White Fence Living
"White Fence Living: Real stories from New Albany, Ohio, hosted by a local dad, youth sports coach and community member. From community leaders to everyday voices, we share what makes 43054 tick—with a history sprinkle, no politics. Uncurated chats over the white fences."
White Fence Living
Dirt, Discovery, and Development: Raising Kids the Old-School Way
What happens when we create a childhood oasis free from the constant ping of notifications and glow of screens? In this enlightening conversation, Colleen reveals how she transformed her passion for education into The Schoolhouse—a revolutionary early learning center in New Albany that's deliberately technology-free.
From her beginnings as a college student working at a local daycare to owning multiple schools, Colleen's journey reflects a deep commitment to childhood development rooted in traditional, hands-on experiences. "I promise you they'll have plenty of technology someday," she explains, describing how her students engage in messy art projects, outdoor play regardless of weather, and community exploration instead of screen time. This refreshingly old-school approach addresses parents' growing concerns about digital saturation while preparing children for academic success.
The Schoolhouse stands apart through its intentional alignment with New Albany's school curriculum, ensuring seamless transitions for children entering kindergarten. Students practice with the same handwriting worksheets and phonics systems they'll encounter in elementary school, often reaching kindergarten-level reading before they leave preschool. Colleen's perspective as both an educator and mother of four children in the district gives her unique insight into creating this educational bridge.
Community connection thrives through the school's partnership with local businesses for field trips, including veterinary visits where children perform "surgeries" on stuffed animals and garden experiences where they grow vegetables prepared by the school's dedicated chef. As a long-time PTO president across multiple New Albany schools, Colleen has helped unite resources across the district, demonstrating how educational leadership extends beyond classroom walls.
Whether you're a parent concerned about balancing technology in childhood, an educator looking for alternative approaches, or simply curious about New Albany's educational landscape, this conversation offers a compelling vision for nurturing young minds through real-world experiences, community engagement, and deliberate simplicity.
Colleen, welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks for coming.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no problem. So welcome to White Fence Living and welcome to Brick House Blue. So cool it is. This place is awesome it's insane.
Speaker 2:I mean I wish I would have known about it sooner. I'm so glad that I got to see it and thanks for the tour, but very cool stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so gives the tours. So, as I'm like scheduling all these podcasts and they're like a couple months out, I was like Nia, uh, can you do these tours? Like, do you want to do these tours? Like, she's like, yeah, just put me in a calendar invite. Well then I uploaded all of them at once. So, uh, after a few I'm sure I'm going to be qualified to give the tour. But, um, but yeah, just just a really cool, sure, and she's so welcoming, yeah, just very cool. Yeah, nia's good, nia's good. So tell me, well, tell me about yourself. Right, tell me your connections to New Albany. Tell me, we've talked a little bit about kids. Just tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:For sure. So my family, I went to Pickerington and then my family when my sister was entering eighth grade and moved up to New Albany. So that was in 99. And I was living there because I was going to the Newark branch for OSU. I then recently went down to the main campus so I babysat a lot here and I ended up getting a job at a local daycare here in New Albany while I was going to college. And I had a bunch of jobs At that time my mom's like I'm not real sure you're going to stick with kids, because you don't really seem to vibe with kids, and I was like I don't know, I'm going to give it a shot.
Speaker 2:Ended up loving it. Just became a little kid myself Was a floater and then it turned into having to pay for school. So I worked 6 to 2 every day at the local daycare and babysat a ton here in New Albany at the time, taking my sister all the places because she wasn't driving yet, and then ended up going to school 6 to 2, or worked 6 to 2 every day going to school at night in Newark and then finished my degree and decided it was an early and middle childhood and I was like you know what, I'm not really sure I want to do middle anymore and I love this job and I loved my boss this.
Speaker 2:I had an amazing boss, angela Tavner. She was at Children's World, which is now Kindercare behind the Taco.
Speaker 2:Bell yeah, and she kind of had handpicked the best of the best from all her years in childhood and I just loved working there and I was like I want to be you, Like I want to do what you're doing. So I got a job at a Primrose in Dublin and I was a lead pre-K teacher there and then I just decided I wanted to do this, like I wanted to own my own so my dad worked really hard.
