Dropped in the Classroom: WTF are State Standards with Valerie Dominy

Andrea: Welcome to Those Who Can't Do.

I am your host, Andrea Forcum, and today I have Valerie Dominy with me, who is actually like in her classroom at this moment because you start classes tomorrow, right? 

Valerie: Correct. We get students back tomorrow morning. So today is like finishing down to the wire. Stress fun time moment. 

Andrea: Yeah. You know, it's so weird because I always like, I know people get like that Sunday night feeling a lot of times.

I actually really loved this time of year because it felt like a fresh start and I am the eternal optimist that, you know, even though, you know, last year maybe things didn't end really well, I'm like, no, this is the year that we are going to finish what we started. We're going to do our journal. Like writing every single day.

I'm not going to forget after the third week. Like, I just have this sense of optimism that like, this is the year. This is my year. It's almost like a, like a New Year's resolution time for me. Are you feeling like fully prepped or are you still having to get stuff done? 

Valerie: Um, I'm still having to get stuff done.

I, I think last year was my only fully prepped year and it's because I had one prep, um, the whole year and it was fantastic. It was my first year to teach it. So there was like a little bit with that, but overall it was really smooth. And, um, this year I have that same class, but I have, um, So I have four preps total and one of those is like a work based learning and everything through the state has changed with how that goes.

So there's just been a lot with that one. So that one's my stressor for the year. It's going to be, um, my headache causer. And that one's kind of kept me busy down to the wire. Like I was printing our. Um, work based learning training manuals and programs that have just a ton of paperwork for the students to fill out earlier.

And we had just gotten that completed by our admin two days ago, so. It's a down to the wire class. And as a teacher, those just tend to find us every year, no matter what we do. 

Andrea: They do. I had somebody ask me just recently, because I made a joke about like, oh, you know, as a type B teacher, not having my curriculum completely mapped out by open house or by the first day or any of that.

And someone was like, I don't understand. If you teach, if it's not your first year, why do you have to do this every year? And I was like, I don't think there was a single year in my decade in the classroom that I did not have at least one new course that I was teaching that I had never taught before.

Every single year, it shifted. And maybe I taught the same grade, but instead of teaching nine English regular, I was then teaching nine honors. And so I couldn't. And it was a different text, so a different pacing guide, and a different everything. And like, I think that's a pretty common experience, that like, almost every year, you end up with something like that, that you're gonna have to remap out.

And first day changes everything anyways, because even if you have The exact same preps. You're going to meet your students and you're going to be like, Oh, okay. So this is, this is the class that really got hit hard by the pandemic and you're going to have to slow everything down. I'm going to have to 

Valerie: scaffold and differentiate and all of our other, uh, triggering words that 

Andrea: everyone's hearing during professional development right now.

Can you share a little bit about, so you're a high school business teacher, but you're also a business owner, which is perfect since you teach business. It actually is. And we're going to talk about it a little bit later, but I want to just kind of give people context for what you specialize in. So what is the business that you are the CEO of?

Valerie: Uh, it's called The Highest Standard. See my branding going on here so I can use it to teach my students. Um, I struggled as an alternative certification teacher, stepping into education as my second career. Um, mainly because I was, I was an English teacher first, so that's like where my heart is. Um, and, I thought I'd go in and teach them reading and writing and do it the best way I knew how and connect with them.

And I did not understand that there were very strict rules that we have to follow as educators. Um, and I focus on those state standards. So helping to break those down for educators that are either new to the profession or alternative certification and we just don't realize what All goes into the public education system and that it's not just stepping in and teaching your students.

We actually have like this curriculum by the state that's mandated to teach and cover for our kids. 

Andrea: Yeah, that is, like, again, we're going to talk about this later, but that is so important and something that I definitely didn't understand, um, and one of the dangers, I think, of relying really heavily on sources like TPT is if there's no understanding of the state standards, like TPT, to their credit, do have state standards listed a lot of times on the resources if the creator put them there, um, but there's no one really checking the fidelity of it, It's the onus is on the teachers to be like, Oh, yeah, that does actually meet the standard.

But you could, I could say that drawing a picture of Beowulf meets the analysis standard for writing English 12. But like, Yeah. Like, you're going to have to do something else other than draw the picture, right? Well, and the more 

Valerie: familiar you become with your own standards, the more you're able to develop those creative lessons, because my mind went to mental images, like they're helping create mental images, and, you know, I could then link that to a standard and say, like, I really am supporting my students and leading them to mastery in these, because those are all of those fancy buzzwords that admin wants to hear to make sure that their teachers are in alignment.

Andrea: Right. Because I think that's one of the things that, um, teachers, a lot of times, especially when you're like, like alternative licensed teachers, which I was as well. When you first get to the classroom, you have teacher, you have the admin coming in and saying like, okay, how does this align? And you haven't learned the vocabulary of Ed, you speak yet.

And so you're like, what do you mean? Like ? Yeah. Aligned to, were reading Beowulf. They drew a picture of Beowulf. And that's kind of what I 

Valerie: was like, well, I mean, I read Beowulf in 12th grade. And then when I went in, I taught ninth grade English. So I was like, to kill a mockingbird. Like that's what we did the Odyssey and, um, you start to realize, oh, that's why the teachers chose those things.

These are all of the bits of information covered in that. Yeah. Everett. I've got my kiddos here with me. Yes. In full teacher mode. 

Andrea: Yeah, so if you hear, yeah, I know so many, so many teachers that have had to bring their kids. I actually, you know, now I'm in the college world, so I, I have, I think, a lot more flexibility um, than I did when I was in K 12, but last spring, my daughter, she got really sick and it was.

Yeah. It was like a really important day because normally I have the flexibility where I can be like, okay, classes online, but it was, I think, a collaborative classroom between my group and another group and I needed to be there because I needed to like explain something to my students. And so my daughter came and I was like sitting in the back.

I But my, the person I was co teaching with, like, because I, my daughter was actually fine. She was just like coloring. She just had like a stomach bug. Um, but my co teacher just kept like bringing her into the conversation. If you give this girl a platform, she will take over this class. Like, yep. Sounds like 

Valerie: she has a teacher mom.

Andrea: Oh, a hundred 

Valerie: percent. 

Andrea: Yeah. Big time. So when you're looking at trying to convey the state standards, because for me, I know the biggest thing was I just felt so. Overwhelmed. I first started teaching in Virginia. And I sat down, and the teacher who left before me was an old school teacher, and so I got the filing cabinets and the boxes.

It wasn't a Google Drive, it wasn't a thumb drive, it was, here's the four filing cabinets she used, here's like a couple of three ring binders. Um, and then here's the state standards for English 12. And go. Pretty much. I was like, so where do you think people should start when they're, like, let's say someone's in that situation, because I guarantee you someone's listening who is in that situation right now.

