gonna be a day off from teaching. But, anyway, recorded on a day off from teaching. So thank you so much. Yes. A lot of eye opening discussions here. Thank you. And No problem. I now just thought of a new name for you because I couldn't figure it out at the beginning what to call you, but I think you've just earned the title of mama Briggs. Oh, thank you. So thank you. Thank you for everything. Nice pride. And I will and I wanna leave on to for being here. You guys are doing a great a great podcast. I think it's so important for parents to hear the other, like, perspectives and side of things, and I don't think they get that very often, especially, you know, you can't get that in a newsletter. So I think what you guys are doing is really impactful, and I and I really appreciate you giving, the parents a perspective of different viewpoints. I think it's super important for them to know a little bit more about what's going on in their child's lives and just being able to help into whatever way they can. Thank you for saying that, mama Brits. Alright. Well, that concludes our episode today. Please listen, like, and share with a friend. And if you have any questions or future episodes, topics you wanna hear, feel free to reach out to us at info at parent coaches unleashed.com. Thank you. Bye bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of parent coaches unleashed with Carrie and Jessica. Together, we can raise the next generation of independent, capable, and compassionate young adults. We encourage you to send us an email with questions and feedback to info at parent coaches unleashed.com. Please remember you are not alone on this parenting journey.