Inspire Shasta, Episode 21: Building Innovators: How STEM is Transforming Learning

Guests:

• Brian Grigsby
• Kadence Angel
• Catherine Thompson

In this episode of Inspire Shasta, we explore how STEM and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs are transforming learning for students across Shasta County. From robotics and CAD design to collaborative math classrooms and NASA-inspired projects, this conversation highlights the power of hands-on learning, creativity, critical thinking, and student voice. 

In This Episode

•  How CTE courses connect students to real-world careers 
•  The impact of hands-on STEM learning and industry certifications 
•  Why failure, collaboration, and critical thinking matter in education 
•  New approaches to math instruction focused on confidence and problem-solving 
•  How student voice and peer collaboration are shaping classrooms 
•  The importance of industry partnerships and career exploration opportunities 
•  Encouragement for students to step outside their comfort zones and try new experiences 

Highlights from the Conversation

•  Brian Grigsby shares how students design robotics systems, spacecraft concepts, and 3D models using professional-level software and technology. 
•  Kadence Angel explains how self-paced, project-based learning has helped her build confidence, earn industry certifications, and explore future career pathways. 
•  Catherine Thompson discusses efforts across Shasta County to reimagine math instruction through collaboration, problem-solving, and “Building Thinking Classrooms.” 
•  The group discusses how creating safe spaces for mistakes helps students develop resilience, confidence, and deeper learning. 

Memorable Quotes

“You’re getting more than a grade. You’re getting experience that you can translate into proper fields.” — Kadence Angel 

“Learn how to fail, and learn how to do it well.” — Brian Grigsby 

“The more we can get kids talking and collaborating within a classroom, I truly believe that’s how they start seeing themselves as mathematicians.” — Catherine Thompson 

Resources & Topics Mentioned

•  Career Technical Education (CTE) 
•  Robotics and industrial automation 
•  CAD and 3D design software 
•  NASA design challenges 
•  Building Thinking Classrooms 
•  Industry certifications in AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, and SolidWorks 
•  Rural Math Collaborative 

Closing Thoughts

This episode is a powerful reminder that education is about much more than grades. It’s about creating environments where students feel safe to explore, collaborate, fail forward, and discover what excites them. Whether through STEM, math, engineering, or hands-on career pathways, students across Shasta County are building skills that will prepare them for whatever comes next.

Transcript

Inspire Shasta Episode 21 - STEM CTE

Maggie Joyce: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Inspire Shasta. Today's episode is all about STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math, and the exciting ways these fields are shaping opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom. Joining us today is Brian Grigsby, a career and technical education teacher at Shasta High School; Kadence Angel, an 11th grade student sharing her firsthand perspective on STEM learning; and Catherine Thompson, director of school and district support at SCOE, who is helping reimagine how students experience math across the county.

Welcome, guys. 

Catherine Thompson: Hello. Thank you. Nice to be here. Hi. It's 

Brian Grigsby: good to be here. 

Maggie Joyce: We are excited to have you. 

Jenn Cobb: Uh, just so to start all of us off, here at Inspire Shasta, we always open with our signature question. And so, uh, that will be, if you could go back to any grade in school for a day, which would it be and why?

And so let's start with Catherine. 

Catherine Thompson: I think I would probably go back to eighth grade and just tell my eighth grade self not to worry too much because everybody else is feeling just as [00:01:00] insecure as I was at that point in time. 

Maggie Joyce: Kadence, how about for you? 

Kadence Angel: Um, I would probably go back to freshman year. I know it's not that long ago, but that was probably my favorite year. It was my first year of CAD, and adapting to all my classes was really fun. 

Brian Grigsby: I would have to say that, uh, I would go back to be a freshman, uh, just because of knowing, I think, all of the opportunities that are available to high school students and what I would probably...

Even though I know back then it was a little bit different than it is today, I still think I would choose to do some different things that I did then, um, knowing what I know now. 

Maggie Joyce: Right. Yeah. Wouldn't that be great to go back? 

Brian Grigsby: Oh, my goodness. Yeah. I'd take auto shop so I don't have to take my car everywhere and, "Could you fix this?

Could you fix that?" I would be like, "I can fix that." So that's what I would do. 

Maggie Joyce: I would take carpentry. 

Brian Grigsby: See, yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 'Cause I would love to be able to build things with wood and furniture. Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. Well, thank you guys for sharing. Um, Brian, speaking of high school, can you tell us a little bit about [00:02:00] your role at Shasta and the type of classes that you teach?

Brian Grigsby: Yeah, absolutely. So by trade, I am actually a biology teacher, if you can believe it. I've taught biology and earth science and all of the things, all of that above, and, and, uh, it's been amazing. But I teach now CTE classes, classes which is, uh, career tech education classes. So I teach, uh, robotics, um, two different types.

I teach industrial robotics, where we give kids kind of an overview of, um, w- how robots are, are used and how robotics are used in industry today, from, uh, whether it be automated systems in drones. We teach them how to fly drones. We, uh, get into robot arms, Arduino programming, all of that stuff. So that's...

We kinda give them a flavor, kind of a Robotics 101. And then I also teach a space science and engineering class, which is a little bit more of a broad-based looking into how does space science, um, uh, interact with robotic systems and integrate a lot of the building and engineering as, as part of that as well, and try to interject some of the [00:03:00] space science piece into the robotics and automation.

And then I also teach a CAD class, which is computer-aided design, and, and I've been teaching that for a couple of years, three years now, um, where kids are, are learning from very basics on how to design, how to create and engineer all of the things that we see, architecture and engineering and mechanical systems.

So that's the, uh, that's the other class I teach as well. 

