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A disruption of the educational status quo
Episodes
Sunday Nov 01, 2020
Sunday Nov 01, 2020
VOTe
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.
Who: What: When: Where: Why: How
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
What are we even able to vote on tomorrow?
Presidential Race
SQ 805
SQ 814
Executive -Corporation Commission - what is this?
Legislative - U.S. House of representatives - 5 districts - plus the race for US Senate
Judicial - Supreme (3), Criminal Appeals (2), and Civil Appeals (3)
State Legislative - 21 districts with opposition - Mine is district 30
https://okvoterguide.com/candidates/state-legislative/
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.
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Saturday Oct 24, 2020
Being an Advocate or Edvocate
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education.
This week we talk advocating... next we will have Brant Cale and Todd Thomsen on the podcast again to talk about the vote RIGHT around the corner.
Advocating or being an advocate - What is it?
Student, parent, teacher, principal, MDI, Asst Supts, Supt
To date there has been a one-sided story being told. Is there an agenda being set by the people telling the story right now?
We already know who loses, but who benefits from closing EPIC Charter School?
What is effective or ineffective when it comes to people calling their legislators?
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.
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Monday Oct 19, 2020
Bullying Awareness Month
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education. …I asked a few of the most vocal parents on Facebook to help me come up with this outline.
Who: What:
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
Sean: This is Anti-bullying awareness month. What percentage of the kiddos that come to our school have through SM or through surveys have identified as being bullied in their previous school?
Clayton: You were the first student story we made. You have kind of been immortalized as this 14 year old kid. What have you been up to since that video?
Clayton: What message do you have for those that say “bullying has been around for forever...I was bullied and I just sucked it up”
Clayton: Do you have any clue or do you ever look up those bullies on FB to compare your stories?
Sean: You have seen soooooo many of these stories come through in the last 10 years; what are some stories that stick out in your head?
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.
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Saturday Oct 10, 2020
Chewing the fat with the Supt
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education. Today’s topic is a mixed bag of your questions…I asked a few of the most vocal parents on Facebook to help me come up with this outline.
Who: What:
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
1. So many new students, parents, and teachers this year. How do you plan to ensure they are all trained the EPIC way?
2. Ok, what’s the deal with that audit? We #standwithEPIC but what should we tell our friends?
3. How would you answer the families that say “How do I get a kid to PLP, E2, Core curriculum, AceIt, SHMOOP, HWH, ICAP, Google Classroom, EPIC live, Zoom and benchmarks?” What is required? This seems like so much.
4. Whats one last thing you want to say to the admin, teachers, parents and students out there
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.
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Content Creation vs Content consumption
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in the world of education. Today’s topic Digital Sandboxes vs Content Creating Machines
Who: What:
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
Why this topic?
There are only 3 types of content: written, audio, visual. It’s been this way for thousands of years. We literally only have 3 choices.
What has changed are the platforms. Instead of newspapers or TV, the platforms of today are Instagram, YouTube(vlogging),Tiktok, Podcasts, Blogging, Insta, Alone Challenge
What type of tools are needed to create content?
Cell phones,
Cameras
Paper and pencil
Computer
Etc…..
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.
Saturday Sep 26, 2020
Saturday Sep 19, 2020
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
Sunday Sep 13, 2020
Disrupting Education
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in world of education
Who: What:
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
Not to be melodramatic, but I felt called into education when I was in the 8th grade. I was immediately discouraged by my aunt, who was a 30 year career teacher. She said I was too much of a non-conformist to be a teacher. I would never make it. Well….she was right. I struggled with following the rules all throughout my career. Interestingly enough, that rebellious, disruptive way of doing things was the reason I was asked to come to Epic.
Why this topic?
- Disrupting Education...give us your definition of what it is.
