Beyond My Years

Springing forward and looking back, with Ana and Eric

• Amplify Education

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Today on Beyond My Years, host Ana Torres and Classroom Insider Eric Cross reconnect with three past guests—Fawn Nguyen, Rebecka Peterson, and Simone McQuaige—to explore key challenges from their early teaching days: classroom management, decentering oneself, and time management. Ana and Eric share their own experiences with these common hurdles, then offer a quick look at what’s ahead in Season 2.

Show notes:

Quotes:

" So my biggest mistake early on was needing to have the last word." - Fawn Nguyen

" Something I really struggled with and I actually took me several years to feel confident in how to manage my classroom in a way that like felt good and true to me." - Rebecka Peterson

" Looking back, I realized it would've been so helpful to have learned how to set boundaries for myself and prioritize task, and definitely build time for my own self-care." - A. Simone McQuaige


[00:00:00] Fawn Nguyen: It just reminded me of how powerful our stories can be in bringing people together and inspiring growth.

[00:00:10] Ana Torres: Welcome back, Eric Cross. How have you been?

[00:00:15] Eric Cross: I've been good. It's good to be back, and we're getting close to the end of the school year and so all the end of the school year stuff is happening right now, and it's a lot, but it's good.

[00:00:25] Ana Torres: Yeah. End-of-the-school-year excitement, of ending, but also sadness because that group of students will be moving on to the next thing. Right?

[00:00:35] Eric Cross: Yeah. And it's also, it can be a bittersweet time.

[00:00:38] Ana Torres: Yeah.

[00:00:38] Eric Cross: Because you're at the end and there's that temptation... I like to hike, so we always say, "Don't drop your pack." You don't want to take your pack off until you get to the campsite, because once you get it off, it's hard to put it back on.

And so we've got to finish strong. Start strong. Finish strong. Then, when we get to the end, then we can relax and get some good rest and recovery over the summer.

[00:00:59] Ana Torres: Well, I'm glad to be back with you. We've had this little intermission time. Right? And so, I've had some time to reflect around Season 1, and I'm curious how you felt about Season 1. Do you have any big takeaways?

[00:01:16] Eric Cross: Well, I think first, and first and foremost, I feel incredibly privileged to be able to listen, up close and behind the scenes, to these amazing educators.

But I think the one thing, I'm not going to have three today, I have one, and it's that the elements that contribute to effective teaching, they look the same despite our location or our students or our schools and our situations. Good teaching is good teaching, and yes, we change certain things, but overall there was that theme was running through each person that you were talking to.

[00:01:43] Ana Torres: I couldn't agree with you more. For me, the main takeaway was, things aren't so different. I have been in this field for almost 30 years, have been in and out of the classroom for most of that time. I'm now removed about two, three years. But the same thing holds true. Educators who are in this profession want to do the best by kids, but they also want to be supported in order to do the best by kids. So, advice that I used to get 25, 30 years ago still holds true today.

[00:02:13] Eric Cross: Yeah, good advice is timeless and I think that might be why... Why don't you share? I think it resonated with a lot of people, so much so that we have something to celebrate now.

[00:02:26] Ana Torres: We do.

[00:02:26] Eric Cross: I'll let you share it. I'll let you share it.

[00:02:28] Ana Torres: Drum roll. So, listeners, as you can tell, Eric and I are very excited. And before we tell you what we're up to today, we want to share some just very exciting news that we got last month. Thanks to your unwavering support, Beyond My Years was honored with the People's Voice Award at the Webby Awards in the Health, Science, and Education category.

And can I tell you, just as I look at Eric, we are so grateful to all of you for listening, for getting your families, your students, and voting for us. We did this together.

[00:03:07] Eric Cross: To win an award, it's like, oh, you all really like us. You really like us. And I just want to thank all the educators and students, my students' families.

I think of us as a mouthpiece in a way to amplify teacher voices and educator voices. It felt like we were connected and we're all really uplifting each other. And so, thanks everyone.

[00:03:28] Ana Torres: Yes. Thank you so much. But let's get back to what we're really here. You're probably wondering what's going on today. What is this episode about? Right?