Maggie Joyce: And are those, um, classes available to all grade levels at Shasta High School? 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. So, typically we ... I, I see pretty much all the grades, ninth through 12th grades. Um, usually what we try to do is encourage kids to take a, an introductory class called Exploring Engineering, for example, and that gets them introduced to the basics of all of the things they might experience through our engineering program that we have at Shasta.

Uh, but um, I've, I've seen freshmen all the way up through, you know, kids taking it their senior year realizing, "Why didn't I take this sooner?" So I see 'em all over. Which 

Maggie Joyce: is why you wanna go back to freshman year. 

Brian Grigsby: Boom. Yeah. That's it. Exactly. 

Jenn Cobb: And so speaking of [00:04:00] kids at Shasta High, Kadence, you are in one of Mr.

Grigsby's classes right now. Is this your first CTE experience, and what has been your experience being in that class? 

Kadence Angel: This is not my first CTE experience. Okay. I've been doing CTE classes since freshman year. 

Jenn Cobb: Okay. 

Kadence Angel: And I actually did start with a CAD class, but with Brett Barnes instead of Mr.

Grigsby. Um, and in these classes, I feel like I learn so many different programs. Yeah. Um, they reach really far into what you do in the real industry- Yeah ... and what I would really be working with. 

Jenn Cobb: Well, that's really, really cool. Um, what has been one of your favorite parts of the class, or the classes that you've been in? 

Kadence Angel: It's self-paced. Yeah. And so I don't need to really worry. Of course, we have deadlines- Yeah ... but they're way more flexible than a [00:05:00] traditional class.

That's cool. I can do it at my own pace. Yeah. So that means I can get super ahead, and then I can kinda work on my own separate projects, testing out the- That's awesome ... softwares that I have done. So I've been making insects recently, even though I'm not supposed to be making insects- ... in class. 

Jenn Cobb: Wait, how do these insects look?

Kadence Angel: Like the real bugs. Oh. Like the real deal. Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Jenn Cobb: Shut up. They are real 

Kadence Angel: No, I, um, 3D designed them in a software called SolidWorks. And so they actually have realistic-looking legs and wings and spots. So are you 

Maggie Joyce: creating, like, all the code to be able to design it, or is it a 3D printer? 

Brian Grigsby: That's, that's one of the things that they can do, is actually take things like what Kadence is doing, and you can, you can 3D print.

A lot of the kids design their own things. In fact, uh, we can-- We might have teachers come to us saying, "I- I'm missing this plastic foot on this particular, you know, [00:06:00] scale," or whatever it is. I will give that thing to a student of mine. I'm like, "Can you model that?" And they'll measure it in real space, in real time, and then by the end of the day, they're like, "Does this work?"

Uh, it's amazing what the kids can design and do, and it really is very practical. And what Kadence is doing is, is very similar to that. Just, they can design their own things, and what that does is that kind of opens the floodgates for them to say, "Well, I just learned something. I'm excited about it. I think I can di- design something practical as well."

Maggie Joyce: That's fantastic. And also the autonomy to be able to- Mm-hmm ... to do the work at your self-pace, and so if you wanna catch up and then you have the freedom to be able to explore some other areas, that, that is really fantastic that that space is created for you to be able to learn and explore and critically think, all of those sort of things.

That's amazing. I want to now enroll in... 

Catherine Thompson: Yeah. I'm wondering if these bugs ever turn up someplace that they shouldn't and scare people. 

Brian Grigsby: Oh, Kadence, that's a great idea. We've got 14 days of school left. I think you could figure that one out. I can. Okay. I can. 

Maggie Joyce: I heard [00:07:00] that. She's like, "The wheels are turning."

There you go. So it sounds to me like there is a lot on the engineering and robotics side. And we have Catherine here to kind of talk a little bit about her work in math and the things that you're doing around the county. Um, you are a former math teacher for many years in Shasta County. Is that correct?

Catherine Thompson: That's correct. Um, I was, had the great opportunity to teach out at Grant School and teaching junior high math, um, for a number of years, and then I was an intervention teacher and helping to support math before I went into administration and then finally back to my love of math within the county office.

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And can you tell us a little bit about what your work now looks like in supporting schools and educators across Shasta County? 

Catherine Thompson: Yeah. We have a new framework that's come out within math. And the standards haven't changed at all, but with that new framework also meant a new curriculum adoption. And so a lot of the work that we've been doing the last two years is just helping teachers understand where some of those shifts are within the math and that framework and, and how to go about doing that.

Also with Rural Math Collaborative, we've been [00:08:00] doing a lot of coaching and lesson study. Vertical surfaces, there's a book called "Building Thinking Classrooms" that's kind of, um, exploded in popularity, so there's a lot of teachers who are experimenting with using whiteboards and vertical surfaces to get kids up and engaged in doing the math.

And so we've been going into a lot of classrooms and supporting in that way as well. 

Maggie Joyce: What an interesting way to, to approach math, right? 

Catherine Thompson: It is. Um, we were just doing a lesson study up in Fall River the other week, and the students at the end of the class, we were saying, "Okay, so this is a little bit different than the way you have normally learned math.

What do you think?" And they all said, "Gosh, it's so great to be able to stand up and talk about the problems and work through it with a group of people so that it's not just my thinking that's out there, but that we're sharing that thinking within that team, and it's on a whiteboard, so they can just erase it if they make a mistake, because we all make mistakes as we're going through."

And so that has been really a, a powerful tool for teachers. Just one way to help [00:09:00] engage kids. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah, and then asking the students how it impacted them, I love that. Mm-hmm. Including, including their perspective is amazing. 

Jenn Cobb: To shift back to you, Brian, you've been working with NASA to design curriculum for student design challenges, including curriculum built around actual NASA spacecrafts. What does this work involve, and What has that meant to your students? 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah, great question.