I know it sounds cliche, but being willing to do what’s best for kids, no matter what or at all costs. So many educators will spout off that they are in for the kids, but they always stop short of doing it because of the fear of not having enough money. I remember when I was a new superintendent, I was spouting off in front of my colleagues that I was not concerned with the next year or having enough money, that I was going to do what was best for kids right now. A superintendent from a small school in Eastern OK stood up in front of everyone, and said Scot Trower, you’re an idiot if you think you’ll ever last as a superintendent with a mindset like that. They all laughed at me, told me I’ll learn the hard way. Well it just pissed me off and I set out to prove them wrong. That year I launched the state's first Apple Macbook Pro 1:1 laptop initiative for every student in my school and ended the year with a record fund balance, the highest carry over in the school's history.
- What are the characteristics/mindsets of a disruptor?
I think the primary characteristic or mindset of a disrupter is someone that doesn’t care what the status quo thinks. Not just the willingness to go against the grain, but one who seeks opportunities to disrupt. I would liken it to someone that is an adrenaline junky. That person that gets their thrills by climbing a mountain freestyle. It's the thrill of it.
A big characteristic of a disruptor that cannot be left out is the willingness to not only think outside the box, but the willingness to blow the box up so you’re never tempted to get back in. Disruption happens when you are doing things that are not the norm.
Another mindset is being willing to get rid of low performing educators. We only have a very short time to impact a students life. If we put up with bad teachers for politics or because they are tenured, we are hurting the child. We have to set the tone and create a culture of an expectation of excellence. Which includes bad teachers gotta go.
Finally, the last thing a disruptive educator has to have is to be willing to fail and regroup, not afraid to try something new. I remember when I first started teaching I was teaching government, specifically the Bill of Rights to a bunch of inner city, alternative school students. I met the students where they were and made the Bill of Rights into a rap. We were clapping our hands and stomping our feet to the beat of the rap. The teacher down the hall filed a complaint on me because I was being too noisy. There was no way kids could learn with that kind of noise and nonsense.
- Why do you think we garner so much hate or descent from the rest of the edu world?
The rest of the edu word can’t compete with us. Whether its budget constraints (which are really priorities), or they just don’t have the intestinal fortitude to make hard decisions because of self preservation. That’s really what it boils down to. Self preservation. If you are going to be a disruptor, you will fight a lot of battles. If you are not willing to die on the battlefield, then you aren’t a disrupter. The key to being a successful disrupter is to learn from those instances where you failed and to go to the next battle better prepared.
The secret sauce is even though I may have died on the battlefield while disrupting the status quo, my students still experienced the victory. They had opportunities provided to them that they would have never gotten if not for the battle that ensued. So even though I had to move on to the next battle (school), the students still won.
The thing about working for Epic is that it is expected for me to be disruptive. The problem is that it’s hard to be more disruptive than Ben Harris or David Chaney. I love that when I bring a disruptive idea to them, they take it and add their own spin, making it even more disruptive.
The Book - Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen - https://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Class-Disruptive-Innovation-Change/dp/0071592067
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.
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
So Many Opportunities NEXTSTEP- P's T's S's
Welcome back to When the Wind Blows...an Epic podcast for parents, teachers, leaders and anyone vested in world of education
How did you get involved in education? What made you bring that to Epic?
- Education growing up was a safe place for me as a student because I grew up in an abusive home and we moved every few months. Seeing how teachers showed me love, compassion, and grace changed me. It helped shape me. As I got older I realized I wanted to replicate that with students so going into Education was an easy decision. Coming to Epic was a journey I am forever grateful for, but just through working with students in various capacities and having passion for helping high school students to see their full potential no matter their history, past, or situation was a perfect fit for working in the Epic model.
Why did you suggest this topic?