Speaker 2:His whole life didn't go to college. He built air conditioners in a factory, worked his way up in an office and I was like, dad, let's do this like you've invested, you've worked hard. So we looked into Primrose and they were all accounted for at the time in Columbus. It was just the one. They had already promised the other ones that were going to be opened.
Speaker 2:And my boss, who actually lives here in New Albany, who owns the one in Dublin, michael Barr, a great guy, him and his wife said hey, there's actually a Goddard school for sale in Westerville. And so my dad and I looked into it, bought that as a used school and I always wanted to be in New Albany. So it just I loved it, it did its purpose, but I knew I wanted to get over here. So my dad sold that one and we built the one over by the market district Nice. He decided last year, after 11 years of that he wanted to sell it, retire, and I just, it's always been my dream to do my own and I just thought now was the time. So I let him do his part and parted ways and I went over here and the school was for sale it. Just I feel like it was meant to happen.
Speaker 1:Oh, so you purchased it. I did oh, okay, okay, great so it was all about kids.
Speaker 2:It was a different school and they were just selling and getting out of the city. So it's only five years old and my husband and I were like let's do it and I wanted to. I've been the PTO president for all my kids, uh, since 2014. So, um, I was the PTO president at the ELC, the primary, the intermediate, the middle school, circled back to the primary. Um, so I'm the president this year at the primary school and I just wanted to, like, feed our district and do curriculum based on our district. Um, have the kids do more field trips that are community-based. So we do things like the dentist office, we go to the vet across the street and they do the cutest stuff. They had us do little. What was it? C-sections on stuffed animals.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow, and it was so cute. The kids got to pull out rubber ducks with these, like you know, all the equipment. So I just really feel like growing up in your city and learning about your city and doing the curriculum that's going to go into the city schools is just really important and not having to be told what to do from people that don't work in classrooms or yeah you know your teachers are your biggest part of the business and if they're not happy, then the kids aren't happy.
Speaker 2:So my biggest goal is to have happy teachers that are outside, feeling like they're at home in the city that they're in and not having to be told what to do from higher ups somewhere else that have never worked with kids yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Um. So I I taught for a period of time very cool yeah, so I was k to 12.
Speaker 1:I was health and phys ed k to 12 you know however long 20 years ago, 15 years ago and it was like levies were always up. So it's like I, I just started teaching, I was part-time, I was like levies were always up. So it was like I just started teaching, I was part-time, I was like a building sub, teaching one health class and then coaching, and so, anyways, I ended up getting out of it and I loved coaching, like so, god bless you, I tied so many shoes in kindergarten phys ed the whole day yeah.
Speaker 1:Which I loved it. I really did. It's funny I I either liked like the really young kids, but I also liked you know I like teaching health at the high school level too. Oh yeah, that in between, like forget the middle schoolers. I want nothing to do with them, and I have two that are going to be middle schoolers soon. Um man, so you covered a lot there. I've got lots of questions, but let's start with kids. So how many kids do you have in the district Ages so I have four.
Speaker 2:So I've got a second grader and he's at the primary, my only little dude, and then the rest are three girls, so he's got four moms. Oh man, I know, but he's a such like he knows too. I mean, if my husband's like trying to come at one of us, he's like why would you do that, like why would we mess with them? Don't ask them questions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um so, and then I've got, uh, my second Lindy. She's in the fourth grader, she's a fourth grader at the intermediate, and then I have a freshman and a sophomore who, um, keep us on our toes right now. I think toddlers were easier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like I don't know and I don't know a lot of people say this, but like early on, at least where I am right now, the girls like they seem really, yeah, Like the, I don't know it's going to change. Like the girls I love, they're easy and maybe it's just so they're girls and they get away with anything my son's like anyways.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I feel like it's going to flip. Like at some point the girls are going to really bother me yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just in today's society too, just with social media, and I don't know how to parent that because I didn't experience it at that age.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm struggling with just you know finding, and because of covid, I let him probably have some apps they probably shouldn't have had sooner than I would have, but that's how they all communicated at that time. Yeah, so I was like, yeah, sure, go ahead, you know dance in your room on tiktok like make a dance, send it to a friend. And now I'm like oh so the younger two are not allowed to have anything yeah, that's a good topic.
Speaker 1:I I'm, my wife and I are pretty kind of like pretty conservative on that front, is like we're trying to keep them away from it as long as we can. So good.