So it all kind of stemmed from, uh, I spent some time down at Arizona State, um, working with Mars exploration and designing curriculum and designing, uh, distance learning programs for students to work with real data. And from that and, and from that experience that I, that I, I had down there, I realized that it's not too far out of reach for students to understand what the data is and how to work with it, at least at a very cursory level.

And so from those experiences, uh, we decided, how can we implement this in the classroom with our students, with our students today? And I will say that students today are [00:10:00] so technologically savvy, it's incredible. Um, you know, we've got students like Kadence that, that just like, "Oh, I, I did this, I designed that," and, and they think nothing of it.

Whereas maybe 10 years ago, it was a little bit more of an effort. But kids now, it's a very natural native thing for them to do. Yeah. I have some kids that, um, I just simply say, "I have this technology. Can you help me figure this out?" And they run with it. Uh, they, they jump at the chance to be able to do that.

So that's what we're dealing with now, and we need to give kids more opportunities to do that. With the NASA design, uh, challenges that we do, uh, several years ago, myself and, and Kadence's reference to, uh, Brett Barnes, who I worked with, he is now working at the district office, so it's a little bit harder for, for us to be able to do this.

Yeah. But, but we came up with an idea that said, "Okay, with the connections and folks that we work with within NASA, let's develop a program that works with this data that is readily available, and come up with a way to challenge kids to, to be able to do this." So the, the NASA program that we worked [00:11:00] with, uh, we had, uh, it's the radioisotope power source.

So basically it's a little nuclear reactor, and several missions like the Voyager spacecraft, New Horizons that flew by, uh, Pluto back in 2015, um, several of these spacecraft, because it is so far away from the sun, they can't use solar power, so they have to use nuclear power. And, it's an effort that NASA has been looking at for like the next 10 years that down the road, how are we going to be able to power up these spacecraft?

So they came up with some ideas. So we took that information and said, "Okay, to my students in space science, if you could come up with a mission to go to any one of these places, to go to the South Pole of the Moon that is heavily shadowed and doesn't have any sunlight, or, some of the outer reaches of the solar system, what would you come up with and why?"

Mm-hmm. So basing their ideas on that, they had to come up with a proposal that would allow them to design that. Then we took that idea and we had our CAD students, several of our advanced CAD students design those spacecraft, those missions in CAD. [00:12:00] Wow. And so from there, we were able to then, take this and export it into augmented reality, where we then had kids using augmented reality goggles and be able to show that in real space, what that would look like in, in the size and the scale.

And then we were able, because of our partnership with the RPS folks, the Radioisotope Power Source, which was back in Glenn, NASA Glenn- Yeah ... um, and then at Johns Hopkins University, we were working with them, and we got several of those scientists and engineers to then put on their augmented reality, and then our kids presented to them what their ideas were.

And then they could manipulate it and move it around and talk about it and say, "This is what they would do," to the NASA scientists. And the success of it- Was that in real 

Jenn Cobb: time? 

Brian Grigsby: That was in real time. 

Jenn Cobb: Wow. 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. And the success- I knew that it was, it was a good program and successful when one of the engineers had shown up to be just like, "Okay, well, it's gonna be cute to have a bunch of high school students show us [00:13:00] their cute little projects."

And at the end of it, they said, "That is absolutely not what I expected." In fact, one of the scientists said, "They gave us some ideas about how to solve some problems that we never thought about." So it made me realize that these kids, even though they're high school kids, have some novel and incredible ideas that they, they are...

It's, it's amazing to see that. Then what we would do as well is that some of these kids could make 3D models of it because they've got the CAD models, and then we have our advanced manufacturing kids make prototypes of parts of the models as well. So it becomes kind of a year-long design challenge project.

And then at the very end of the year, they present their ideas. We have them put together these posters like they might see if they were at a, um, you know, lunar planetary science conference, a big poster, and present their information. And at the end of it, they're so proud of it because it's theirs.

It's not something I told them to do. It was something that they do. And, you know, that, that is the power of what a CTE program can do, is to provide opportunities for these kids to design something [00:14:00] out of their own heads and, in a way, really influence, you know, what is happening in industry, give them new ideas that maybe they didn't think of, and do some pretty incredible stuff.

Maggie Joyce: I really love that you-- it, it kinda was like what happens in the real world where it's across teams. Mm-hmm. So you were doing it across your classes, but as we know, in big companies, there-- a project doesn't stick with just one team. It goes from the engineering team to the CAD team, or, you know, whatever the order is.

Right. And so you duplicated that on your campus with your classes, and so it's- Yeah. That is also another real-world example- Mm-hmm ... about how these things work. So- Yeah, each- ... that's really phenomenal ... 

Brian Grigsby: each one of the kids had a role. They had a role to play. And at, at no given time, I mean, their role was critical to that.

And with my space science kid, I said, " you guys are, you're the ones that are, you're contracting your work out, like in the real world." Mm-hmm. "So you are in charge." If the CAD student says, "Well, that's not gonna work," too bad. You, you have to tell them, "This is what I want, and this is the way I want it."

And so it really got them into an uncomfortable place to be able to speak up for [00:15:00] themselves, to be able to say, "No, show me that it's not gonna work. I wanna see that it won't work, so then I can make the decision of how to change something." And that's what you experience in the real world. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. All that critical thinking that we need.

Mm-hmm. Love that. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. Mm-hmm. 

Maggie Joyce: Exactly. So I feel like I'm, I might already know the answer to this because I, I'm listening to Mr. Grigsby speak, and I'm imagining the differences in his classroom. But Kadence, I would love to hear from you what is different about Mr. Grigsby's classes compared to some of your traditional classes that you take on high school campuses?

Kadence Angel: There are so many different connections that you can make in CTE courses, especially Mr. Grigsby's. And so you're really connected to what you would actually do in legitimate STEM fields. I can go up to Mr. Grigsby and say, "Hey, I wanna work on this, and then I want to 3D print it." And he'd be like, "Cool." And it's not like a traditional class where they give you a worksheet, and you fill [00:16:00] it out, and then you can turn it in.