100%. I think, 

Valerie: first of all, it needs to be on the school and admin to ensure that the teachers coming in know that these even exist. Um, I know in Texas. The acronym, we love acronyms in education, right? Yeah. Um, the acronym for ours is TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. And when I first came in, everyone was like, well, you can do that, but is it aligned to the TEKS?

And I'm like, the what? What are the TEKS? Like, what if we teach a debate class? They're like, well, if there's TEKS for that. And I was like, why do people keep using this? So you're like, is a tika wood, like what's happening? Yeah. What is this and why do you put an S on the end? You know, like the English teacher and me, like nails on a chalkboard.

Like what are we doing here? And so I think just covering the fact that those exist and hiring someone like me ideally to come in and do a dive with them on how they are set up, where to find them, just. Those basic things, like we do with our students, like what is it, why do they exist, and then we can start looking at how to use them and implement them.

So that first component of like, this is what we use, this is what we're mandated to use, and understanding that concept, because a lot of the times it was passed down to me as, well, we've always done it this way. 

Andrea: So, 

Valerie: this is how you do it, because this is how we teach 9th grade English. And I was like, well, why can't we pair, like, I, I like to push, um, I'm an accidental advocate is what I call myself.

I did not realize that, uh, speaking up could, uh, cause waves and people frown upon that. So in my first two years, I was like, why don't we pair just mercy? with To Kill a Mockingbird so that they can get a more modern day like view and it was when the movie came out and Michael B. Jordan, like I had high school students, so he's like cream of the crop.

Oh yeah. And they were like, no, we don't pair it with that. Like we just teach them that curriculum. And then the kicker was it was 2019. So leading up to an election year, they were like, don't talk about racism. When you teach to Kill a Mockingbird. I'm sorry? What? I'm not really sure how to adequately How do you voice that?

Yeah, like, it's gonna be impossible and they were like, well, just understand that it needs to be handled delicately, and I'm like, well, yeah, but then That's the point of the book. Yeah. You know, is that if we don't talk about these things, that there's going to be this stigma and you know, like people's voices being quieted and like, do you understand the irony in this situation?

And like, I could use it to teach irony and all of these lessons like popping through my mind and they were just like really afraid. So, I figured out quickly that as long as I could tie it to a standard. They could use that in their explanation. So if a parent were like, why is this topic being discussed?

Um, I'm also in Texas, so we've got a, a different in South Texas too. So, um, more of a small town, rural area, and we get a lot of pushback sometimes for topics that are discussed. So they just wanted to be able to have something to defend me. It's something that was like, it's, look, this is a black or white thing.

It's written by the state. We bring up theme in books. Like she's supposed to discuss theme. You can Google anywhere and find out the theme of To Kill a Mockingbird and I would be supported in why that was covered. So, um, that's kind of how I learned that trick to the system. Like, okay, as long as admin has legitimate reasons to back me and I have a legitimate reason to be teaching this.

or discussing it, then I'm going to be in the green. Um, and that's kind of where I had all those mistakes and missteps initially. Like, why am I getting so much pushback? 

Andrea: Yeah. So in your state, do they have a list or in your county, do they have a list of approved texts or specific texts they want you to cover?

Or is it just. 

Valerie: It's hit or miss. It changes. We had a big book ban. What was that? two, three years ago, where this, like, became a huge thing. And in Texas, it was really big. Like, they wanted all topics that were LGBTQ, racism, um, you know, any of the stuff that books are written for, really. Katerina They wanted it removed from shelves and also removed from the classroom.

So, um There was a lot of leniency in schools being able to decide what stayed and what went because it didn't formally go through. Um, so there was a little bit of fear mongering and some changes made, but again, we kind of had We had a lot of oldies in our district, and they were like, no, we have always taught To Kill a Mockingbird in the Odyssey freshman year, um, sophomore year, I can't even remember what they move on to, but then there's like Brave New World junior year, Beowulf, and all the others, so they kind of kept I think it was more so like, hey, let's be aware of discussions and how far we dive into these and how we facilitate those in the classroom.

Andrea: Yeah. And, you know, it's, since we're on the topic, I'm going to have a bit of a hot take. Um, I, I came across some books when I was teaching at a public school that I did not think were appropriate. Yeah. Yeah. to be in the classroom and accessible to all students at all times. Um, there was, I forget the specific name of it, but it's like manga, but it's pornographic and I'm using pornographic in the literal, there are visual depictions of sex in these books.

Um, and, uh, like, and I would take my students to the library and be like, pick any book you want and then we're going to meet about it. Not that one. No, we're not. Not that one. No, we are not. I don't want to know how you feel about that book. I don't want to know how that book makes you feel. Um, and there are some books, I think, of, um, a couple of Colleen Hoover books, um, that I would have, like, a 13, 14 year old freshman because she sees the picture and she sees all of that.

And I'm like, Ooh, and the way, because it wasn't up to me what was in the library, um, the way I did it always was I emailed all of the parents, and I actually would send a video, and then I would send like a a little summary of what was in my video, and I would say, hey parents, we're doing choice reading, um, and every single student chose a fiction book that they wanted to read, and they, like, that's all, they set their own goal, we're gonna do this reading together, I want you to know that I have not vetted.

The book that your child is reading, I would encourage you to talk to your child about which book they chose and make sure that you are comfortable with it. I am in complete support of, you know, whatever you are comfortable with your child reading. Um, but like, it's, I'm not the one handing your 13 year old a Colleen Hoover book, you know?

On the other side of that, I actually did teach Just Mercy, um, and it was during the pandemic. So it was during that time, um, that you're talking about where we just got all of a sudden, people were so scared of any topic. 

Valerie: Oh, yeah. Right? Like, the climate was, and it wasn't just political, it was medical. I mean, it's everything was a trigger topic.

Andrea: And, and regarding like the, the sexual content in books, like, the, I don't think people fully remember that, like, in To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a reference. to the assault that happened. Yep. And there is a reference, or the assault that she was accused of. Yeah, allegedly happened. Right, that didn't, 

Valerie: like, it's too clear, 

Andrea: like.

Valerie: The worst. 

Andrea: Right. Well, really her 

Valerie: dad 

Andrea: was the 

Valerie: worst. Her dad was also terrible. Right. 

Andrea: We could, we could just spend a whole episode To Kill a Mockingbird episode. We'll have a follow up. Yeah, and like, so, like, people forget some of that. They forget about, like, and if you're going to say any sexual innuendo, well, you can't read Shakespeare then because every single joke he makes is like sex.