So we decided to check back with a few of our Season 1 guests. We're also going to have a question for each of them. Right, Eric? What are we going to be doing with this question?

[00:03:51] Eric Cross: Yeah, we want a question that's going to give you a insight into what we're going to talk about in the next season. And so, we're going to give you a little glimpse into what's going to happen coming in Season 2.

[00:04:00] Ana Torres: Yeah. So we're going to give you a little teaser, but you're going to have to stick around until the end of the episode to hear more about new developments for Season 2.

[00:04:11] Eric Cross: Yeah. So hang tight for that.

[00:04:13] Ana Torres: All right. So. Ooh, this Season 1 guest, Eric, one of my favorites. Well, actually, they're all my favorites. Isn't that like what mom and dad say to all their kids? You're all my favorite.

[00:04:25] Eric Cross: But I feel like I'm with you. I feel like in this situation, it's legit. How do you pick a... I think it would to be fair to say we have multiple favorites in different categories.

[00:04:32] Ana Torres: We do.

[00:04:32] Eric Cross: Can we say that?

[00:04:33] Ana Torres: Yes. But let's... this first season guest is Fawn Nguyen. We're checking back in with her, longtime math educator, and she joined us for Episode 3. Now, I was excited to tell Fawn that her episode really resonated with listeners. Here's what she had to say.

[00:04:54] Fawn Nguyen: I didn't think whatever I have to say, it's worth anything, but, so thank you so much. I mean, I definitely love what I do, so that, I guess, resonates and...

[00:05:05] Ana Torres: It did.

[00:05:05] Fawn Nguyen: Yeah, because I do say it the way I see it.

[00:05:09] Ana Torres: Yeah. And I think that's why that episode was a good one. And I can tell you that our listeners would love to hear what is happening with Fawn now.

[00:05:20] Fawn Nguyen: Thank you. Well, I've been good, still traveling, and speaking with teachers and districts. I try to get into the classrooms, which is my favorite part. And also, my favorite part is I get to leave, like an uncle or grandma visiting. You get to leave. I don't have to grade papers or call parents.

[00:05:41] Ana Torres: So, Eric, what did you think of Fawn's response?

[00:05:46] Eric Cross: I love the fact that she gets to leave like a grandparent. And she doesn't need to deal with the stuff that she needs to grade. Although I love being in the classroom, but she just hit on the two things. I just imagined her going in, doing her thing, sharing her wisdom, and then she's like, "All right. Take care everybody." Give a couple candies out to some students and then, "All right, bye."

[00:06:03] Ana Torres: But the fact that she, although she's not currently in the classroom, sees so much value going back, I do appreciate that about her. And she was very humble, too. She didn't really realize how much her episode resonated with folks. But then there was a question that we had for every single Season 1 guest we brought back. Let's take a listen to what I asked Fawn.

What's a topic or a challenge that was especially relevant to you when you were a newer teacher?

[00:06:33] Fawn Nguyen: Classroom management. Classroom management was the most challenging part for me. And I think part of the challenge, I think had to do with the way I was raised or I grew up going to a Catholic school in Vietnam where we get hit routinely.

So it was strict, ridiculously so.

[00:06:52] Ana Torres: Mm-hmm.

[00:06:53] Fawn Nguyen: And so, once I started teaching, of course corporal punishment was never a thought on my mind, but I did want respect.

[00:06:59] Ana Torres: Sure.

[00:07:00] Fawn Nguyen: Please and thank you, not talking back, and just general politeness and respect. And there was definitely tension between wanting that respect and also not really knowing what I was doing.

I mean, how do you earn respect when you're brand new and kind of flailing? And I remember being surprised by how freely American students talked. And I loved it. I mean, I wanted that. I wanted kids to feel comfortable and to speak up, but at the same time, I also needed some sense of decorum. Right?

[00:07:31] Ana Torres: Right.