You make it yourself. It's your own creation. And then you get, like, a physical product out of it a lot of the time. Or you get this achievement that you don't normally feel when you just get a grade out of something You're getting more than a grade. You're getting experience that you can translate into proper fields.

And you can go, and CTE teachers help you find internships, all the time. And so I have asked for help with internships too, and right away there were emails, and Mr. Grigsby was helping me out, and there are just so many opportunities that traditional classes don't always offer. 

Brian Grigsby: And, and Kadence has a few industry certifications in CAD.

Mm-hmm. What are those industry certifications you have? 

Kadence Angel: I'm certified in AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, and SolidWorks CSWA. 

Maggie Joyce: [00:17:00] Can you tell me, you don't have to tell me all of them, but, like, what would AutoCAD look like in the real world? 

Kadence Angel: In the real world, um, normally engineers use it. Okay. And architects also use it as well, but it is more found in electrical engineering, nuclear engineering.

And so I'm working with these real softwares that I actually see my engineering uncle using. He's a nuclear engineer, and he genuinely uses the same, softwares that I myself use. And so I am using real professional- 

Maggie Joyce: That's fantastic ... 

Kadence Angel: softwares. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. You're getting that experience, you know, where you-- where in a classroom where you can

I mean, it's okay to fail even in adult life, but, like, you, you can have those times where you have to rethink about what you're doing. You have guidance of your teacher, and then by the time that you graduate high school, you might know more than somebody that is coming out of college- Mm-hmm ... with this degree.

Oh, 

Kadence Angel: yeah. Yeah. 

Brian Grigsby: And these are legitimate industry certifications. These aren't just, "Oh, you know, that's just something you did that..." No, these are ones that that you would get [00:18:00] if you were in the field. Uh, we just recently had a student pass his CSWE, which is the expert level. So there's more than, I think, there's millions of users of SolidWorks, but he is one of only 8,000 people worldwide that achieved this status.

And it's, um ... And I will probably-- I'm gonna have another student that'll take it next week. If Kadence comes back, she could, she could be working on that as well. But that's what the opportunity is. Like, do you feel ready? You can do it. And it's on their shoulders to navigate that, and let's do this.

So. 

Maggie Joyce: And you're providing the space- Yeah ... to be able to grow that, right? Like, and I think that that's pretty critical and, and students feeling like they have the ability to produce- Mm-hmm ... pursue something that they're unsure of. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's m- that's just amazing. 

Jenn Cobb: I am absolutely floored. I just-- This is so cool.

Um, okay. So Brian, from-- I can imagine that this is building students' confidence. And so from the time [00:19:00] that they first enter your class to the last time that they leave your class, what sort of positive outcomes have you seen from them as they begin to build and design and solve real-world problems?

Brian Grigsby: You know, it's interesting. It's, uh, you know, teaching is so much like, I have planted this oak seed. I've planted this acorn. I might not see it actually grow to a tree- Yeah ... for many, many years, but I have had m- so many students come back and say and tell me that the experiences and the equipment and the opportunities that they've had- Yeah

um, th- there is no way that they're getting that at some of the universities. And industry folks have come in and said, "We don't even have some of this equipment that your kids have access to." Yeah. And time and time again, they come back and say, "You guys, while you have time right now, take advantage of what you see."

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Brian Grigsby: And so when those kids come back, it's such an amazing thing. Mm-hmm. And it's, it's hard if y- if you're first, I think, involved in, in the, in the business, in the career of teaching, it's hard to stick with it because it's like, okay, I'm just going through it. I'm [00:20:00] grinding through this, and I hope it's making sense, and I really hope that what the kids are experiencing is gonna matter.

Yeah. And then when they come back saying, "What you did and what I experienced, it gave me a leg up on some of the people I'm working with." Yeah. Um, from, you know, a kid that, that went to the Air Force Academy and said his experiences gave him opportunities as a leader in his groups, to kids working for SpaceX or another kid that became a nuclear engineer and keeps in touch with me still.

I mean, it's just incredible. Yeah. And you're just like, it makes sense. It, it, it really does make a difference, and it's nice to have that, so. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. What an 

Jenn Cobb: incredible legacy. 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. Yeah. 

Jenn Cobb: It's fun. Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: I think the guidance that you're providing, right? I would imagine that you have to continuously be learning as well because all of this technology even though our youth are, it's innate to them- Mm-hmm

it's maybe not so innate to us, right? Yeah. And so that takes a lot on your part to be able to have an understanding enough to guide your students to- I'd say, I- ... to be brave. Yeah, 

Brian Grigsby: exactly. And I tell them all the time, I'm like, "Please write that [00:21:00] down." "I will not remember that. Please, uh, you're the expert, so I need that written down."

And, and, and they're starting to do that for me, so I'm like, "Thank you. Make videos, I don't care. Write it down. I, my brain's getting full," so. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. With the support of teachers like Mr. Grigsby, what are some other ways that students feel supported and confident when they're in STEM spaces? Kadence. 

Kadence Angel: In STEM spaces, I feel like not only do we have the support of teachers, but there are so many other student peer experts around us.

Mm-hmm. And so whenever I'm struggling with anything, any part or piece of software, I know I can turn to my neighbor and say, "Hey, can you help me out?" And they will turn right away, and they will show me exactly what to do, each step leading up to it, and explain how I could have been doing something else better.

And so there's always peer support coming in. 

Maggie Joyce: I love that. So the whole thing is a collaborative environment. Mm-hmm. 