Yep. And, and so when people hear teachers advocating for keeping books in the classroom, they're thinking we're sitting there trying to justify the, the books I was talking about where it's like really graphic, explicit content, stuff like that. Like teachers are saying, Hey, we still need to kill Mockingbird and Just Mercy is a great pairing for that.

Um, Just Mercy was one and they have a YA version as well, which is, I didn't even know that. And they take out a couple of the more explicit cause they're in Just Mercy for those who have not read it. Um, He talks, it's a nonfiction book, where he talks about his experiences in the criminal justice system, working with the Equal Justice Initiative, I think is what it's called?

Yes, 

Valerie: I think you are correct. I'm really digging it up from 

Andrea: a couple years ago. Um, and he talks about how these people who have been, some of them were convicted before. Because they actually committed the crime, um, and he talks about, you know, whether or not people deserve mercy, even if they did really horrible things, and that we're not, we're more than the worst thing we've ever done, and all of that, but some of the crimes that the people he worked with committed were talked about explicitly, um, and so there is a YA version that pairs very nicely with To Kill a Mockingbird, um, and I got to teach that, and I did have a few parents that had issues with, um, that book.

Um, and so then I had to come up with alternate activities and all of that kind of stuff. And so it, but like you said, because my department head, because I love her so much, she's going to come on the podcast soon. My department head, um, was a, like she led the charge with all of this. She was able to say like, listen, this book directly corresponds to these learning standards.

We told everyone at the beginning of the year, this is the book we're reading. Like, we never were secretive about what texts were available for the students. Um, and so we would always make sure to tell them. And then when the parents were like, hey, I'm not comfortable with my kid reading that, I would be like, okay, that's totally fine.

Here's this alternate activity. You know, I wasn't, I wasn't dying on any hills and being like, no, I'm going to force your child to read this book that you're not comfortable with because I don't know what some of these kids have dealt with. Also. Yeah. I think that's something else that there, there seems to be a miscommunication sometimes between parents and teachers is like, we're like, Hey, we want them to get these standards.

It's not that we need them necessarily to read this specific text. Everyone else will be, um, and the parents sitting there going like, yeah, but my kid faced like profound racism and was like bullied and all of that. I don't want them to be sitting there hearing about it. through the eyes of their peers now and have them triggered.

Like, I feel like there's got to be better communication between teachers and parents when it comes to topics like this. Yeah. Because I feel like so much of it is 

Valerie: fear based. It is. It is. And nobody wants to be wrong. No one wants to be slapped with a lawsuit or end up on the news. And really, the intention is pure.

And most of the time, I know when I was selecting, especially when we did, um, like short stories, I, I loved short stories to like hit on some of those standards that, like, um, Scarlet Ibis is great for imagery. So it was like that. I want to, if I had to defend that one, it was rooted in the teaks, why I selected that text, because it's also a very sad, story, and if you had someone who had lost a sibling tragically, like all of those are going to be there.

But that's also the catch 22 with literature, is It's nice to see yourself in books. It's nice to understand that you're not alone in those. It's nice for students who've never experienced those types of hardships to see that they exist in the world and especially at the secondary level that we're in where, I mean, they're only three, four years away from being on their own in this real world, that they can get some kind of look into, uh, what's things that are different from their experiences.

So, a lot of it is misinformation. I mean, we're, there's plenty being spread about teachers being the bad guys and, oh my gosh, indoctrination. Right. I hear that word. Often, and I'm like, I promise I'm not doing it that to your children, you know, like it's not what you think that it is. So there's been a lot of safety that I've found in pointing to the standards and saying, look, these have been vetted and this piece that I chose is tied to it.

And even when I did just mercy, I did an excerpt from it. And then a clip from the video, my students, my ninth grade students really struggled with. the first couple chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is pretty boring. It's all setting. It's rough. Yeah. And you're talking, you know, 60s, backwoods, Alabama, tiny town where everyone leaves the doors unlocked and neighbors watch each other.

Like kids don't get that nowadays. Neighbors don't. even see each other, much less wave. And so getting them to understand the setting and context, and it was set in the same town in Maycomb, Alabama, and the movie talked about it. And it was this beautiful juxtaposition of instead of a white attorney, you now have an African American attorney, and you can see how things have grown and changed through the years, but also at the same time, How they haven't within our justice system.

So making sure that while doing that, I was also rooted in the teaks of themes and irony and being able to point to those things and say, these are important literature, literary elements that our students need to be able to identify in all reading is, is what saved me and what saved my admin because typically they're the ones that go to bat for us when it escalates.

It's like, they have to defend and as long as it's tied to the curriculum. They're usually good to go. Like they can, they can die on that hill. Like this is the curriculum. If that's not what you like, like you need to talk to state board of education and your people for your state and you know, but we, we have vetted this and our teacher has vetted it and she's good to go.

Andrea: Right, and I think that one of the things that could be done, um, on the teacher side is the communication piece because I feel like, like you said, like there's so much misinformation and people are being told a lot of things about what these English teachers are reading to their students or doing or doing in the class and all of that kind of stuff.

And for me, I don't remember a single time where somebody got really angry at me over the content that was given to their kid because I was very intentional throughout my time of being like, like I said, I sent the videos, I would send book lists, I would encourage people to reach out because there's nothing worse.

And like, now I have, my kids are in school and. If I found out that my, my kid went to the library and got one of those books I was taught, like the manga books, I was looking at pictures and was asking questions, like, my daughter's six, like, I would be furious if that happened, especially if I, if I found out, like, the English teacher had put that in her class library, like, I would have a problem with that, right?

Um, and so I think that the thing that we can do to kind of assuage some of the defensiveness or fears is just to be like, hey, here's the, here are the learning goals that we're doing to meet those learning goals. We're starting a unit next week, we're reading To Kill a Mockingbird. This is a book that has been taught in American classrooms, like, since it came out.

Since it was written. Since you guys were in school. You remember this book because you read it when you were supposed to read it when you were in school. Yep. And, and I feel like by being approachable and being very clear and upfront about what kids are going to get in their classrooms, I think that can help a lot.

And it really, like, and, Also, one of the things I always did is if a parent was upset with me for something, because although I never got any parents upset with me over the content of what we were teaching, I had parents upset with me for one thing or another, usually because I made a sarcastic comment and was rude to their kid, and I probably needed to apologize, and so I would, I would call admin, and I would have admin say, Be there for those conversations, for the phone call.

If I was going to email, I would sometimes send the email first to the principal and be like, Can you just check the tone? And then, and then I'm gonna blind copy you on it as well. That's, I think those are things that are best practices you kind of figure out along the way that as like, as somebody who came to the classroom and didn't get to do any teacher courses really before, those are things that I would do it wrong, figure out that it was wrong, and then a more experienced teacher would be like, oh, well next time just send it to me first.