[00:07:31] Fawn Nguyen: Like, can you not talk when someone is talking? Can you raise your hands once in a while? I was struggling to find that balance. Speak freely, yes, but also respectfully. Trying to figure out how to build mutual respect with students, but it took me a long time to learn that management isn't about control.

[00:07:51] Ana Torres: Ooh.

[00:07:51] Fawn Nguyen: Yeah. It's about relationships, consistency and knowing what, knowing what you're okay letting go of, what your boundaries are, and what you're not. And so, my biggest mistake early on was needing to have the last word.

[00:08:08] Ana Torres: And you always bring, I mean, this is from even the prior episode, not to interrupt you. You always bring up the word mistake. Right?

[00:08:15] Fawn Nguyen: Yeah.

[00:08:15] Ana Torres: I would venture to say your, your area of challenge. Right? Because when we... Mistake is so like final. Right? You were able to come back from that.

[00:08:25] Fawn Nguyen: Thank you for reminding me.

[00:08:26] Ana Torres: Softer word Dr. Nguyen. I was going to call you Dr. Nguyen, too. Softer word Fawn. Softer word.

[00:08:32] Fawn Nguyen: You can call me doctor. Right. Thank you.

So, my biggest challenge, thank you for that, was on needing to have the last word. And, you know, I'm in charge. Right? Because I feel like, okay, well, because I'm in charge, I'll show you who is in control. And of course, that was no way to have a relationship with students or with anyone, really.

[00:08:52] Ana Torres: Give me a time of when you had a hard day and that hit you and you're like, "Wait a minute. Maybe I need to do a little better in this area."

[00:09:01] Fawn Nguyen: Okay. I thought this was a short podcast because there's not enough time for me to tell you, to tell you all the hard days.

[00:09:09] Ana Torres: Well, give me one. Just give me one, Fawn.

[00:09:12] Fawn Nguyen: There was one time where a student was just being disrespectful. To me, it was disrespectful, and it had to do with a lie. Instead of being the adult in the room, seriously, I was just like, "Well, you're lying, and stop it," instead of just letting it go, because really, because that's what as an adult you would do.

I didn't let it go, and the most unfortunate part, I think, is it went home with me. It made it stressful. I couldn't sleep well, that kind of thing. But to my credit, I'll go ahead and... It was a new day. The next day was a new day, because it was, it was, I did know that was just a student's behavior. And it was not the student. It was that moment.

[00:09:55] Ana Torres: So, we've had some time to digest that, and let's see if we can unpack that a little bit.

What are your thoughts, Classroom Insider, on her challenge of classroom management?

[00:10:08] Eric Cross: If we click on that, there's a whole bunch of things that come out from classroom management. There's a lot that you can say, but I'm going to focus on what she talked about, about the sense of needing to be right.

[00:10:17] Ana Torres: Mm.

[00:10:17] Eric Cross: And as a teacher, when you are in the classroom, you have your own experiences that you see, that you filter things through, and your own belief system about things. But then you have 30 plus other students that have all different backgrounds, that have all different dynamics with adults, and then you have relationships with each other and all of that. That's a lot.

[00:10:36] Ana Torres: It is.

[00:10:37] Eric Cross: There's an art and science to classroom management and when she said, "Needing to be right," like I thought about ego. We all have it. You stand up and you talk in front of people all day.

[00:10:45] Ana Torres: Absolutely.

[00:10:46] Eric Cross: So, that sense of needing to be right, but realizing that you don't need to be right right now.

[00:10:51] Ana Torres: Ooh.

[00:10:51] Eric Cross: And the needing to be right right now can sometimes get in the way of learning and reflection if it's me against you, versus me and you versus the problem, and not, and reminding the students that I'm not your enemy in this. But that can be hard to do when you're hot and you're in that moment. Right?

[00:11:07] Ana Torres: Right. And the other students are watching your reaction and what you're going to do.

[00:11:11] Eric Cross: There's an audience. There's literally an audience watching you do life in real time. Imagine arguing or having a hot, a heated situation with someone you really care about, a significant other, and there's an audience of people watching, like it's a sport. That's a lot. That's a lot. So...