Kadence Angel: All the way 

Brian Grigsby: And it's an opportunity to fail. [00:22:00] The problem is, I think we live in a world, uh, that takes a look at failure, and it's so, it's, it's just right in everybody's face that, um, it-- I, I better do this perfectly because it's gonna show up on that, that Instagram Reel or that Facebook page, or...

And everybody's gonna know. And so the kids don't have opportunities to fail in a safe environment, and I've always told them, I'm like, "I want you to fail here where it doesn't matter as much- Yes ... if the equipment goes down or something like that, versus when it's gonna matter in a job where peo- Like failing 

Maggie Joyce: with guardrails.

Ex-exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I'm like, "

Brian Grigsby: Learn how to fail, and learn how to do it well." And that's what engineering is about. I learned a million ways of not how to do something until I figured it out, so I want them to learn it early. And, you know, like Kadence saying that, "I can just turn to my neighbor."

And then they get that experience to say, "I, I don't have all the answers, but maybe somebody next to me does." 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And you're also building each other's confidence with that as well, right? Yeah. I love that. Catherine, speaking about confidence, you work closely with educators all [00:23:00] over Shasta County.

What are teachers doing right now to help students build confidence in the area specific of math? 

Catherine Thompson: You know, I love listening to everything that Brian and Kadence were saying because that's exactly what we're trying to create within our math classrooms as well, is we're trying to create these spaces where these students are engaging in groups and working on hard tasks, and that they're having to struggle through and figure out how to solve problems, and that teachers are really the guide in asking questions as they're moving through it.

And the kids are relying upon one another and having to justify why it is that they are solving things or why their answer might be right. So if we can keep our kids thinking within our classrooms and really problem-solving and working collaborative within these groups, they're gonna be set and ready to go by the time they enter in these high school programs.

And this is how we're gonna start making a change. But it's hard as educators, too. This is not the way that we learned when we were in school. And so it is a lot of work within these amazing educators that we have that are willing to say, "Yep, [00:24:00] I'm ready to step in, and I'm ready to make some changes in increasing that confidence for our kids."

Maggie Joyce: Yeah, because it's pushing teachers to be uncomfortable as well, right? Like- Yes ... so our students are also learning something new. But our teachers, and some have been doing it a long time, and it's sometimes hard to shift what you've always done and what might have worked for a very long time into a new concept.

Catherine Thompson: Absolutely. And to be willing to say, " I haven't seen it that way before. Let's check to see. Does this always work?" And, and to be vulnerable as adults and show and model for our kids that we don't always have those answers- Yeah ... and that we're gonna test it out, and we're gonna check to see, does this work?

Does it not work? Mm. Why or why not? And having the kids justify some of that, too, because when we show that we're still learning, it makes it safe for everybody to continue learning going 

Brian Grigsby: through. 100%, yeah. I totally agree with that. Yeah. Yeah. I- there's been many a time when I've had to say, "Well, hey kids, that didn't work," you know, and be okay with that, for them to be able to say, "Oh gosh, he doesn't know it."

I don't. I don't know it all. I know enough. Sometimes they get me in [00:25:00] trouble, and it does, but the reality is that I have to model that for kids. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Brian Grigsby: You know, if I'm gonna... You know, there will be times when I'm like, "This did not work. I won't do this again," or, "Let's try something different," or the kids come up with a better solution.

I have to be humble enough to say, "Let's do it that way then." 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And the modeling- So, yeah ... and the acknowledging and the guiding, it is so critical in students feeling like they have the freedom to be able to make mistakes, right? Mm. They're not then so worried about creating this perfect- Right ... outcome.

Yeah. It's that the space is provided. I'm human. I might be the adult in the room, but I'm human. I make mistakes. We're gonna talk about those, and you bring just as much to the table as I do. Mm-hmm. And I think- Yes ... that's what you guys are all working on, it feels like. 

Catherine Thompson: Absolutely, and elevating that student voice, you know, that the teacher is not always the one with the answers, that when the kids, even if the teacher knows the answer, great.

But when the kid's got the answer, and the kid can come up, and they can explain, and the other kids can ask them, "Tell me more about this," or, um, "How did you figure this out?" [00:26:00] Now we're moving this to the point where we're helping our kids have that agency to be able to question, to justify, to ask, so that they have that skill as they go through.

Especially, I think, in the day now where we've got so much AI at our disposal, we need to have our kids critically thinking and justifying and asking, "Does this make sense, and why does this make sense, or does this not make sense?" Rather than just accepting that just because the expert said it was so, it's, it is.

That's 

Jenn Cobb: such a good point. So Catherine, many students grow up thinking that they are either good at math or bad at math, and we've had this conversation before. I used to be the self-professed president of the Girls Bad at Math Club until I had my mindset shifted. But how do we begin to shift mindsets like the one that I had to realize just there's different ways for math...

Catherine Thompson: Yeah. It's just that. Yeah. And I think that it's, it's recognizing and seeing that there are so many [00:27:00] different ways in which to answer any question that are out there- Yeah ... and that there is not just one, "You must do it this way," m- and that they have the flexibility to go through. 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Catherine Thompson: I think all of us who are really honest still have a little bit of that residual math trauma- Yeah

going through of- Yeah ... "Oh, wait, I didn't take, pass my math test in a minute." Uh-huh. You know? Yes. Multiplication. Math challenges are hard. Yeah. Uh, but the more that we can just elevate that, that student agency and really see them as the experts within the room- Yeah ... that is how we start changing that philosophy of, "Wait-" I am good at math.

Wait, I did solve that problem. Yeah. And I solved it in a different way. And the more we can get the kids talking and collaborating within a classroom- Yeah ... I truly believe that that's how they start seeing themselves as mathematicians. Yeah. 

Kadence Angel: Is there any way that as a student we could push for this mindset shift?