I'll read it. Yeah. And you're like, 

Valerie: this would have been Great, but you're so overwhelmed. And I think so many people until you are in education, you just don't get it. You think that, you know, you walk in, the kids are there to learn, which has become a big problem. You're there to teach, you cover the material, they do their work.

And if they don't, you just say, Just give them a zero and they move on. And it's never just that. First of all, we're dealing with kids, you know, like, and let's, thankfully, social emotional learning is like coming to the forefront. They don't always have good days. They very rarely, especially teenagehood, have consistent good days where you have a whole class full of ready to go learners.

So you're just adjusting consistently on the fly. And I agree with that parent communication. I covered, as a long term sub, an eighth grade honors class, um, and they had choice reading books. And I did have a couple girls choose Coleen Hoover. And I don't remember which of them, it wasn't Verity, because that's the one where I was like, oh my gosh, please.

I had a girl 

Andrea: in my class reading Verity, and I was like, no. 

Valerie: I mean, I loved it, but like, looking at my baby students, I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. You're not ready. Like, I after 

Andrea: one of my students read it, so when I got to those scenes, it was wildly uncomfy for me. I was like, no, no, no. Because you're picturing them.

Yes, reading it. And I'm like, no. 

Valerie: And it was one of the others, maybe the It Ends With Us, you know, those were really popular, which still have fans. Some pretty provocative topics in it, but I did the same thing. It was just an email that went out to parents copied with admin where it was like, Hey, just know they're aware of it.

Have that discussion with your kid, which wouldn't we all as teachers love that if parents read those and then said, Hey honey, I got an email from your teacher. What book did you choose? Let me read it with you. Like what kind of learning could happen, you know, if, if that was going on. And so I. I learned to take it with a grain of salt and not take it personally because for a while it was like, I'm a great teacher and I love your kids and how would you ever think that I would do anything outside of that?

But really some, some people are just Karens and they like to complain and, you know, as long as you have that documentation, we love that in, uh, in education and that admin, you know, support and mentors to go to and lean on, you'll be okay. And, um, that's where I could go on another mohill about making sure that you're in a place where you feel supported by admin.

A hundred 

Andrea: percent. 

Valerie: Finding your home as a teacher is also important. It takes all kinds of kinds, and you just may not be in a district where, you know, you vibe with them, where that's a match, you know? So, um, looking for that is important. 

Andrea: And when you do have those conversations with parents, I think it's really helpful to recognize that there is nothing that turns us all into Karens quicker than our own children.

Oh, big time. Like, if we have the perception that someone is hurting our child in any way, shape, or form, Their values, their, like, their emotional wellbeing. Like I am a pretty calm, cool and collected person, , but you mama bear. But, but I, but yes, like, yeah, I will no longer be called cool, calm, cool and collected if somebody is doing something that is going to damage my child in any way, shape or form.

And so I think going into those meetings with the recognition that like, okay. Like, do I know my, my motivations were pure and I want what's best and I love their kid? Yes. Do they know that I feel that way? Not necessarily because they may believe what they've been hearing about teachers. And so I would always start off those kinds of meetings by talking about the things I best loved about their kid, even with the kids that I didn't connect with as much.

And it was a little bit more of a struggle to figure out what I loved about their kid. I always started it with that. And that I feel like opened up the avenues of communication so that we could get somewhere. And it just ended up being, you know, the best way into a productive conversation because when parents are coming in and they're heated and, you know, No one wants to be wrong either, and so they're heated, they want to protect their kid, and then they are coming in guns blazing about a situation, and then they, you kind of want to give them the out to recognize, like, oh, I, I was actually, like, They're not going to do that if you don't start off with, like, love your kid, let me just explain what's been going on, and then they can be like, uh, oh, 

Valerie: you 

Andrea: know, like.

Exactly. 

Valerie: And that's, a lot of them come in, I know when I've had talks, I have a, um, a daughter that's going into 6th grade, and when she had issues last year, I was like, Make sure you're telling me the whole truth before I follow up with it, because those details are going to come to light, like own your part of it, and then tell me and we can work towards a solution together.

So, sometimes you do, you get those mama bear blinders, and it is, it's best to go in and be like, hey, I am here for the, best of your student, the betterment of them. Like that is my job. I want to make sure that you understand like that's how I walk into this classroom every day is like, how can I help your student?

How can I meet them where they're at? And, um, obviously there's some kind of disconnection if that's what's happened. How can we get back to a connected state to where everybody understands and it's kind of in rhythm, um, and that helps a ton. And schools are starting to finally. use training and professional development time to go over that information with their teachers because conflict with parents is soul crushing.

Yeah. For a lot of educators. I know that's why I almost walked away year one between the teaching and then year two COVID happened and you know, it was a lot of it was parent interface. And I was like, I just, I can't. Take these hits constantly where they don't get that I really am in it for the right reasons.

And how do I get this message across? And it really is just that continual communication. I use it consistently through the years. I try to do it as we jump into new units. And if they don't read it and don't talk about it, that's on them. But at least I can say, look, I have been trying. So clearly I care.

I'm involved enough and open enough to feedback and communication from parents that all you've got to do is just let me know. 

Andrea: 100%. Um, so that's actually a perfect place to take a break. And when we get back, we're going to talk about how we as seasoned teachers and maybe for admin, how we can best support new teachers, uh, to keep them in the field of teaching long term.

So we will be right.

Welcome back to those who can't do. Um, so I want to talk to you a little bit, Valerie, about what we can do to help. new teachers, alternative certified teachers, because we're seeing this huge influx right now of all of these teachers who were like us, right? Like, you and I experienced what it was like to step in that first day and be all of a sudden be in charge of these Teenagers, and that's a, I, I'm sure it's very scary at the elementary level, but with high schoolers, they can see you sweat, and they know why you're sweating.

We're recording while she's in her classroom, so you guys are going to hear some things. 

Valerie: They're practicing the bell schedule for tomorrow. That's 

Andrea: right. Yep. Giving this an air of authenticity, for real. That's right. That's right. But like, we are, You know, trying so hard to help these new teachers. We, and I love that there are people like in high positions of authority.

They're like, listen, before we get a teacher in the classroom, they need to have X, Y, Z. And I, I agree they should, but we have classes full of students that have no teachers. And so I bet, I know I would have loved to have proper and adequate training before being in charge of a group of students. But that's not always what happens, especially when there's a shortage.

So, from your perspective, what are some things that we can do to better support new teachers, and specifically those teachers that were in the same boat as us, where that, like, day one, okay, now, ready, go, teach these kids? 

Valerie: Yeah, here you go. We'll hand them over to you. Um, support, first of all, and not just the, we assigned you a mentor and you may see them two, three times a year when it's evaluation time.