[00:11:26] Ana Torres: Yeah.

[00:11:27] Eric Cross: I think everybody who has spent any time in the classroom can resonate with classroom management and the challenges that that brings.

[00:11:33] Ana Torres: I remember this young man that I had, and I loved this child, but he would drive my nerves because he was a doodler. And so, I'm up there. I'm teaching. I spent all this time with my lesson. All the other kids are sitting there, listening, excited. And my friend was doodling all the time. And so, to me, that was off task. To me, that was disrespectful. Like, how dare you be doing something else? And I think the children would see me cringe. I never got out of pocket. But it's like, "Can you, can you listen to what Ms. Torres is saying? I need you to be paying attention." And he would always say, "I am." And I would always say, "But you're not, because your eyes aren't following me. You're not tracking me." All of that fun stuff.

To the point where he would just then start... It got from doodling to "I'm not paying attention. I'm not even going to doodle. I'm not going to look at you." So, I saw that as defiant. I literally had to have a conversation with him afterwards and say, "What is going on?" He's like, "Ms. Torres, I'm listening to you. Doodling just helps me relax." Come to find out this poor baby had some severe ADHD issues.

And so, you know what I started doing? "You know what, can you give me this five minutes? I will let you doodle X time." And it was, it was a plan that worked out great. A simple conversation with this child made our relationship so much better. And so, that's advice that I have for folks is, "Talk to your students." Right?

And Fawn felt disrespected, too. Talk to the student and find out what's going on. So to this day, this child always stays on my mind. So I always think about what does disrespect really mean? That wasn't being disrespectful, because he could literally answer any question I would ask him. And that would also frustrate me, too.

So, I can totally resonate with Fawn and her frustration of being right and being in control, because that's all... Being right means "I'm in control here."

[00:13:27] Eric Cross: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I agree.

[00:13:29] Ana Torres: See, I can drop wisdom nuggets just like Eric Cross. Now, we're going to move, because he's the hashtag guy. He always has these nuggets that he drops, and I'm always jotting down on a little pad I have next to my microphone.

So, thank you, Fawn.

Now, we also had an opportunity to reconnect with Rebecka Peterson.

Rebecka, so good to see you again.

[00:13:55] Rebecka Peterson: It's so good to see you. So good to see you.

[00:13:56] Ana Torres: Thank you so much for taking part in this.

[00:14:01] Rebecka Peterson: Oh my gosh, thank you. It's so fun. This is just, it's such a great podcast.

[00:14:05] Ana Torres: Rebecka was the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, and she joined us on Episode 7 of our first season.

[00:14:15] Rebecka Peterson: I guess I had finished my year of service when I talked to you all. I had just finished. I think what really resonated was just having grace for ourselves and like loving unconditionally.

[00:14:28] Ana Torres: Rebecka was back with her joyful spirit. What did you think?

[00:14:32] Eric Cross: Loving unconditionally and giving grace to yourself. Can we just put that at the end of every podcast?

[00:14:37] Ana Torres: And I'm not surprised that those are the words that Rebecka Peterson spoke. She's just a person that really accentuates love and joy and inclusion.

So, it was so great to have her back. And of course, I asked Rebecka about a topic or a challenge that was specifically relevant to her when she was a newer teacher. Here's what she had to say about that.

[00:15:00] Rebecka Peterson: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's a lot, but there's, I think sort of like really granularly and then I can also think a more like zoomed-out topic.

But I think if I like zoom in, something that I really needed help with, which is interesting because, so I taught at the college level for three years and then like I say, very adorably thought I could just jump into the high school level. And I did that 13 years ago. So I started teaching at the high school level.

And, smart phones were like starting to be a big thing, phones in general, like even flip phones and texting. It was a big, and still is obviously, just a really big thing. That was, in terms of like classroom management, something I really struggled with, and it really actually took me several years to feel like confident in how to manage my classroom in a way that like felt good and true to me. And I ended up having a pretty strict cell phone policy.

[00:16:09] Ana Torres: Any other topic or challenge that you wish you would've been able to have someone guide you through?