Speaker 1:Sierra in class. She was just telling me her teacher did an exercise where all the kids put their head down and she asked him raise your hand if you have Instagram, if you have TikTok. And she's like I didn't raise my hand at all, except for group chat, and she's like and I think I only have one of those, but yeah, it's, it is. It's difficult, it's hard to keep them away from it. Right, because all their friends have it and they're making videos and they're having they feel excluded.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure uh, but I mean, I don't know how you monitor it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, like I said, there were things that I already said they couldn't have. And then when the school shut down and that's like they only talk through snapchat, they don't text yeah I'm like well I'm pretty sure I did some tiktoks over covid lots of practice with the girls.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I was like, yeah, go ahead. And now the poor younger two are like, but they have. I'm like sorry, like learned lesson learned. Wish I'd never done it. Yeah, so it's a good thing not to, and we't? That's actually one of the reasons we have zero technology at the schoolhouse.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we don't have smart boards, ipads, wow. And parents will come in. They're like do you do smart boards? I'm like, I promise you they'll have plenty of technology someday. Yeah, so for me it old school, getting messy cutting paper, and if it's 25 degrees those kids are outside. I mean, I just want it to be like, kind of like you know, the 80s kid in the neighborhood where you don't come in until the streetlights come on. Just make a mess, have a blast.
Speaker 2:Be loved and safe and then go on home and if your parents aren't making dinner and you want to have a little iPad time, screen time to like everyone wind down, you didn't have it at all at the schoolhouse.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because the kids come home now and they're doing their homework and I'm helping them with it, but the way that they can?
Speaker 2:I can't work it.
Speaker 1:Oh, they just like zoom in, they'll draw on it, erase it, zoom back out, write their yeah, I need to work. Can write their like yeah, I need to work, can I write it? Yeah, yeah, can I write on a piece of paper? And then their handwriting.
Speaker 2:I'm like you guys, your handwriting's terrible. But they use apple pencils. They can't spell, they don't. Yeah, oh for sure I'm like, oh man, if I had chat gpt, then I know, yeah, I know for sure oh, I mean, I'll ask my kid, they'll ask me a question like I don't know, and they'll just be like alexa, what's? I'm like yep, okay, now I'm out parenting, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or my son's doing math and he's like, alexa, what's 10 times 585? And I'm like, ah, jeez, yeah, but I guess that's just the way it goes and use your tools.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So no technology at the school. That's kind of cool, because I have the same thought of like they're on those iPads all day at school. They which is great they have to, they're going to have to. They have to for sure, but then they come home and it's like they're doing homework on their iPad and then they're playing games and we're playing Brawl Star and everything else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Brawl Star is so important.
Speaker 1:It really is.
Speaker 2:Especially when the Toy Story crew came out. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, that's cool. So, while we're on the school, then, so tell me about, like, like, ages and and and just any pertinent information about, yeah, school so we, um, we do anywhere from six weeks to fifth grade.
Speaker 2:Um, six weeks used to be a thing, it's now, thank goodness. Um, businesses are giving a lot more leave and a lot more maternity leave, paternal leave, so now moms are getting almost three months. Dads are getting time now and they're kind of taking that at the end of the three months, so we're not really seeing them until about six months now, which is great.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:I love to see. I always say, if the family or grandparent time is available, that's better than us. I feel like we're the next best thing A close second. Yeah, we'll do so. We typically get them around six months old. They're on their schedule until 16 months, so whatever the parents are doing, we'll mimic.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:So it's a real nurtured, familiar environment for the kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then they move on to toddlers where we'll do the potty training. But there is a lesson plan the whole way through. So our lesson plan is based on the Ohio early content standards and it's all theme based, so it just makes it more fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Kids get bored with the toys they're stuck with all day in one room. So if you are doing theme based math, theme based, you know art it's like new to them and fresh and exciting. It's not just finger paint every week. So this week is what is this week. This week is Earth Week because it was Earth.
Speaker 1:Day. Oh nice Awesome.
Speaker 2:So just a lot of recycled materials. They're playing with stuff. We didn't really buy any supplies this week because the point was to reuse recycle and reduce what we have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you mentioned a little bit about getting the kids outside. Are the kids engaged? I a little bit about like getting the kids outside. Like, do you like are the kids engaged in the like I'm just thinking earth day of like all the things you could, yeah, possibilities, like some examples or things that you've done or thought about doing so this week was like clean up the playground teaching them how to do that stuff, make sure we don't litter um and then for um outside time we do have an outdoor garden that our chef, susanna, who's the sweetest woman in the world- you have a chef.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's awesome, sign me up she's, I know right.