Andrea: Um, 

Valerie: but really giving them a buddy who's either similar in teaching style or vibe or curriculum and ideally like a mixture of both so that they have a go to like, Hey, what are we supposed to be doing? Can you share those resources with me? Um, and then I, I think I'm going to start dying on the hill of the standards.

Like you have got to review those and give them the, this is why we have them because. A lot of times you end up thinking it's, it's your admin, right? Well, they just have to have us teach it this way and, you know, so, and it's really, they're just trying to make sure that they're in alignment. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Valerie: So if you give people that why, take down those guards, kind of like what we do with the parents, like, hey, we care about you as a teacher.

This is why we have to do things the way we do. We have these standards passed down from the state, um, and then giving them some time to go through those. And I am starting this year, I'm piloting a new setup in week two where my students are actually going to tackle their teeks. That's my little, um, line that I've come up with.

They're going to tackle their teeks because I want them to also see this is why I'm teaching you these topics. You know, this is what's coming your way. Um, and there's so much information in those. I don't know what your states look like, but in Texas, they promise that they will be concise. They're never concise.

Never. And the technical jargon in them is next level, you know. So taking the time to really break each one of those down and understand what's being asked of you as a teacher is going to set us up for success. Um, especially those alternative certification. We're at the point in Texas where now more than 50 percent of our classroom teachers are All cert is our short and more than 50 percent are alternative certification, not traditional education.

And it's growing like projected 70 percent within the next four years will be alternative certification teachers because people are just leaving in droves. And it makes sense for, um, I'm now in the career and technical education department and teaching the business class. And a lot of the other courses we offer are, um, Specific training, you know, like welding, pipe fitting, cosmetology, um, all very hands on.

So you have people coming into the teaching field who are tired of working out in the heat and doing the welding jobs and they need more of that normal structure scheduled. So they're experts in their subject matter, but they don't know anything about writing LOCOs and success criteria and lesson plans in the matter that they're teaching.

You know, that they want it. So I think explaining to them what the educational component is and why it exists, just like we would do with our students, we have to give them that context and the background before we expect them like with to kill a mockingbird. We'll use that as our metaphor. Um, my students couldn't understand why people were.

that way? Why they were segregated, like, why not, if, clearly Scout understands, why not just follow her lead? And I was like, well, you have to understand the times, the place, the whys behind all of that. So I think pulling back the curtains and giving them more of a, this is our education system. This is the, the who, what, and why of it, um, would be the most valuable component to set them up for long term success in the classroom.

Andrea: Yeah. I also think on top of that, limiting the amount of preps that a first year teacher is teaching is, I think, one of the biggest pieces when you're first starting to teach because, and I don't think, Like, when, when I first started teaching, I was so fortunate because they put me in charge of like a, a credit recovery class.

So I was like in a room in a computer bay sitting there with kids who had failed a previous class and was like, did you do it? No. Okay. Like there was nothing there, right? I had that one. Do your work. And then I was put in charge of an English 12 class and it was block schedule. So I want to say we had like four classes a 

Valerie: day, I think.

We're non block schedule and we do 8, like 47 minutes a piece, which 

Andrea: Right. Right. Which is a whole different challenge. It is. I would have these students for 90 minutes, and then I, I, but I was only teaching English 12. And so I was able to spend all of my time and because I was teaching that. computer bay class.

I had that time to prep as well. And then I had a prep and I, you know, was able to really focus on a lot of that stuff. And it was still a challenge. Whereas after I had been already teaching for three years and had a master's degree in secondary education, I then went and taught at a small private Christian school where I was teaching five separate preps.

And guys, when I say that, that means there's 25 class periods that I'm prepping for. And. Like, to expect that of a new teacher is just absurd. Like, that is a recipe for burnout. Um, so, and I know that admins does genuinely try to limit a lot of that. Um, however, I think that there are situations where it could be where you have the exact same teacher who is in charge of all the, like, if you prioritized it and said, okay, I want somebody to be, like, Like, are these three or four somebodies be like the English 9 team?

And then, to your point, that then gives those new teachers a group of people to collaborate with. And ideally, you also have a shared planning time that you would be able to meet with them, and you would be able to organically get to know them, get to figure out whose teaching styles are similar, who's not.

And that is, I think, really a huge piece, too, because When I taught with, um, my good friends at the big public school, I then had this huge team of people I could rely on, and we gave each other resources, and we started the year by talking about all of the learning goals and learning objectives and all of that, and we're able to collaborate, and I think If you're a new teacher and you don't have any of that and you don't understand the learning goals, you end up with what I did in journalism, which was the spring semester of my first year teaching, where there, I don't think they even had state standards 

Valerie: for that class.

They may not have. I mean, that's happening in our CTE department in Texas, where the classes are being piloted and they create them as, You teach, so it's a thing. It's a thing. 

Andrea: Yeah. So I don't think they had state standards at the time. And so I was like, I guess we're going to do a documentary unit or something.

And it was, it, it was not good pedagogy at all because I was just, you know, making it up as I go along. And I think that being really intentional with those learning goals, meeting with the tea, the new teachers and taking the time to be like, Hey, for month one, you know, here's your year. Here's a. Pacing guide would be 

Valerie: really nice.

Gosh, all the acronyms they threw at me first year, they were like, did you look at your YAG? And I'm like, my what? And they're like, your YAG. And I'm like, I don't, is this like a furry monster that's pretend and like hides in the closet? Like, I don't, all of these acronyms that you're got, that y'all are throwing at me, like I can't keep up with them.

And that's the other thing, like that influx of information that first year coming in. Yeah. And then most of the time they'll tell you, look, just. Go in your classroom, shut your door, and do what's best for your students. And I'm like, after all that, that's the advice you have for me, like, because it seemed pretty intimidating.

Like, I've got to do all these other things, and it's important. I think we should call it practicing teaching, just like we do with medicine, where doctors are practicing medicine, because it's constantly changing. Um, we, as much as I would like to say I have gotten, and I have, I've gotten better each year as an educator for sure.

But as far as content goes You're constantly growing and tweaking and changing and you don't get repeat, you don't get repeat years. I don't get repeat classes even though it's the same curriculum because the change of the students and what they need. So it's ever changing. 

Andrea: It is, and I, I know there's a lot of really fantastic admin out there that is really trying to get the best possible training for their teachers, um, but something that I, I asked my Instagram followers yesterday, I asked for some of the worst Thanks professional development training, but they have experience.

I need this 

Valerie: feedback to make sure that I don't offer these. 

Andrea: Oh my gosh, you never would because these are absolutely unhinged. And I kid you not, I was looking, I'm probably going to make a series of videos on these because they're so bad. Um, but like, and some of them are very traumatic and some of them are just sound like a situational comedy setup.