[00:16:17] Rebecka Peterson: Yeah, and I'm curious if you relate to this as well, coming from the college classroom first.

[00:16:23] Ana Torres: Yes.

[00:16:23] Rebecka Peterson: Another thing I struggled with, but honestly I didn't realize I was struggling with it for an embarrassing amount of time, was coming from the college classroom, I was really used to like being the sage on stage, as they say. I was like, I just need to explain this math problem beautifully, and if I color code and, I dunno, talk slow, it'll be great. And what I've learned from my dear colleagues who have been so patient with me in the high school classroom, it's so important to de-center yourself.

[00:16:58] Ana Torres: Yes.

[00:16:58] Rebecka Peterson: And to make students the center of the classroom and make sure that their voices, their questions, their comments, their answers are elevated. Right? And I still believe like teachers need to be content experts. I don't want that to be misconstrued whatsoever.

[00:17:16] Ana Torres: Right.

[00:17:16] Rebecka Peterson: I just think the person, as we say, the person doing the work is the person doing the learning. Right?

[00:17:23] Ana Torres: Ooh.

[00:17:23] Rebecka Peterson: And so I think had I taken data and clocked the amount of time I spent talking in my first years versus my students.

[00:17:34] Ana Torres: Yeah.

[00:17:35] Rebecka Peterson: That pie chart would've been really skewed towards whatever color my time was.

[00:17:42] Ana Torres: Wow. So, similar challenges like Fawn, but different perspective on being the center, being on stage for students. What are your thoughts about what she just said, Eric?

[00:17:56] Eric Cross: I was fortunate to come into education when this movement had already taken root, as far as being the sage on the stage versus the guide on the side.

[00:18:05] Ana Torres: Ooh. I like that.

[00:18:06] Eric Cross: Right? That's what they say. That was it. So we were trying to be the guide on the side, and when I was in my program, that was a thing. And so I was thankful to be indoctrinated into that. Right? But I didn't go to school with that. I went to school with a lecture and you always teach like how you learned, but I'm grateful for my professors when I was in my program to have learned how to teach that way.

I get it. We feel like we're getting through the content when we're doing direct instruction, and I can control pacing. It can be wild when you're letting students develop their own learning. It's messy and it's sticky. But I think now in my career, I find myself getting really uncomfortable if I talk longer than 10 or 15 minutes.

I actually will say, "I'm talking way too much. I should give you just enough instruction so that you know what to do. Now do something with it." And I think a lot of, I see a lot of educators doing the same, but I definitely get it as far as wanting to have that control and get through your content.

[00:19:07] Ana Torres: I liked what she said, the word of "Decenter yourself."

[00:19:11] Eric Cross: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[00:19:12] Ana Torres: Because that is how we come into a classroom. I always felt I had to be on. I remember I had a colleague across from me. She would do short snippets of instruction and allow children to go in, get in corners, and get under desks and have conversations.

And to me, that felt like it's not organized in there. I don't want my principal walking in thinking learning isn't happening, because that's not what learning looks like. But wow, they were learning. I remember walking in and going under desks and asking students, and just the fact, the joy they had from being able to have conversations in the classroom.

So the magic of... It was hard for me to try it because I like to have the control. But when I would go in her classroom and just the vibrance and the students talking, and I would catch these students in the hallways talking like about what they're learning, that is magical. That was like a ding-ding, like light bulb for me, that in my second and third year, I eased into it.

It took me a little bit of time. I had to, and I didn't know that it was decentering myself. It allowed the space for them to learn and use their critical thinking skills. Because as teachers, as educators, we're so scared of that. We're so scared that children may have a different way of learning something than what's in the math book or what's in the, or what we're supposed to be teaching.

The magical moments always came when children were able to say, "Ms. Torres, I have a new way of solving that. You want to hear it?"

[00:20:46] Eric Cross: Mm-hmm.

[00:20:46] Ana Torres: And I'm like, "Well, yeah." "It's not the way you taught me, but I have a new way of..." Oh, it's freeing, isn't it, Eric, to be able to see children learning on their terms, too? I found it magical.