Speaker 2:She's super cool too and she's just so friendly like she's a highlight to every kid's day morning, like when they come in she just makes sure they feel really welcome. She was there before I took over the school, so I can't take credit for hiring her, but I'm keeping her forever and that, like what they're eating, is so important it really is and she incorporates the garden.
Speaker 2:So last year obviously we took over July 1st. It had stuff. Right now it has nothing. It's growing and she would go out and take the kids and collect the cherry tomatoes and, like, make a cherry tomato with basil with like oregano from the garden.
Speaker 1:Caprese salad from the playground? Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:And they would eat it because it was cool Like they grew it, they took care of it she made it and so um. I just think that shows you know responsibility too. We just got a turtle, so yeah family from new Albany's uh last kiddo is graduating so they wanted to adopt it out.
Speaker 1:So we have Tippy now. He's pretty cool. Yeah, oh, it's perfect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the kids love him.
Speaker 1:Has Tippy been to? Animals Are Special.
Speaker 2:Oh no, but I need her to come over and check it out. I know she's in London running a marathon. She's so cool, so when she comes back I'm going to have her check them out she talked about in the last episode.
Speaker 1:she mentioned pocket pets, her just did and I was like, oh, like turtles, and she goes no, those are reptiles, duh, oh all right, she is our vet too, so we love her. Nice, yeah, awesome. So you got pets that you take there.
Speaker 2:Yes, so we've got Chesney, our Labradoodle, and then we've got a cat now who I don't think wants to live with us, but it's fine.
Speaker 1:We've tried cats, we have some property, not a ton, but we've tried cats, we have some property not a ton, but yeah, we've tried some cats.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we just don't have any luck. Yeah, he, uh, he was an outdoor cat that I found, yeah, at someone's birthday party, and then he came into a house of six people and he was like I didn't ask, yeah, I was doing just fine on my own, and that's how he walks around the house that's hilarious. Yeah, oh, that's great like beg him for love and he's like just open the door.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, has he met Tippy.
Speaker 2:No, but that'd be cool.
Speaker 1:I should bring him over Just get a claw to the face, oh cool.
Speaker 2:More people and a turtle.
Speaker 1:That's great. So, pto, I know that's a thankless position. I have no experience with it, but appreciate the people that do so. Tell me what are the roles and responsibilities?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so just really be in that liaison between the schools and the parents, um, because you know they do need stuff all the time. You know it's. It's important to give back to the teachers, who are constantly, you know, giving their their own stuff or their own time, their love all day long to our kids. So I really enjoy, uh, fundraising for the schools. So we've done things like the fairy tale ball that's always a big moneymaker, um, and spring fest, and like the dances at the middle school what's really neat, um. I mean, since I joined the PTO in 2014, we really needed to merge them all, and this year that's happening.
Speaker 2:So yeah there were three moms that took that on and it was a lot of work, so we're going to merge it as a K-12 or K-8 right now.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:High school is still going to do their own JM and do their own thing. But you know the problem is for the schools. Your kids are in K and first grade. That's what you do.
Speaker 1:You have K first graders.
Speaker 2:You don't have any sports yet. You may be doing Timbits out in Bevelheimer, but you, that's what you do. You have K first graders. You don't have any sports yet. You may be doing Timbits out in Bevelheimer, but you're printing money over there because those parents are like oh, fairytale ball, oh, let me give you money for this, I'll do all the signup. Genius, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The fall party invite goes out and it's full in seconds. It's like trying to win tickets to a radio concert.
Speaker 1:Volunteering at the schools. I try and volunteer as much as I can in the classroom. Oh yeah, you got to set an alarm. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2:That help and that excitement is there. And then your kids hit primary school and you start having a little bit more practice, a little bit more, and the time isn't really there. You may make it to the Springfest, but everyone's at the fairytale ball at the ELC.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So they're over there like a bank just bringing it in, which is great. Well then you get to say middle school and your kids are on a travel league at this point. You're fundraising for that.
Speaker 1:They don't like their parents. Yeah, we don't like them. They don't even want to go to the dance. Sometimes they do.