Like the, the trauma ones. Now, I don't know, have you had to do any active shooter trainings at your school? 

Valerie: We do. Um, unfortunately we are next door neighbors with Santa Fe, uh, and they had the school shooting back in 2018 at the high school. Um, and that led to our area taking it incredibly seriously. So we do every year, multiple times a year, both with friends.

teachers and staff, like we've already done it for this year. We just sat this morning in our safety training and got a new app that we use for emergency moments. It's a huge, huge focus for our districts in this area. 

Andrea: Yeah. And I think that that's really important. You know, unfortunately that is something that we definitely have to prepare for, um, as teachers.

One of the professional developments that was submitted to me, um, somebody, and I forget what it's called, there's a specific titled. That's run by a group that they go in and they work with the local law enforcement and they fire blanks in the halls and stuff. Um, this one though, took it one step further because they hired child actors to be outside of the classrooms and scream and ask to be let in because you know, you're supposed to lock your door and you're not supposed to open it.

Um, and so they had, Police officers firing blinks. She said there were shells all over the floor in the hallways and children Screaming and asking to be let into the classrooms while teachers were barricading the doors inside And like that, 

Valerie: I think that's way too far. 

Andrea: Oh my gosh like that The only thing more traumatic than that would actually be to experience a school shooting Like why are we pre traumatized like and I cannot fathom who thought that That, well, no, I do, I can fathom who thought it was a good idea, probably a first responder that's like, the best training I received was the experience as close to the real thing as possible.

Right? And it's like, okay, all right, but are you going to traumatize these teachers so much that they are unable to do their jobs when somebody drops their job? a metal water bottle next week and they freeze and have a panic attack 

Valerie: because I would like to know how many teachers resigned at the end of that day.

Like, this is not, I know that that's my husband's biggest concern. Um, and when things happen in our area, because now every threat that you receive has to be taken. fully seriously. So every year we go on lockdown numerous times. Sometimes it's the students because they know they'll get out of X, Y, or Z.

Um, sometimes it's just prank callers, and sometimes it's legitimate. And because of that, you have to take it seriously each time. And every time that it happens, those are the moments where I'm like, Wow. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Valerie: This, this could happen at any moment. So I would argue that the training would have a negative impact and the fact that people were probably like, this isn't worth, this is way too real.

This is not worth. My life, you know, so I'll step away. Um, that's too much. 

Andrea: Yeah. So there was like some, some people submitted stuff like that. One person said that their administrator had handed out a test that she had created for her students and her name was on the test. And then as an entire faculty critiqued whether or not the test was written correctly and how it could be improved.

Valerie: So, she had them doing her work during professional development? No, so 

Andrea: this teacher who submitted it to me said that she, like, it was basically the admin saying, like, this teacher doesn't do a good job writing tests. Oh, wow. And handed it out to the whole faculty, and everybody, like, workshopped it, but her name was on it.

Valerie: Yeah, no. Like, what? That's gotta be a FERPA violation somehow, right? 

Andrea: Like, something. I just could not believe that. Um, somebody else told me that, uh, they had a Ben Franklin impersonator who stayed in character the entire time. And just like on The Office, you know, like they hired, they, like, Jim was supposed to hire a stripper, but instead just hired Ben Franklin, um, and apparently that's what they had.

They just had a Ben Franklin impersonator. I'm thinking they were trying to do something about immersive learning. 

Valerie: Okay, I was going to say, what was the topic, but either way, that's more distracting than it is, we're going to help with a lot, like we're, you have to remember, we are adults. Yeah. So, I mean, if any teacher does any type of research, which we're seeing a lot more research coming to the forefront as far as like how the brain works and learns at different ages and stages of life, um, and as adults, we don't need as much of that extra stuff.

It's actually kind of. condescending to us as professionals, right? Like, I'm, I'm degreed and educated. Like, I don't. And don't treat me like a kid versus with our kids, we are working avidly to do anything to take their eyes off of their phone and their mind off of their social focuses. So it would make sense to still offer that to kids.

But it is, it's kind of, it's backhanded. The icebreakers, I'm sure you got plenty of, because those are, those are the hot topic, the silly icebreakers as an adult or the ones that go way too far. Okay. Yeah. So we actually had, um, cards that we were handed out from a game and it was like random questions and you had to pair up with someone you've never met before and ask them that question.

Well, my question was, what is the most difficult thing you have had to overcome in life? Jeez. Right? Like, they tell us not to jump in the deep end with our students, and I'm like, this is like The deepest of deep ends. Yeah. The deepest. And it's someone I haven't met before, and like, we're supposed to be getting excited for the year, and I don't know about you, but like, my life has been pretty chaotic, and there's some dark times.

Right, like, let's dig up our deepest trauma. Yeah. Yeah. There's some dark times. So I'm like, this is not setting the mood. And I think by the third person. I did like just trauma dump and was like, Oh, and it was like, what are you doing to, or how did you overcome it? So I like went really dark cause I was fed up and was like, my dad died and I'm in therapy and like moved on to the next person, but they don't.

Sometimes they don't think it through and they just do the thing they saw that was catchy on TikTok or you know was trending and it's like you've got to think about it in an application the same way we do for our students in the classroom like think before you go yes let's do that PD yes let's do this activity with our teachers because some of these are it.

These are wild. Wild, 

Andrea: wild. Somebody else said that they, um, the ROT, the guys who ran the ROTC club at school ran the PD and it was so physically involved that like half of the staff was unable to participate. I don't know if they were having them run sprints or what. I, I know for me when I, my very first.

Like, and actually this wasn't, no, it wasn't PD, worse, it was a back to school pep rally with the entire student body there in the gym. 

Valerie: Oh, fun. 

Andrea: And they had all of the new teachers come out onto the middle of the gym and they gave us all toothpicks and then had us line up and we had to put the toothpick in our mouth and then they gave us a cheerio and so you had to pass the cheerio from one teacher to the next using A toothpick.

With these people. That's not a lot of space. Oh, no, I vividly remember the smell of the man's breath. Oh, no. That passed me a cheerio. This was 

Valerie: for sure pre COVID, too. Oh, I'm like, there's no way you could be that close. If you needed to meet a date. 

Andrea: Exactly. This was pre 2020, very close. It was like 2013. And I have such a vivid memory.

And of course, the kids are sitting on the bleachers. And so, two inches is about how far we have to pass these, these little cheerios. But for everybody else, it looks like we are making out with each other. Yeah. 

Valerie: And I'm like, who approved that one? Who? Why? Like, why? And it was only And then what do you do in that moment?