Catherine Thompson: So I guess my [00:28:00] question is, how often can you say to your teachers, "Hey, can we do this standing up?" Or, "Can we solve this problem in a group?" And I think that just having that open conversation, I think that's how we make the changes. Because, again, it's not how teachers necessarily learned, and so, it's uncomfortable for teachers too to make that shift, right?

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. I love that question, Kadence, because I think that sometimes, well, student voice should drive change, right? And so looking at a way that you could help the mindset shift because you clearly see that it's beneficial, right? And so how, how can you help support teachers in making that change and students too, because some students might have a hard time with learning math a different way than they've always learned, especially if they naturally excel at it.

It might push them out of their comfort zone. 

Catherine Thompson: Sometimes it's some students, who might naturally excel have to realize that when they can stop and they are teaching somebody within their group and to think about something [00:29:00] that, you know, when one teaches to learn kind of thing. 

Jenn Cobb: Mm. 

Catherine Thompson: I would also say that there's a lot of kids who put themself in the group of naturally bad at math. 

Kadence Angel: Yeah. 

Catherine Thompson: That when we can give them some really creative tasks in which to solve that they're having to think out of the box, some of my students who classified themselves as I'm not good at math had some of the most out of the box thinking and could figure out some of those problems a little bit faster than those kids who know an algorithm and are super fast at it.

Yeah. And, and that was so much fun as a teacher in a classroom to be able to see some of those kids, especially as you start moving into some of the algebra going Oh, no. Here, I see it. I can see this pattern this way, and changing that mindset for them. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah, because everybody kind of... We, we all think differently, right?

Yes. And the way we come to an outcome, you might be working on the same problem I am, but the way I get there might look very differently than the way you do. And so opening up dialogue around that probably lets other students [00:30:00] in the room even realize, "Oh, my thinking's not wrong. It's just different than maybe what I've been taught." 

Catherine Thompson: Yes. And that is the skill within teaching then, is to show those connections between this group solved it this way, this group thought about it this way, and look at how these are now connected, and showing those connections. And now we're building real deep flexibility and understanding within our students.

Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: And, and talking about, like, building things within our students, it, math obviously is relevant in industry, just like science and engineering. But what-- With your work with industry prof-professionals, Brian, what kind of skills are you seeing professionals and industry companies wanting from our students as they're going into the workforce?

Brian Grigsby: You know, it's interesting because I, I think that there's a mindset sometimes with, with kids and sometimes even parents that, uh, is like they, they have to have, um, you know, all of, all of these, accolades and [00:31:00] certificates and things. That they think they have to have all of those things.

But truth be told, not ne- that's not necessarily the case because it's super helpful for industry or colleges to see that. But what is more important is that, it, are the kids, are they teachable? Uh, do they have the ability to, to think outside the box? Do they have, do they have the ability to take failure and learn from it?

Mm-hmm. Those are the things they want that we call them the soft skills, and we've talked about that for such a long time. But it really comes down to that, is, is, you know, we see that you're teachable by the certificates you have, by the accolades that you have, by being able to pass these tests.

But when push comes to shove, do you have the ability to learn something new that maybe any one of these things weren't necessarily preparing you for? Are you teachable to figure that out? And if the kids can kind of, think about that, that's what they're looking for. Um, many companies, a lot of times, will say too that, " well, we have our own proprietary programs we use," or, "We have our own [00:32:00] way that we do things."

Um, you know, "I, I see that Kadence has all of these certificates, but can she then step into a role of not necessarily knowing it, but being able to learn the way we do it?" And I think that in a situation like with Kadence, she's shown that she can learn so many different CAD platforms. Right. She can prototype something.

She can use a piece of equipment that is an industry-level piece of equipment, that, that might not be what she's experiencing in that job. But that employer is gonna see the fact that she can do that, that she's got the skills, and it will translate easily. So that's really what we have to be, I think, thinking of in terms of when we get our kids out of school or looking towards going to the university.

Do they also have the skills that employers want in that, so that they just don't come out the other side with a lot of degrees or certificates but no skills? 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. 

Brian Grigsby: So we really have to focus on that. 

Maggie Joyce: And one of the major soft skills that all, all three [00:33:00] of you have talked about today is that ability to critically think and work with others, and you can't work with others if you can't communicate.

Absolutely. And so those are, I think, overlooked when you have all of the paper trail of all the things that you can do. Mm-hmm. And so it's really great for me, as a parent who's raised kids in Shasta County, to know that these things are being developed and even looked at. Like, you, you're building a program, Catherine, right?

And you're listening to some of the things that Brian's talking about that's happening in his classroom, and you're like, "That's exactly what we're trying to achieve with the way that you're approaching math and Shasta County educators now." 

Catherine Thompson: Absolutely. Yes. It, it... We need our kids to be critical thinkers and to be able to communicate now more than ever.

Jenn Cobb: Kadence, this question is for you. What is the most important thing that Mr. Grigsby has taught you that isn't in a textbook or on a software platform or all of that? [00:34:00] 

Kadence Angel: You don't have to solely focus on getting a perfect grade in English or a perfect grade in math. Mm. Because if you can do hands-on things and show that you have the ability to learn- Yeah

and the ability to improve, You don't have to be perfect. As long as you're improving- Yeah ... you are making progress. You are growing, and that is way more valuable than staying stagnant the entire time. 

Jenn Cobb: That's incredible. 

Kadence Angel: Yeah. 

Maggie Joyce: End of 

Kadence Angel: the 

Jenn Cobb: episode, 

Brian Grigsby: folks. I'm just saying. Should I drop the mic? Drop it now.

But truly, 

Jenn Cobb: that's, you know, things adults don't even, can't even, you know, aren't even on- 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah. And I, and I feel like that creates safety in the classroom, right? And so- Oh, it absolutely does ... yeah, yeah. And so on the math side of things, what are some ways that you're seeing teachers create safety in the class- classroom, Catherine?