[00:20:59] Eric Cross: I agree. It is. It is. And you have to, I think you also have to get through that.scary part too. I think that's...

[00:21:06] Ana Torres: Yes.

[00:21:06] Eric Cross: I want to normalize that.

[00:21:07] Ana Torres: Yes.

[00:21:07] Eric Cross: It's only scary because it's unfamiliar and then once you get past that, it is really liberating. Student learning isn't linear. We treat it like it is because we have a pacing guide.

[00:21:16] Ana Torres: Right, right.

[00:21:17] Eric Cross: But sometimes it zigzags. Sometimes it goes back.

[00:21:20] Ana Torres: That's it.

So, wow. Two great guests. We also had our third guest, Simone McQuaige, who, oh my gosh, just her soft-spokenness and her, just her changemaker ways that she didn't even realize. She's like, "Ana." I'm like, "You created change in a whole district, which in turn created change in a whole state."

So, wonderful exchange with Simone, the, what we like to refer to her as, the literacy leader from Maryland. Let's get a little update from her and see how she's doing.

[00:21:55] A. Simone McQuaige: Since being on the podcast, I've had some amazing conversations with family, friends, and colleagues who shared similar experiences from their own journeys as educators. I've also had the opportunity to connect with teachers who are eager to grow their own professional networks. Some have even asked me to mentor them.

Honestly, it's been such a rewarding experience. It just reminded me of how powerful our stories can be, and bringing people together and inspiring growth.

[00:22:36] Ana Torres: It's always so great to hear from Simone.

[00:22:38] Eric Cross: She's so cool.

[00:22:39] Ana Torres: She is.

[00:22:40] Eric Cross: Just so smooth. Just so cool. So great to hear again.

[00:22:44] Ana Torres: So passionate about the work. I like how she's like, "Oh, you know what? I've been keeping up with folks and folks even wanting to get mentored."

So, let's take a little listen to now hear what she had to say about her early years in the classroom and then the area that she could have used some guidance and support in.

[00:23:02] A. Simone McQuaige: When I think back to my early years in the classroom, one area where I definitely could have used more guidance is time management. As a new teacher, I was constantly juggling lesson planning and grading and trying to create engaging experiences for my students, all while staying late and taking work home.

I just didn't have the systems or strategies to manage my time effectively, and it often left me feeling overwhelmed. Looking back, I realize it would've been so helpful to have learned how to set boundaries for myself and prioritize tasks, and definitely build time for my own self-care.

[00:24:02] Ana Torres: Wow. I don't know if you recall in Season 1, we had quite a few of our guests mention self-care being important.

How did this resonate with you, Eric?

[00:24:13] Eric Cross: I think this is something that I've had to... It's taken years for me to evolve, to get to a place of what I consider to be balance. I come from a hustle-and-grind culture, and I have that mindset, so when I first started in education, I was here closing down the school. Right? It was nighttime.

[00:24:31] Ana Torres: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:32] Eric Cross: I know when it's time for me to leave because there's a lady who sells tamales out on the outside in a cart. She's yelling it and she has the loudest voice, but when she starts yelling, I know I have to go home. It's usually around seven o'clock. That was me in the first few years.

[00:24:45] Ana Torres: Yeah.

[00:24:46] Eric Cross: But what I slowly started to realize, and maybe it's some of it's generational, but this balance of taking care of yourself and making sure that you're okay because you need that to be able to show up for your students. Otherwise, we just kind of burn out. Having those systems and strategies.

And one simple thing... I get really excited about my projects that I create. I get super amped. I was like, "Okay, this is going to be great. It's going to be engaging. It's going to hit multiple modalities of learning. They're going to make websites. They're going to do all of this. They're going to debate." And then I go, "Wait a second, I'm going to have to grade this."

[00:25:19] Ana Torres: Right.

[00:25:19] Eric Cross: And I'm trying to do this at the end of the school year and factoring that into how much capacity I have in my day. And then, how am I going to grade this? Can I do this throughout the project? Can I involve peer grading?