Because you're a new teacher. Yeah, I can't say, I'm uncomfortable with this? Yeah. Like, you're put in the spot and you're in front of the student body. Like, yeah, there's just, It was 

Andrea: so bad and I have, like, I, people took pictures of it happening and of course the kids were all passing around pictures making it look like all the new teachers were making out with each other.

I'm like, okay, all right, great. 

Valerie: How do you explain that? If that gets posted? Right. You know, right. Miss so and so is making out with Miss so and so and it's like, I don't want that. You got to think it. You got to think it through. Exactly. Um, 

Andrea: one of the things we do on the pod is I have people submit questions and then we take a stab at trying to answer the questions.

And this one I chose, um, and I think I know what your answer is going to be based on our conversation, but, um, I will let you, uh, jump in here. So this person said that it is the first time they are getting a student teacher this fall. Tips on how to handle that. I'm a major control freak and I slight, I'm slightly freaking out about handing over the reins, but I'm really excited about the opportunity to have a student teacher what mm-Hmm.

Valerie: should I share with them? Ooh, that is a great question. And I think we would all benefit from having student teaching opportunities with teachers who give that that freedom. So kudos to this teacher for. at least trying to provide this opportunity. Um, the first thing I would do is kind of a gentle release.

I, I don't know if you use this model in the classroom, but that I do, we do, you do teaching model. Um, I would implement that with the student teacher and be like, Hey, for the first A couple of weeks, I'm going to do it and you're going to observe and monitor, like, you're going to see how I do the lesson plans, how I pick the standards, how I create assignments and activities, and then how we assess and monitor to move forward.

And then it would be a we do. I would then do like a let's collaborate on it. Now you know how it works. What are some of your ideas? We have to cover this standard. We're using this text. What do you think we should do with it? And kind of handhold them through that for a few weeks or however long you need to.

And then say, okay, I'm can see what you can do. You've seen me do it. Let's let you take the reins. And as long as you're pacing out enough, you would have time to adjust as needed and provide feedback. But I would really immerse them the same way that we do our students with that gentle release. Like, let's see, can you master it?

But you have to give them that opportunity. to fall on their face and not have the best lesson to be able to fix it. And I know I did that, but without a student teacher, and luckily have my mentor next door, we were trying to teach writing, um, reflexive and extensive writing. And we were talking about the differences between those.

And so the model lesson was you take your students to a window and you have them look outside and you say, okay, what do you see? And they tell you what they see and then you have them go back and because we couldn't afford mirrors, they look into a piece of foil, which is not reflective. I don't know if you've ever done this.

No, I've never tried to do that. Um, and have them write what they see them, like looking at themselves and looking internally versus externally. And by the time I did the foil and then took them to the window, I was like, all right, look outside. What do you guys see? And they were like a guy mowing his grass.

I was like, good. They were like a dog. I was like, all right, good. And then my mind went blank. And I was like, I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. So I was like, all right, good job. Let's go back to the classroom. And they were like, why did we just look at all that? And I'm like, I don't remember.

I need to ask my teacher, like, how do I tie this all together? You know, I did the distinct parts each on their own, but like, how do I make this? What are they supposed to be learning? Yeah. So. Allowing teachers to have those moments to first understand like you will survive this because it's brutal to fall on your face in front of high school students.

They are not forgiving in it. Um, so if it's a new lesson, I'm always Very much transparent about that with my students, like, hey, this is a, this is what I haven't taught before, so we're going to be in this together. Like, if y'all have questions, please ask them, because that lets me know where the gaps are.

So, just allowing those moments of failure, it's not a bad thing to fail in front of your students and for them to see, okay, she made a mistake. First of all, she's going to own it and then she's going to go back and correct it and make it better and learn and grow from that. So yeah, she's just going to have to, or he is going to have to provide those opportunities for their mentor teacher.

But I would do it at a slow, gradual rate to build the confidence of that. Teacher. Yeah. And to build their confidence in, okay, I can, I can hand my babies over, right. To somebody that's not me to lead the class this time. 

Andrea: Yeah, I think that's a great point. And I've had, you know, cla lessons that have just bombed and I have to teach that same prep three more times that day, and I know it didn't work.

And so at the end of class, I'm like, Hey guys, that was bad. Um, ideas, like, and I asked them, like, hey, I have to teach this three more times. We all know what that was. Like, that just tanked. I am so sorry. How can, can we fix this? Can we, like, workshop this right quick? Because I'll have, like, five minutes left.

And that also allows them the metacognition. I'll be like, hey guys, what I wanted you guys to get from this was that this descriptive language really brings this text alive, but I just read to you for 15 minutes and none of you were listening. How can I make that better? And. Having them kind of share what would have engaged them, because especially at high school, they actually do have the ability to do that.

I feel like we get the cheat code sometimes, because if you ask them and give them that kind of ownership. Oh, they love 

Valerie: having opinions. Of course. That is. If you can design a classroom where you can gamify as many things as possible, and you provide discourse space. opportunity for them to share their viewpoints and perspectives.

Yeah. It, it really locks that learning in for them. And that's what I was thinking as you were saying that, like, what a beautiful way to end the class. They're going to remember that lesson now because I mean, unfortunately they're going to remember that you messed up. That was bad. But you know, as any good teacher would, we'll take it.

Did they walk away remembering that lesson? Do they now understand what it needs to be? And now they've helped you. Right. So as other students, you're. Flipping that classroom, because that's where they want all teachers to be eventually, is where it's student led. Yeah. You know. So you're providing those opportunities for them, as well, in those moments.

You just have to be vulnerable. Yeah. We can't be perfect all the time. It's gonna fall, and you're usually an expert by seventh, eighth period or whatever your last period is. Yeah. Like I know when I sign up for my formal observations, it is never first, second, or third period. Oh, for sure. It's always one of, I get a few run throughs with it.

And uh, learn where to, uh. You know, how to say certain things when it sticks, when it doesn't stick, um, and take it from there. 

Andrea: Yeah. And by 

Valerie: the end of the day, I'm much more of an expert than I was at the beginning. 

Andrea: Right. Exactly. And I think that a lot of times when we are able to do that and you, it doesn't even have to be like a big class discussion.

You'd be like, hey, your exit ticket today is to tell me how I can fix what just occurred 

Valerie: here. That's great advice too for new teachers. Keep the assessment simple. Like, it does not, it doesn't always have to be a project, it doesn't always have to be a multiple choice thing where you have to sit down and grade.

Yeah. It can be as simple, you can do the thumbs up, middle, down. You know, my students don't even like doing that because people have to see them. Um, so yeah, just a quick one. I've seen people do the post it notes and you put it in the column, like, get it, got it. Yeah. Need more? Yeah. And just place it. No names, nothing.