Speaker 2:Sometimes they don't. If we had a mistake, two years ago, we accidentally made it the same night as Oktoberfest, you know, but they're seventh and eighth graders shouldn't be there.
Speaker 1:You should be at the school.
Speaker 2:No, the whole eighth grade was at the Oktoberfest, so we didn't do so well. So that ebbs and flows with the money coming in and those teachers you know, you just said it, middle school teachers deserve a little more because they're dealing with those guys. So we just said you know, let's do K-8 right now and we'll divide the fun.
Speaker 1:You join the.
Speaker 2:PTO, you're a part of the whole thing. Everyone's still going to have their traditions. Everyone's going to have their events. That they've always done, but now every teacher across the board is going to get it yeah Well, I mean, those kids came from the ELC in primary.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. So I mean it was a little we had to really kind of talk in the ELC in the primary, but it all worked out at the end and when their kids get to middle school they're going to be like, ah, we get it, this makes sense, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then. So what does the PTO fund then?
Speaker 2:So we do fund things. Like you know, they want poster makers for the like sandwich boards out front. That was a big thing this year. The house apps those were expensive, so you don't think about it, you just think you get on your app and you're like, oh, this is $4.99. Great. No, these are expensive apps. So the intermediate right now had a really cool one that Mrs Ballinger had. It's got all four houses and it's on these TV displayed in the buildings.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 2:It shows where their points are and then if certain kids get certain house points, their little face will pop up and it'll show that they got a house point.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:So it's just a way to like keep it going throughout the day. Yeah, they get house points for you, obviously being kind, doing good stuff, so we funded those. Um, things like what else? All the lunches for the teachers, we fund those, but they'll ask for things every teacher at different levels. I know each building has a different amount. Some have 100, some have 200. Um, just depending on their funds, they get to, uh, spend that a year.
Speaker 2:So every every teacher gets that and they just can use it at Lakeshore for stuff for their classrooms. That's awesome. Yeah, things like that. Or new playground equipment, new playground balls that's always a need.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I think that's, I mean, obviously vital, right? Yeah, like I said, I don't have any experience doing it. I just know there's a lot of time and effort put into it.
Speaker 2:It was, it was getting tough too with the city. You know we don't have as many restaurants. So if the ELC was going over and saying like, hey, can you donate donuts? But then the primary is going to Dunkin' and be like, can you give us donuts? They're like man, you just asked, yeah, dunk. It was like. Then we were going to realtors like, do you want to sponsor a lunch? Or doctors, do you want to sponsor a lunch? So this was another reason the merger was important that we were all not asking the city for too much, especially after you know the economy is the way it is. Things are just it costs a lot to do things like that.
Speaker 2:So we also need to bring it back to like before. You know, the times got crazy. Moms used to sign up to bring in, you know, a crock pot of taco meat for conference week.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then we'd have a taco bar. We don't have to necessarily buy it also.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Just got to get creative. That's great, yeah. So anybody who wants to sign up for PTO, I'm sure you need volunteers All the time, and actually just now.
Speaker 2:uh, this week, if you get on, there is a thing for um. Uh, what was it? Oh, like the new committees that are coming out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So every building is going to have kind of a little hub and then there'll be the big board that everyone reports to. Yeah, but it's good because you know sometimes people sign up for things like treasurer, like I should never be a treasurer but you want a spot on the board, so you're a treasurer, and then it's like, hey, we gotta actually pay taxes. So yeah, how does this work?
Speaker 1:yes, yeah, that's good to know. That's good to know. Um so, uh, now that we're on to the school's teachers, so I mean, pto is supporting the teachers. I, my experience with teachers has been amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, same.
Speaker 1:I mean like so tell me, I'm getting in trouble doing this. Don't tell me a favorite.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:But just a few teachers that you think have had a big impact in the community.
Speaker 2:Here. Yeah, don't say who. No, you can. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Like it doesn't, I can't say, I don't want to say favorite yeah, yeah, yeah, okay gotcha.
Speaker 2:So I will say all four of my kids have had Mrs Sheeran in first grade, just like just a fair, fun, consistent, just a joy to have. And now my oldest is actually babysitting for her, which is a total full circle moment because she was pregnant with him Cammie's first grade year and left at the end of the year to have the baby and now she's babysitting the baby.
Speaker 1:So that was a cool moment.