[00:25:33] Ana Torres: Right.

[00:25:33] Eric Cross: Can I only grade a portion of it, even though it's a big deal? I'm only looking at a portion of this, and these were things that I picked up along the way that would've been really helpful to have folks like Simone or Fawn or anyone, I want to say, almost give me permission to do.

[00:25:51] Ana Torres: Yes.

[00:25:52] Eric Cross: And this is one of the things I'm really grateful for, for a lot of the folks that are still mentoring, is we need those veteran teachers, or what do you call them? The teachers? You call them...

[00:26:03] Ana Torres: Seasoned. Seasoned.

[00:26:04] Eric Cross: Seasoned, yes. I think seasoned teachers now are more critical than ever because they can validate and almost give permission to newer teachers to say, "Hey, look, it's okay that you are going home at four to take care of your family. It is okay that you're taking the weekend to yourself."

[00:26:24] Ana Torres: Well, and I think seasoned teachers, that includes both of us, because you're in your second decade, so you're part of this year, unfortunately, we wore the "I worked 12 hours a day" as a badge of honor. Right?

[00:26:38] Eric Cross: Yeah.

[00:26:38] Ana Torres: Wow. Yes. I've worked. For the first three years, I worked 12 hours a day, and I was, "This is a badge of honor."

[00:26:45] Eric Cross: Mm-hmm.

[00:26:45] Ana Torres: Until my mentor teacher said, "It's really not, Ana. Everything you touch does not have to be graded."

[00:26:51] Eric Cross: Mm-hmm.

[00:26:52] Ana Torres: You know, I realized that isn't a badge of honor when I'm not taking care of myself. I wasn't taking care of my marriage. There's a lot of things to be lost when you don't take care of you. And I'm not going to be the best teacher if I'm not taking care of myself. I was a much better educator when I also took care of myself and said, "This can wait until tomorrow."

[00:27:13] Eric Cross: Yes.

[00:27:14] Ana Torres: This can wait until tomorrow. And the way that Simone put it, "It's not a badge of honor to work 12 hours a day and burn out." So, I appreciate it, the way she eloquently put it all.

[00:27:24] Eric Cross: Yeah, me too.

[00:27:25] Ana Torres: And the way that you just did. It's okay.

So, to that point, we hope that you enjoyed some of those updates, and now we're very excited to tell you about Season 2.

Our Season 2 is starting this fall. As you can see, we've been asking a question of all of the former guests, a question about a challenge or a situation that they faced. And so, what Eric and I are going to do in Season 2, right, Eric?

[00:27:54] Eric Cross: Yep.

[00:27:55] Ana Torres: We are going to take these topics head on. So, in each episode we're going to build around tackling a different teaching challenge and we'll be joined by some amazing guests with particular experience on that issue. So, that's a little bit of a shift from Season 1. Some of these topics suggested by Fawn, Rebecka, and Simone, time management, classroom management, we'll be taking those on.

We want you to stay tuned to this podcast feed and Amplify social channels for more from us, and we'll be sharing more information about Season 2 and also dropping an episode with a very special guest. Stay tuned for that.

So until next time, remember to reach out to seasoned educators in your life, and please say, "Thank you." What are your final words, Eric?

[00:28:49] Eric Cross: We'll see you in Season 2.

[00:28:50] Ana Torres: Woo-hoo.

We can't wait to tell you more about Season 2 coming this fall, but remember even before that, we're cooking up a special episode that will drop this summer. It's going to feature someone you're probably familiar with, but I promise you haven't heard her in quite this way. Yes. You heard the word her. Remember to stay tuned to Amplify on all social media for more clues about that, as well as our big plans for Season 2.

Beyond My Years is brought to you by Amplify. I'm your host, Ana Torres. Our Classroom Insider is Eric Cross. Our music is by Andrew Smolin. And one final reminder to please reach out and say "Thank you" to a seasoned educator who has shaped your life.

Thanks again for listening.

[00:29:50] Eric Cross: Loving unconditionally and giving grace to yourself. Can we just put that at the end of every podcast?