When The Wind Blows

2.2 - Co-ConstructED Success

Co-ConstructED Success

 

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in world of education. I am Erin Barnes, host of the show...and today’s co-hosts are

 

1. Who are you and what is your role at EPIC?

 

1. I asked for the two of you because you both had quite an extensive planning process throughout the summer months. Susan, I followed your plan on year with my youngest because your kiddos were always so successful. Tell me first how you go about choosing a curriculum and whether or not to go beyond that curriculum with a family.
   1. You need to choose a curriculum online vs offline that works for the student and parent.  

 

1. I have seen a few complaints from families on FB about having too many places to go to check on the schoolwork...How does the kiddo keep up with all of the different logins and places to go to do their schoolwork?
   1. Erin, will any of our new systems help address the different places needed to login? Do you know if we will still have Clever next year?
   2. Recommendation: Have a list of everything that needs to be accomplished in the day.  Place it in a plastic page protector and use a dry erase marker to mark off what has been completed each day.

 

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” ~ Peter Drucker

How do we manage our culture in a way that maximizes student learning? 

1. Address the culture of the family (large vs small, homebodies vs travelers, belief system, special needs, etc.) in the ILP. 
2. Address the culture at large
   1. Easily Discouraged
      1. Emphasize Controllables
         1. Effort
         2. Character Character First (Oklahoma Company)
      2. Address Learning Style (through supplements)
         1. Science
            1. Generation Genius - new to Epic with ExactPath purchase
         2. Math
            1. Saxon Math with Nicole the Math Lady
            2. Saxon Math with My Math Assistant now with video instruction (Oklahoma Dad). Note - online placement tests.
         3. Social Studies
            1. Crash Course or Liberty Kids alignment (Summer Neel)
            2. Studies Weekly
         4. ELA
            1. EIW - video based ELA instruction
            2. IEW (Oklahoma company)
            3. No Red Ink (Epic Essentials/ACT Prep)
            4. Bing, Bang, Bongo - writing 
            5. All About Reading - (Dyslexia) note previous podcast
         5. Remediation/Standards Mastery Check
            1. IXL
            2. Epic Essentials - Freckle (OK Standards aligned this year), MindPlay, Dreambox
            3. MasteryConnect
         6. Social
            1. EpicLive
            2. CivilCourse (collaboration with teacher outside of Epic, addresses civil discourse/ELA Essay) Lee Roland was helpful - note previous podcast

 

1. Easily Distracted
   1. Planbook - or PLP (Teacher prep)
   2. Time Management Strategies (Teacher instruct) “kill the squirrel”
      1. Lisa Johnson - note previous podcast
      2. GTD (Get Things Done) for teens by David Allen
         1. Capture
         2. Clarify
         3. Organize
         4. Reflect
         5. Engage
      3. Google platform instruction 
   3. Curriculum Login Sheet (teach how to bookmark), Clever QR Badge (addresses Erin’s question 3)

 

2021-2022 - “Wherever you are, be all there . . .” ~ Jim Elliot

 

2.1 - Evaluating Last Year

Evaluating Last Year

 

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education. I am Erin Barnes, host of the show...and today’s co-hosts are

1. Who are you and what is your role in Epic?

We build up understanding through our experience in the world. The process of reflection helps us to develop our understanding more deeply and to make our intuitive knowledge shareable with others. ... It provides the opportunity to step back and take a look at what our work means to us and our communities.

1. What kind of questions do you ask when you are looking to truly evaluate the ups and downs of the year?
2. What are you avoiding? 
3. What are you focusing your energy in?
4. How are you helping your colleagues achieve their goals?
5. How are you not helping or even hindering their progress?
6. How might you be contributing to your least enjoyable relationship at work?
7. How could you have been more effective in a recent meeting?

 

1. What was the hardest truth you ever uncovered during your reflection?

Add to that that I thought a couple of years of super hard work deserved me getting promotions over other people. I’ve come to realize that I’m still only a 12 year old educator and there are probably things I still don’t know. And what a great realization to realize you don’t know everything and that you can still learn

1. Do you have a moment of reflection that brought you to a place of humility?

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world

2.0 - Welcome Back for Season Two

Season 2 Showcase

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in world of education. I am Erin Barnes, host of the show.

Who are you and what is your role in Epic? I am Erin Barnes, host of the show.
Reminder of what this show is supposed to be about
A look ahead - seasons of EPIC

 

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world

1.33 - Cultivating Communication and Being Creatively Productive

Find techchef4u on the instas

 

Go to techchef4u.com for sooooo much more. 

1.31 - Leadership Part 3 of 3

Leadership

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.

I’m committed to a set of principles but I’m flexible with a plan on how we get there

Psychological safety is about being able to take risks and not being afraid of what’s going to happen. I could tell when you walked into the room but not a lot changed. Without psychological safety creativity cannot happen. 

Kodak, firefly festival, blackberry, leadership… ILP and teaching strategies…they are the same. 

Churn for turnover in your roster, in your teachers, in your department. Escalation of commitment. 

This is what I would do if I were facing your decision. You need mentors you can go to to ask objectively about a scenario or a situation. Leading in a silo or departmental he is not for the greater good of the organization if other groups get affected by your decisions...Rapid Evaluators

As leaders of your students life and potential… Leaders of a team… Leaders of a school or a company…You cannot just focus on your own goals, you have to decide whether it’s the greater good for the entire team.