Speaker 2:I have to say we've had so much luck with the principals too, which I kind of ties back to the schoolhouse. If you have good leadership and happy teachers, then the kids are just in a good place.
Speaker 1:I feel like I don't know the principal. Maybe that's a good thing, I don't know. I feel like I don't know the prince. Maybe that's a good thing, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean, I wouldn't want to know him.
Speaker 1:I mean, I only know him because of PTO. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I wouldn't want to. Yeah, you don't want to know him. Oh, that's good, that's good and then so I like, I'm just trying to think of someone that might like Mr Barnes.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, we were like digging in sand. Yes, getting the fossils out, that's right Jackson came home with a I think it's a shark tooth.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And he like went in the garage and like wanted to drill a hole in it to put it on the. Of course I'm like it's 8 o'clock, we're not making our neckline. No, maybe later. Yeah, Mr Barnes is great. I actually sent him an email and said hey, do you want to be on the podcast? I don't know, he probably didn't get my email or like who knows. So next time I run into him, yeah, exactly, I would love to have him, because all four kids have had. Like you don't have to have him in class now because he's at the lab, so they're all getting to experience all of his adventures and stuff.
Speaker 2:For sure to experience all of his adventures and stuff, which is great For sure. So I you know, because, going back to kind of circling back to middle school, I will have to say those teachers are rock stars. I was so impressed by our middle school that I kind of was like man, should I have gone into middle school? I ended up getting to do the Washington DC trip both years with Cammie and Paisley, so did the bus.
Speaker 2:I was like man, do I really want to? What am I get myself into? You know, 40 kids on a bus. It was my favorite thing. I've done those in the admin.
Speaker 1:What grade did they do? Is that eighth grade, eighth?
Speaker 2:grade the administrators. I mean Mr Freeman, just super cool guy, I mean he knows every single kid, he just he gets it.
Speaker 2:And that's what I love about the middle school. The teachers that are on that trip genuinely are like the cool aunt, cool uncle. And actually Dr Wagner's husband, ben, goes on that trip every year and he was in my group and I'm like you are just fun, and the kids respect him. I noticed on that trip that no kid disrespected anybody because they're just valued and they just are teachers that are at their level and are meant to be there. So I have to say that the middle school we had really good luck there too. That should be a challenging time, you know, but they really just squash it all and they did a really good job at that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I taught middle school and it was a mess, so I appreciate that I was not a very good teacher. I loved to coach I think I was good at that, the teaching part not so much. I love to coach I think I was good at that, yeah, the teaching part not so much. Yeah, I keep waiting for Vinny, my oldest, or Sierra, I guess. I'm like can one of you get a mean teacher? Oh right, like I want them to experience that Like that teacher, that's just, but they haven't got it.
Speaker 2:I haven't had that experience either We've had. I mean, I had that growing up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Just feel like now I don't know. I feel like people are in it for the right reasons and they're. They also know that social media is there. Yeah, yeah, so probably nothing they want out For anyone.
Speaker 1:You know, and I think obviously we're fortunate at New Albany, so that's not probably the case at every district.
Speaker 2:But Well, I mean were fortunate at new albany, so that's not probably the case at every district. But well, I mean, mr sawyers is like just top tier. I tell everyone. I'm like, if we're gonna do these building expansions and these um switch around with the grades.
Speaker 2:He's who we want to do that. Yeah, I mean we want to keep him as long as possible. I just feel like he's, I like, like I said, he's just he's one of a kind Everyone respects him. I've just yet to see anyone that's like disagreed with anything he's done, and if he says he's going to do it, he does it and it just. I'm grateful my kids are in a school district that he is above.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, and you made the point about leadership, I mean it just trickles down yeah, and everyone respects him.
Speaker 2:So it's like, not just I mean parents do, then you know, the principals do. Everyone wants to do good for him because he he really keeps the promises he makes. And I think mr emory's amazing, he was actually the principal, uh, so when my kids went to the, my older two went to the elc.
Speaker 2:It was a k1 okay, yeah, so it was K-1st and Mr Emery was the principal there, and then they said he was going into this role, as you know, the curriculum director for K-5, and I was like, oh, what a bummer. So anytime I see him around, um, love Mrs Schubert, she's um. I just did something with her this week for rocks and ruling our experiences for young girls yeah, it's a really cool program that she's very passionate about, and um so I got to, and that's relatively new yeah, so cammy did it her fifth grade year, but it is a newer program because I remember seeing it.