Catherine Thompson: It goes right along exactly with what Kadence and Brian have been talking about. Like, whenever we can [00:35:00] see mistakes and celebrate those mistakes and the learning that we create from, we gain from making those mistakes- It is so important for us all to see. And so how are we celebrating mistakes as learning opportunities?

"Gosh, I saw that you tried this and, and then you ran into a stumbling block. What happened there? What did you learn from that?" Um, I just, I think that that is a skill we all need to be able to have, that nobody is perfect, that we make mistakes, and then we learn from those mistakes, and so we can move faster in the future.

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Just the dialogue, right? Like, I, I saw you made a mistake. What did you learn from it? I mean, that is so relevant to the real world, right? And sometimes I think we forget that our mistakes do teach us things. 

Catherine Thompson: Yes. 

Maggie Joyce: You know? Yes. And so having that be part of the classroom environment is super important.

Catherine Thompson: Mm-hmm. They're not mistakes, they're learning opportunities. They're 

Maggie Joyce: learning opportunities. 

Brian Grigsby: And I think we need to as well is that in those moments too to say, "Gosh, you know, I... Here's, here's what I was like in school," or, [00:36:00] "Here is the, the mistakes I've made." That's so good. But I, I don't think the kids are, are going to understand where you're coming from unless they've been able to have the room to make those mistakes.

And then all of a sudden you're on the same playing field. You're like, "So what'd you think? Did you, did you die?" Yeah. "No, you didn't," right? 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. "

Brian Grigsby: What'd you learn from that?" And I've, I have a student that, y- you know, it's so encouraging. I use him as an example to say, "Yeah, well, he's getting a little bit closer to getting that certificate.

Well, he's gonna try again in a couple weeks. He's getting a little bit closer." And every time we talk about it he's like, "Oh, gosh, you know what I think I'll do next time?" And he's processing it in a very healthy way. And I, I just wish more people could understand that processing failure and mistakes is a very healthy thing.

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. Um, Kadence, how has experiencing that and, um, just experiencing, you know, life in Mr. Grigsby's classroom in that kind of sphere of thought, how has that changed the way you feel about your future and how you think about your future and your [00:37:00] career goals? 

Kadence Angel: I like to think about my career goals in a way of which, I wanna be in an environment where I'm happy, and I feel like I'm actually making a change and creating things.

And I like being in environments where I can work with others and actually have change come out of the things that I do. And so being in Mr. Grigsby's class, creating all these things on many different softwares, exploring, meeting new people, making connections because of it, inside school and outside of school, I just, I want a job that can correspond with all these things that I've learned.

Mm-hmm. All the hands-on. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And on the topic of, making connections, what impact have you ha- have you seen on students for making industry connections while they've been in your classroom? 

Brian Grigsby: Well, what's great is that we live in a community where industry wants to be a part of the equation. And, we've been able to [00:38:00] reach out and industry has come to where we are.

They come to our classrooms. They come to our advanced manufacturing classes. They see that, and then they make the connections with the teachers. And then I can say, you know, "Kadence, she's interested in A, B, and C. Do you think that that's gonna be a good fit?" And then Kadence has the opportunity to have...

Maybe it's an unpaid internship, but she can at least dip her toe in the water to say, "Gosh, that is not what I was thinking it was gonna be." Mm-hmm. Or, and that's what we try to encourage kids to do. They're like, "I don't know if I wanna take this." And we're like, "Well, why don't you decide, you know, take a look at it now."

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. "Because 

Brian Grigsby: you don't wanna get to college thinking that's my path, that's my career path-" Exposure now. "... and realize I just made a $100,000 mistake," 

Jenn Cobb: right? Yeah. Yes. 

Brian Grigsby: Make the free mistake now and say-- And that's what we encourage kids to do. "I-- Good, I'm glad you took my class and you did not like it whatsoever, because now you've whittled it down to something else, and your parents will thank us as well because- Yeah

they realize, you know, you made that decision sooner rather than later." So industry has been a huge help in being a [00:39:00] part of, of what we're doing in the classroom. And it's just been getting better and better. So we've, we have an amazing community that industry is involved. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. And that exposure I think also, you know, lets us know what we like, what we don't like, and what we have a better, informed decision on what we might wanna pur-pursue, right?

Mm-hmm. Because it can look one way in the classroom- Mm-hmm ... but you're connecting them to work in the real world- Right ... so they can see, "Yeah, that's not for me," or, "Actually, I don't like that team dynamic." Mm-hmm. It might not just, it might not even be the work. It might not, it might be that they just don't like the dyn-dynamic that was happening in that team, so then they're more informed when they're picking jobs, and hopefully those jobs are more fulfilling.

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. And there's oppor- there's situations too where it's I will tell the students one thing, industry will come in and say the exact same thing, and they said, "You wouldn't believe what that industry person told me." Yeah. I'm like, "Wow." It's like 

Maggie Joyce: parenting. Shocker. 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah, exactly. But it reinforces that, and it's like, okay, you know, it's...

They, they start to realize that we're not just blowing smoke. We're just saying, "No, this, [00:40:00] this is the reality. Don't just take it from me." Or a student like Kadence, I can say, I can say what our program does till I turn blue, but until I get a student like Kadence or somebody that comes in and said, "This is what it did for me," that's the important piece.

What's it doing for these kids?

Jenn Cobb: Catherine, how can families help support positive math experiences at home, even if parents have struggled with math growing up, even if it's the contentious, you know, time at the dining room table after dinner? You know, like, how can parents Help their children in those ways. 

Catherine Thompson: My first dream is that no parent ever says again, "I wasn't good at math, and therefore it's okay that my child isn't good at math."

Jenn Cobb: Yeah. 