You can just do an overall. The majority of the kids get it, so I can move on and then offer extended tutorials or whatever to capture those that aren't. It does not have to be something elaborate every time to be able to assess. Did they get it? Did they not? 

Andrea: Yeah, and I think that doing an exit ticket is also a cheat code for anytime you're getting observed.

Admin love an exit ticket. Oh, they do. Oh, they love it so much. When 

Valerie: you can, I hated it my first year. I was like, I don't want to be fake when I do my observation. You know, like I want them to come in on any day and see what I'm doing in class and give me authentic feedback. Yeah. The problem is now I am very particular because I'm not sure if y'all state is offering this, but we get incentives.

So if we do well, we call it a t test here in Texas, our evaluation system for teachers. If we do well and get above a 3. 75 total, so if I'm proficient or above distinguished in each of the categories, and then my students show growth. So we have to give a pre and a post test for our classes that are approved by the district.

They combine those together and if we're in the top 30 percent of teachers, you get an incentive allotment, which can be upwards to like 20, 000 dollars if you're in like the top 5%. Oh my gosh! Now, you don't get that money until like two years after that as long as you keep coming back. Okay, got it. So, you have to like show up the next August and then they tally it and then that next August you get paid.

Wow! But they're finally incentivizing teachers to do really well on their walk throughs and observations and to show student growth. That's great. So, as much as I used to be like, I just want authentic feedback. You have to have a structured and planned observation to hit the mark in all of those categories and show them that you are able to do those things as a teacher on a day where everything goes the way that it's supposed to.

Right. Yeah. Because. It bothered me because I'm like, that's not how the classroom runs. Like you're going to walk, I'm going to have a kid puke in the middle of class one day and have to evacuate the classroom or, you know, like I'm going to say, all right, we're ready to move on. And then bring up language I've been using for two weeks.

And they're going to act like they don't know what it is. So I have to pivot. And, I wanted that authentic feedback, and I realized the purpose in those observations and being able to see, like, can you be there as a teacher if everything else goes the way that it's supposed to? Right. So I have no idea how we even got to where I veered off on topic with this one, but that's where I stand on observations.

Yeah, no, I 

Andrea: didn't know that existed. Um, I think that's actually really cool. I hope other states also do that. Think about, uh, you know, financially compensating teachers for being highly effective. I think that would be a great move. And I get 

Valerie: it. People are like, well, yeah, but they don't pay you unless you stay.

But the whole point of it is a retention strategy. Retaining good 

Andrea: teachers. That's actually super smart. So I, I, 

Valerie: um, I'm kind of hoping it's still new. I think this is like. You're three or four, so there's still a lot of, like, people are finally starting to get paid from the first year that it happened, so they're realizing, okay, this is real, it's legitimate, and they're getting a lot more clear in what the guidelines are as far as what you have to meet and do to be eligible for it.

But, um, It's encouraging to me, so I'm sure it is going to help with that long term once they work out all the tweaks. 

Andrea: Awesome. That is really cool. I love that. Um, okay. Well, before I let you go, can you share with everybody where they can find you and what you have going on and all that good stuff?

Valerie: Absolutely. So they can find me. My website is thehigheststandard. org. You can find me on socials. I'm sure you're going to link all of those fancy ones, um, over there, uh, and follow along. I offer professional development for teachers in the state of Texas currently. Um, And I focus specifically on new and alternative certification teachers and really helping to bridge that gap.

There's another education jargon, um, for when they step into the classroom, which will decrease that teacher turnover and increase their confidence once they're in there. So the exciting business news lately is that I am now approved with the state of Texas through our Texas education agency to offer.

credits towards their licensing. Um, in Texas, we have to every five years have 150 credit hours of professional development to keep our license. So I now get to offer those credits for any classes that they take with us. That's awesome. Very cool. Yeah, it's 

Andrea: exciting. Hey, well, awesome, Valerie. Thank you so much for taking time right before school starts and chatting with us.

I appreciate it. I needed to 

Valerie: refill my cup already, so this was perfect. It's always nice to talk to other educators who, who get it and, and understand why we fight the good fight. That's right. 

Andrea: All right, great. Thank you so much, and we'll be right back.

Welcome back to Those Who Can't Do. Um, I had so much fun talking to Valerie about all the challenges that new teachers face. And this is in particular very important to me because I am writing a book. The book I'm writing is called They Never Taught Us That and it is would be the absolute perfect gift for a new teacher, especially an alternative ed teacher, because the book essentially gives you a breakdown of all of the different things that even if you did go to a teacher prep program, they don't necessarily tell you how to cover the communication to parents or give you templates for how to communicate really well with parents.

And that is what this book will have. It's going to have a bunch of downloads that are included in the book that tell you exactly How to talk to parents how to make sure you establish the good relationships with parents and everything in between I mean it like I'm talking about classroom management and how to identify all of the curriculum stuff, um, and how to build lesson plans around it, and what online free tools are available for that.

So that is coming soon. Like I said, it is called They Never Taught Us That, and I'm really excited. I think you guys are gonna really like it. It's gonna have a lot of stories of how I screwed up, which is, you know, kind of fun. What I do in life is screw up, but I learned from my screw up. So that is what we're going to take from that.

Um, I hope that you really enjoyed the episode today. If there is somebody you want to have come on or you have feedback about today's episode, um, you can email us at andrea at human dash content. com or you can contact me at educator Andrea on Tik TOK or Instagram, or you can contact the human content podcast family on TOK at human content pods.

And thank you guys so much for those of you who have been leaving reviews. It makes my week every time. Like when I read M Tay on Apple. Um, well, I didn't read M Tay on Apple. Um, the comment is what I read on Apple. And M Tay said, Worth the listen. I've followed Andrea for a while on Instagram, and this podcast does not disappoint.

I love how real she is about being in education. This extended insight into her classroom as well as other teacher experiences is awesome. Keep them coming. We will, Emte. Thank you so much for leaving that comment. I appreciate it. If you want to catch the full video episodes, they are up every week on YouTube at Educator Andrea.

Thank you so much for listening. I am your host, Andrea Forgham. Special thank you to our guest co host today, Valerie Domini. Our executive producers are Andrea Forkham, Aron Korney, Rob Goldman, and Shahnti Brooke. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Portizzo. Our music is by Omer Ben Zvi. Our recording location is the Indiana State Bi College of Education.

To learn more about our Those Who Can't Do's program disclaimer and ethics policy and submission, verification, and licensing terms, you PodcasterAndrea. com. Those who can't do is a human content production.

Thank you so much for watching. If you're like me and you're thinking, gosh, I really need more of those who can't do in my life, you can start your binging right now by clicking on that playlist button right over there. New episodes are out every Thursday, so please subscribe and join us each week on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.