Speaker 1:Yeah and then I I thought sierra, my daughter was like you should do this. And then I can't remember, like if there's a conflict with yeah, something after school. Yeah, yeah, it's, that's after school, so after school.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Sports.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all of it, we live at Bevelheimer. Yep, we should just have mail forwarded there.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. I just want a camper and I could just sleep there.
Speaker 2:Right, and when I finish out the schoolhouse I will be offering a bus that will take kids out there so they can get to practice, Because we'll go up to fifth grade. At that point they can be dropped off at practice.
Speaker 1:And then so are those age groups after school care then yeah, so we'll go up to my end.
Speaker 2:Goal is to have a K-5 after school program, just to get them off Market Street and roaming around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that bus should start at Starbucks at the market, Just grab them take them Scoop them up and get them out of there. Yes, my kids ask Fridays. It's a thing to do. Yeah, it's like let's go to market. And I'm like man if I hear one thing about you there.
Speaker 2:I know I say the same thing. Yeah, I'm like. You leave your trash, I'll personally take you back and you're going to pick up every piece of trash. Yeah, true, yeah, that's right, but you know about the new coffee shop right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, I know a little bit about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're pumped about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's going to be across the street.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but he the one side after school for like dirty sodas, nice, so the kids can jake second time that people. What is going on with the coffee shop?
Speaker 2:oh man, open that thing I know, I just stare at it from my office.
Speaker 1:I'm like, please me, yeah, you guys are great. I mean just to be able to walk over. Yes, uh, I gotta I. I I know jake. I've known him for a long time. I need to. Actually I tried. I wanted to record him for the intro of the podcast. So, like I caught him at the barbershop, he was in his car. I was like, tell me what you love about New Albany, don't ask why. But then he was in a. I didn't record again. I messed it up. Yep, I didn't record it. But yeah, he's going to hear about this eventually We'll get him on and talk.
Speaker 2:Every podcast will just have this blurb about it until he's on, we'll start spreading rumors.
Speaker 1:He's got to come in and squash them. Because I've seen pictures and stuff.
Speaker 2:It looks awesome, it looks so cool. It's a really cool building.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what else? You talked about? Curriculum. Maybe this is more in-depth than people to hear about, just, but from coming from education like you talked about like kind of bridging that gap or making connection to the school curriculum, like how do you do that? What does that look like?
Speaker 2:So when our kids hit preschool and they start doing things like phonics or handwriting and things like that, we make sure that whatever the schools are using for like handwriting worksheets, such as foundations, which you know- yeah. Backshop talk, but it uh the same stuff they're going to use in kindergarten so when they go over. That handwriting worksheet is familiar to them and we've taught them the correct way that the kindergarten teachers are going to teach them. Just so they have that little one up on that yeah, like just being exposed to it, yeah yeah, they're like oh, I know worksheet.
Speaker 2:It's got the worm at the bottom, the cloud at the top, and that's where I take my pencil. So, we try to make sure that as soon as they go in it's a seamless transition and we're teaching the sight words so that when they leave they're maybe right at a kindergarten reading level or above when they get in there.
Speaker 1:I know my oldest didn't go to New Albany kindergarten so he was a little bit behind. I feel like, compared to the other kids that did, like my youngest Gemma, she's ready to drive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the CEO of the house?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but because she's exposed to it all, just being in the house and hearing. Oh, I've got to do Alex, or oh you know, yeah, my favorite.
Speaker 2:I know it's like always Sunday night Like, oh yeah, we have Alex topics.
Speaker 1:Yeah, by the way, I have like 10 topics to do.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh Always, and then we're kind of helping and we're like this isn't good, because now we definitely can't even do it.
Speaker 1:We're like Alexa what's up Now? I'm asking Alexa yep, hey, chat GPT. How do you solve this?
Speaker 2:And can you just finish Alex till eighth grade for them? That'd be great. I saw a couple years ago I watched the graduation ceremonies and the one kid was like hey guys, no more. Alex.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, kid was like hey guys, no more, alex, yeah, oh, they're gonna be excited. Senior speech. It was hilarious. I felt that it's good in my bones it's good though.