Once you’ve given an evaluation, and honest evaluation you can decide whether your goals are aligned with the mission and goals of the team

Sometimes pulling the plug on a project isn’t about failure at all. It’s about creating success for the organization instead of doubling down on your investment and pulling into a bigger trap.

At google X employees receive a bonus for mitigating their losses and pulling the plug on a project when they know it’s going to fail

If you punish failure while you also simultaneously know that it’s in evitable what kind of culture are you creating

As a matter of fact if you punished for failure people will do everything in their power to prove they’re not failing and will fall into the trap

Hollywood and literature have set us up for some pretty serious failure. The heroes journey is all about one setback after another in the protagonist story. 

We are not always the protagonist. Sometimes we’re just the person that interacts with the protagonist

Adam Grant says if you’re channeling your inner Katniss Everdean, Enigo ManToya, or Forrest Gump you might need to rethink your decision because you could easily be Wiley coyote chasing the ever elusive road runner

 That's all we have for today. If you like what you heard, go ahead and hit the like button and subscribe to the podcast so you are notified each time a new episode drops. If you are a returning listener you should rate the podcast and leave us a comment. 

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world.

1.30 - Daring Leadership

Daring and Brave Leadership 

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.

 

- on the radar - target on your back - 

 

How do you decide you have thick enough skin to be an innovator? 

 

What is the most difficult part about leading a progressive/innovative school? 

 

If I am an employee that is courageous and daring, but I have a boss that doesn't get it...how do I manage up? Or is it right to manage up?  How do I keep from appearing defiant?

 

My style is to challenge the status quo always. I am always finding mole hills and deciding or forecasting whether or not they have the potential to become a mountain. ( (fault lines)... 

 

What are some assertive or aggressive approaches or practices an educator could do to push the meter...even beyond the low hanging fruit.

 

Learning Fund...extremely innovative, but the haters believe that you are just creating more privilege and widening the gap between the haves and have nots. What do you say to this group?

 

Competing priorities - Rumble starters - 

1. I hear you, but that isnt my experience. Can you walk me through what you saw that is leading you to this belief? 

 That's all we have for today. If you like what you heard, go ahead and hit the like button and subscribe to the podcast so you are notified each time a new episode drops. If you are a returning listener you should rate the podcast and leave us a comment. 

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world.

1.29 - Virtual Leadership

Virtual Leadership

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.

 

You wrote a book! What made you do this? Gosh was the timing pretty impeccable

Buy the Book

 

What is the most difficult part about leading a progressive/innovative school? 

 

Basketball football references

 

The key to a good manager is recognizing and developing someone’s strengths and managing to their weaknesses. How does a new manager or boss begin to find a direct report’s strengths?

 

If I am an employee that is courageous, but I have a boss that doesn't get it...how do I manage up? Or is it right to manage up?  How do I keep from appearing defiant? Can a leader be nudged to take off the armor?

 

Are there any qualities that do not “work” for leaders who want to foster a culture of innovation?

 That's all we have for today. If you like what you heard, go ahead and hit the like button and subscribe to the podcast so you are notified each time a new episode drops. If you are a returning listener you should rate the podcast and leave us a comment. 

 

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world.

1.28 - Vulnerability

1.27 - Dismantling the Industrial Model of Edu

Dismantling the Industrial Model of Edu

Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.

Marshall: Who are you? How long have you been in Edu? 8 Years - Grew up in school

Giant leadership...gear 4...I asked you what topic…Why is this topic one that you proposed? I love the functionality of things that I care about. School is really important to me and I want to see it work well for students and for teachers. Watching my mom and grandmother teach really showed me what part of this model has some holes. Further, in grad school I was exposed to this clip of school compared to a factory and it was almost indistinguishable. Couldn’t tell the difference.

 

What sort of things or approaches do you think keep us stuck in our approach to education?

• School calendar
• Teacher Pay
• Curriculum and hidden curriculum/agendas
• Push to University
• Teacher Prep and support
• Homogenized “Finish Line” 
• Decision makers “went through it”
• Fear of the unknown
• Desire to hold on to power

If there is anything this pandemic has taught us, its that our learning curve for the digital wasnt where we thought it was...also we were able to overcome those obstacles fairly quickly. We still have random cat filters that go viral. 

We are in year 10 of this break from the “Normal” and still  trying to improve. How do we move to this a little more broadly without wrecking education? We have to know and trust “our people”. What do they need? Some of the most innovative school practices are coming from schools who just seek to know their people better. 

Books: 

One World School house, by Sal Khan

A Different Kind of Teacher, by John Taylor Gatto

Depression coming with Online learning...nope. 

Teacher pay is one of the first topics that can really piss of educators. Performance based pay is tricky...it is currently being done differently by EPIC, is it right? How can it be improved? Again, I think we have to know our people and what “performance” looks like. I think we’re doing the right thing by including teachers in that process and really factoring that in to performance based pay. It is tricky because these are humans that are imperfect. 

 

If considered the PH.D. a couple of time this last year? You?? 

What enduring question would you base your research around? I actually just started a doctorate program very recently and am landing on a dissertation topic...somewhere around “innovative practices for struggling schools and for marginalized communities.” 

That's all we have for today. If you like what you heard, go ahead and hit the like button and subscribe to the podcast so you are notified each time a new episode drops. If you are a returning listener you should rate the podcast and leave us a comment. 

Tune in next week where we are rethinking how leadership and education can better prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving world.

1.26 - The Gift of Dyslexia