Catherine Thompson: Because that just kind of sets kids up for, "Okay, well then I'm never... I don't have any hope-" Yeah ... "going in through there." But for parents just to say, "Gosh, I'm not sure. That... I- That's been a long time since I've done that." Yeah. "Let's go try and find this answer [00:41:00] together-" 

Jenn Cobb: Yeah ... "

Catherine Thompson: and research it together," or, "Gosh, let's write a note to your teacher.

I can't wait for you to come home tomorrow and teach me how this happens." Oh, yeah. So, you know, just having that vulnerability that we don't have to have every answer, and in doing that, it models for kids that it's okay to not have every single answer, but that we can find the answers, and how do we go get them.

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Creating that same open dialogue at home, right? Exactly. That we've talked about that is happening in the classroom, and it's hard as parents to be uncomfortable, right? 

Catherine Thompson: Yes. Yeah. Yes, and because as, as the parent, you're often seen as the answer provider. You're providing that guidance for your kids.

And so for parents to say, "Gosh, I don't have that answer," that's a hard thing to be able to say. But if we can start normalizing that for all of us, that it's okay to say, "I don't have that answer. Let's go find out," I think that that's such a stronger leadership move all the way on through. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Math was a challenging subject for me, and I had to [00:42:00] really watch my language as a parent when I was helping my kids in math.

A, they were much stronger at it than I was at certain ages, but I wanted to not project my experience on them because sometimes that doesn't help with opening your mind to that you're capable. Yes. And so- And- ... that's really, it's a really hard tightrope to walk sometimes when you haven't dealt with your math trauma.

Catherine Thompson: It sure is, and I always would, you know, tell parents, like especially when they hit that junior high age- Yeah, this- ... and it gets a little bit tough, like, "You've done your job. You've done a great thing. Just send them to me in the morning." Don't enter into that argument with them. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah, and so having that collaborative conversation with teacher as well, right?

Yes. Like, we can also acknowledge that we maybe don't know how to do the math that's, that my student has brought home, and so we need to help. We need help with that. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I feel like I now wanna go back to ninth grade, maybe eighth grade, because then I would have gotten you to be my math [00:43:00] teacher, and then, high school to be able to experience be- uh, CTE classes because this type of exploration and learning didn't exist- Mm-hmm

you know, in, in this style and this way when I was growing up. And so definitely appreciate you guys showcasing all of the amazing work that you're doing. Kadence, before we ask, um, our closing questions, is there any last words that you wanna say to any students that maybe, are- Even thinking about exploring CTE classes or that have tried one and didn't like it, and you're encouraging them to check out more because there's so many different opportunities.

Any last words, nuggets for the youth? 

Kadence Angel: Even if you don't feel like you should try, you definitely should because there are so many branches of CTE. There's engineering, and there's medical, and there's early childhood education, and there are just so many different opportunities that can really just lead you straight into a career or into a community.

Even if you don't [00:44:00] make it into a career, maybe it's a hobby that you really like. Maybe it's a goal that you create for yourself. I love that. There are just so many different things to learn. And even if you aren't making it a career or a hobby, you walk out with skills that you didn't have before.

Jenn Cobb: Kadence. I said this once, I'll say it again. You're so rad. Okay. So for- Yeah ... our closing question, at SCOE, one of our core values is to be hopeful and helpful. And so we have a two-parter. You can either answer one or two or both. But what is your hope for the next generation, uh, and/or who is someone who has been helpful for you in your journey?

So we started with Catherine. Let's start with, Brian. 

Brian Grigsby: Oh, on the spot. Okay. Yeah. I think my, my hope for the next generation is to lean in. Um, I think that, a lot of times I think there's still a separation between, you know, I have to either have this AP university track, [00:45:00] or I'm destined to just simply be the blue-collar worker that's gonna go this other track.

And I, I would really hope that both sets of kids would be able to find that crossroads and say, "There's something I can learn from those kids that have that goal of university." And then the university kids might say, "There's something to be said about, pressing in and failing and doing something that's gonna teach me something a little bit more about myself, and be humble about that."

So my hope is that this generation leans into that uncomfortableness and realizes that, they will c- still come out the other side. They will have something valuable that they've learned and that they can take with them into their next season of life. So that is my hope.

So. 

Jenn Cobb: Leaning in. 

Brian Grigsby: Yeah. 

Jenn Cobb: Love that. Yeah. Kadence? 

Kadence Angel: I hope also that people go out of their comfort zones to try as many classes as they can because it is so good to explore every single opportunity that is available to you. I love to be a joiner, and I love [00:46:00] encouraging people to also be joiners 'cause I never would've thought that I would've ended up in engineering classes learning how to program robots or in CAD classes where I'm struggling to build a wall in architecture software.

Jenn Cobb: That's good. 

Kadence Angel: But I definitely encourage it anyway. 

Brian Grigsby: Can't tell you how many times I've wanted to high-five you during this whole thing. Yeah. It's been great. Yeah. She's awesome. 

Catherine Thompson: Absolutely. I hope that all of our kids have that same outlook as Kadence- Yeah ... does going through. Mm-hmm. Right? That, that kids are there wanting to go out and follow their passions and their dreams and not- Yeah

avoiding things because they're worried about what that outcome might be. So yes. Nice, nice job, Kadence. It's been a pleasure to have you here. 

Maggie Joyce: Yeah. Yeah. It's been a pleasure to have all of you here. And of course, Kadence, we always appreciate you, coming onto the podcast and sharing your wisdom because it is far beyond mine, most of the time.

And it should guide what [00:47:00] we are doing for our students, not only in today's education, but also in future education. So thank you for being here, and thank you Brian and Catherine for coming and sharing the amazing things that you're doing to support educators and their growth and journey in supporting students, in Shasta County Schools.

Catherine Thompson: Absolutely. Yeah. Thanks for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us. Thank 

Maggie Joyce: you.