Speaker 1:So I'm pretty sure it was alex that vinny was working on and it was, um, it was like real world applications, and he was like calculating simple interest and compound. And I'm like, hey, uh, so simple interest I could do compound. I'm like I don't know what that formula is, but I know it's great. So I said, hey, vinnie, would would you rather have a hundred, like a hundred dollars, you know, with 10 simple interest, or a hundred dollars, you know, at one percent compound? And he, and then I like made him do the formulas. He's like this is how do I do? How do I get this? Do I just ask for this? This is perfect, well, well now you know Exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's that. Stuff's great, alexa or Alexa. Oh geez, the the reading one.
Speaker 2:Alexia. Same thing, my husband calls it Alexia. Alexia is what he calls it, and they're like it's Lexia. Yeah, I mean it at Idlewood. I mean it's great, it is good for them, but we just always forget or something's not charged. Today we just had a morning and I saw the iPad sitting there and I was like, oh, so I texted her teacher. Just because she's the dance mom where my two dance, I'm like coming over with the iPad, so sorry. And she's like it's fine, she has a Chromebook.
Speaker 1:Don't make a thing over here. I'm like I'm such a deadbeat, but no, I I uh to where my wife and I differ is like I like I want they got to learn responsibility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I'm gonna let them stumble because otherwise I'm gonna be in charge of charging it and you know what though it was, and that's normally I do that and then it was my fault, because we like switched, zach took her, I always take her, okay, and I was like I know that, like I'm always like don't forget your stuff, and he was out the door yep I mean he'll be late to his own funeral.
Speaker 1:So great dad, amazing husband, love the man, but he will be late he will be late, he will, uh, I can't remember my own stuff, let alone. So maybe it's just like that too, just the way that I am, um, what else? I was trying to take some notes, yeah. So that's really as far as the schoolhouse. Anything else that you know I?
Speaker 2:just love to, you know, give back. So we always do the Thanks for Giving run. We've done that since it began. So we sponsor the Kids Dash for that and we've done that for I think this last year was the maybe the 10th or 11th year. Um, but it's just a fun one. I love Thanksgiving so I even go over there in the morning help anyone do the registrations and stuff. It always amazes me people that wake up and they're like well, I'm going to run and they haven't registered.
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't want to run and and I definitely would have registered if I was going to. Is it thanks for giving the kids run? Is that the one that goes around the cul-de-sac and back?
Speaker 2:down. Yes, ok.
Speaker 1:My kids love it.
Speaker 2:I know it's cute, it's just enough.
Speaker 1:And now they're at an age where I don't lose them, because I feel like I lose them all the time. I find them crying somewhere, somewhere that one's mine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll take it I always say with four, and I'm sure you feel the same way. It's like if they'll return them yeah yeah, we're at disney.
Speaker 1:I'm like someone will bring it back. Yes, they will bring it. We don't want this this is your mistake yeah, that's awesome. Um well, thanks for your time. I feel like we covered so much uh, so pTO get involved. Yes please, right, check out the schoolhouse. So what I'll have to do is like get some photos and videos and stuff to help spread it, because I had no idea. Yeah, I mean, I knew it was there. Yeah, I just didn't really know what it was or anything about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're yeah, it's just a kids to 132. And it's been. We just opened in July so it's been. It's very rewarding. It's very like emotional. I can't believe it's happening. I mean I always had like state in charge of me or just having like we used to have this like franchise above, and every day I go I'm like, oh, it's just me, because it's private right, completely private. Yeah, I'm in charge of all these kids by myself. There's no one to be like. Hey, can you help me figure this out?
Speaker 1:Yeah so.
Speaker 2:I'm just doing it. It's a really good time yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm going to let my kids go home and I'm coming for the aftercare. Yeah, and get my chef-cooked meal out of the garden.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you tend the garden Well.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much for coming on. I'm going to tease our next guest, which is Dave. He's the founder of BrickHouse Blue and so I'm excited and he's just a super interesting guy. He's got a monster AAU basketball program that he started and then the four locations at BrickHouse Blue, so super, super excited about that. Also, any of the listeners if you know somebody that would be a good fit, anybody who wants to be on the show, just somebody with tight-knit community ties. Yeah, jake, that's it, jake, you're up next. Buddy, just shoot us a message on social. Go to whitefencelivingpodcastcom. You can fill out a form or get a hold of us somehow. So thanks again.
Speaker 2:Awesome, thank you.