- In life we all have a Next Step, the beginning process is pretty simple. In elementary school we start learning about community helpers. For example, doctors, nurses, police, firefighters. Then our next step is middle school and we start connecting the dots of the people in our life. For example, my neighbor is a nurse or my aunt is a police officer. Then by the time we reach high school we should have a better concept of career options and which ones we feel connected to or interested in. However, many students are unsure early in their high school career. So at Epic we start the real journey with the Individual Career Academic Plan (ICAP) to begin taking career and interest assessments to begin learning what careers will leverage their personal strengths and interests. Then we work to ensure by the time they reach 11th and 12th grade they are participating in an area which better helps prepare them for their next step in an area aligned to their career or college interest.
CareerTech -- Students at Epic are enrolled at career tech sites all across the state in many different programs. We have students pursuing computer coding, engineering, cosmetology, culinary arts. While in high school they are learning skills and earning a certificate. Interested students should begin researching what career tech programs they may be interested in applying for anytime between 8th-10th grade. Generally students apply for CT during 10th grade year of high school.
Concurrent -- Students at Epic are enrolled all across the student at local colleges and universities taking college coursework which allows the student to earn both high school and college credits at the same time.
AP -- Epic is offering some AP coursework this year which is another way for a student to prepare for the rigor of college and allows them the opportunity to test out of college coursework.
Internships -- Students seeking hands on experience in a certain career or industry can participate in an internship. This can allow a student to gain experience which either helps them eliminate certain career fields or gets them even more excited about certain career fields. Students who participate in an internship can earn high school credit. ENN OPP
This year we are launching “Find your Future Fridays” and the Department of College and Career Readiness will be hosting a weekly time for students, parents, and Epic staff to come join us on varying topics all year from enrollment in career tech or concurrent enrollment, hearing industry leaders share out from the industry on in demand jobs, FASFA, scholarships, and so much more! Do not miss these opportunities to connect and grow in all things College and Career Readiness! We are here to help students find their Next Steps after high school!
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.
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
# of Students
# of Teachers
10,000 K Ss last year…
25k+ Ss this year
Grace - A’s, T’s, Ps - There are soooooo many kids signed up right now because this option was better than the other one that was presented to them. We already know it will not be right for everyone. We already know that being self driven, persistent, a problem solver are keys to EPIC success.
Virtual learning is hard. As to Bs and Cs
A teacher filled with love and understanding over spreadsheets and to-do lists. The standards do matter and we will teach them, but it will require the village to do it. This
We are not a school without problems. We try really hard to shut out the noise of the haters and do the job ahead of us. We know that nothing of consequence can get done without a little bit of courage and a heck of a lot of grit.
We have graduated a west point scholar and a student 6 months into a prison sentence. We have graduated more 19-21 year olds AND more 15 and 16 year old than any other school in the state.
The tyranny of how is our biggest challenge at Epic...and not just this pandemic school year.
Teacher question: How do you teach every grade level and every subject to every student? How do you satisfy the requirements of the world of standardization in an environment of personalization?
You need a strategy
You need to train your brain and the brain of the kiddos, students, and families we work with to be, keep, and stay flexible. When a plan isnt working around here, we dont keep trying to force our way...we try to find a new way.
You have got to keep the state of your being in a constant state of gratitude for the ability to think outside of the box. We are NOT the status quo. For 10 years we have and will continue to push every boundary in front of us to do what’s best for students. Period.
I’m here to make a scene. Paint a picture. Disrupt what is downright ridiculous and archaic in this day and age.
Those that came before me fought too hard to see me squander any opportunity I have to remake what is out of date.
I give my all to the projects I know have great potential. I give myself room to make mistakes in public. I know that paying attention to the quality of my presence is more powerful than trying to be perfect.
I want people to feel my heart in all I do, whether or not they are impressed with what I got right is none of my business. I know that practice is essential.
Preparedness is priceless.
But without witnessing the moment, they’ll most likely fly by without me actually enjoying them. Each opportunity that I get to show the world what I’ve got is only going to come once. I want to enjoy it.
There will be pressure, but I can learn to roll with that too. There will be chaos, but every creative moment is a full-on mess. There will be moments of epic doubt, but those are usually a good sign. What monument was ever built without a little reconstruction?