00:00:00
yeah that's why we're here okay so one
00:00:04
thing you didn't get to be a part of in
00:00:05
this kind of that shift now so the two
00:00:07
observations that I'm focusing on we
00:00:08
have at the beginning of 3900 we talked
00:00:10
the system and then counted towards the
00:00:12
end we talked a little bit about school
00:00:13
accountability but really about
00:00:14
professionalism so these next few
00:00:16
questions are in line with that and how
00:00:17
do they go observe professionalism so
00:00:19
that's why we're having the interview so
00:00:22
what does it mean to you to be a
00:00:23
professional in education Wow
00:00:29
anything I mean there was a few things
00:00:31
thrown through my mind now but do you
00:00:34
mean specifically like a student or an
00:00:36
administrator walks into my classroom
00:00:38
while I'm teaching or you mean like as a
00:00:39
colleague in a PLC yeah I mean we talk
00:00:43
we we harp and they know this in the
00:00:45
program a lot on timeliness right that
00:00:47
and I try to make us in a very explicit
00:00:49
point there we're not just having
00:00:51
attendance on our syllabus because this
00:00:52
is you know we want your money we want
00:00:55
you to be in class or whatever right or
00:00:56
any of those other narratives that
00:00:57
happen this is a professional
00:00:58
disposition in this assessment of you
00:01:01
being on time is me assessing that you
00:01:03
can be on time and if you're not that
00:01:04
you communicate that so that's yeah and
00:01:07
we expect right and so what are some of
00:01:08
these other kind of nuggets of
00:01:09
professionalism that aren't going to be
00:01:11
expected at the end maybe they just
00:01:12
serve I didn't realize that was the
00:01:14
world of teaching I think one of the
00:01:15
things to keep in mind and this is
00:01:18
applying any such any situation is that
00:01:22
a parent is sending you the most
00:01:24
valuable thing in their life right third
00:01:26
and their child and they're trusting you
00:01:29
with that child for however many hours
00:01:31
that you have them and so I would expect
00:01:34
as a parent who lives in this community
00:01:36
those children attending schools in this
00:01:38
community that you know one of your
00:01:41
students could be their teacher very
00:01:42
likely right in the future so I think
00:01:44
that I would expect you to act like any
00:01:47
other professional in any other field
00:01:49
right that I think there's this belief
00:01:52
and it's probably perpetuated by the
00:01:54
media and by a few I'm gonna use the
00:01:57
word Bad Seeds in our in our in our
00:01:59
profession that were the kind of lay
00:02:02
back it's okay you get your whole summer
00:02:05
off type of mentality that it's okay to
00:02:08
not dress professionally it's okay when
00:02:10
teachers do this or all teachers are
00:02:13
that right these stereotypes that have
00:02:15
built about our profession and that
00:02:17
that's not the case right you're gonna
00:02:19
find that predominantly you're gonna be
00:02:22
surrounded by passionate hard-working
00:02:24
people who have a true drive for this
00:02:28
field which is why they stick around so
00:02:30
just kind of keeping that in mind that
00:02:32
you have in your possession the most
00:02:33
valuable thing that I know I have right
00:02:35
my children and to keep that in mind as
00:02:37
you're working with them so
00:02:38
professionalism to to me extends on that
00:02:40
kind of following that train of thought
00:02:43
that the way you talk to a student the
00:02:45
way you behave with the student the way
00:02:47
you talk to a parent keep all of that in
00:02:49
mind you know as an administrator more
00:02:52
often than I want more often than I want
00:02:55
to I have to have a conversation with a
00:02:57
parent and this is at every grade level
00:02:58
I've worked at k12 that a parent is
00:03:01
upset because we didn't just listen to
00:03:04
them that we didn't at least try to come
00:03:06
to their level as unreasonable as they
00:03:08
might seem at least listen to here's my
00:03:11
concern here's my frustration can you
00:03:14
please at least just hear me out without
00:03:15
arguing with me without making me sound
00:03:19
irrational or just belittling me which
00:03:23
is I'm so more often than I would like
00:03:25
to you know I've had that conversation
00:03:26
with the parent and so often of my job
00:03:30
simply listening to a parent has has
00:03:33
helped a situation so I guess what I'm
00:03:35
saying is as a professional you're gonna
00:03:37
deal with no matter what job you have
00:03:39
people who are high rate people who are
00:03:41
irrational people are so that's part of
00:03:43
our job is dealing with that so just
00:03:45
kind of keeping all those things in mind
00:03:46
and then just the basic being on time
00:03:49
dressing professionally having respect
00:03:51
being courteous and as I tell every new
00:03:54
teacher I've hired it was not tenured at
00:03:56
a site so you know one of the best
00:03:58
things you can do is not burn bridges
00:04:00
with anyone because you don't know who
00:04:02
has the year of the principal who's
00:04:04
going to make the determination or in
00:04:06
the future of your career at this
00:04:07
district or the site so for example if
00:04:10
you're brewed to the lunch lady you
00:04:11
really did the custodian you are
00:04:13
constantly late with your reports that
00:04:15
the secretary needs to submit all of
00:04:18
those things are somehow making it back
00:04:20
to the principal or that teacher down
00:04:22
the hall although you always kind of
00:04:23
dismiss every person
00:04:25
the year of the principal in some way so
00:04:27
think about how your role as a
00:04:29
professional does site could have an
00:04:31
effect on you right or hasn't affected
00:04:35
[Music]
00:04:38
well that covers a lot of it's a segue
00:04:41
off of that when I talk to newer
00:04:43
teachers many many of them like have an
00:04:45
idea about where they want to be and
00:04:47
what they want to teach and they don't
00:04:48
always understand that it's going to be
00:04:50
a long process maybe to work out to
00:04:52
where you want to be and so just to
00:04:54
throw out myself as an example like I
00:04:56
started at the junior high and I always
00:04:57
had my sights set on high school and
00:04:59
then I kind of worked my I wanted to be
00:05:01
with an older age group seniors but I
00:05:04
had to start with sophomores and then
00:05:05
after six seven eight years of my career
00:05:07
I kind of I got where I want it but I
00:05:09
didn't just enter the junior high which
00:05:11
I loved but it wasn't what I wanted with
00:05:13
the attitude of like I'm just gonna sit
00:05:15
here and wait and phone it in and so my
00:05:18
opportunity comes for whatever along you
00:05:21
know for me yeah and so what I'm trying
00:05:24
to say and I'm not articulating well is
00:05:25
like even if you end up in a position
00:05:27
where I guess that's not really what you
00:05:29
want long term you have to teach for the
00:05:31
position that you want in the future and
00:05:33
you have to prove to yourself that like
00:05:35
if I can treat this group of eighth
00:05:36
graders like I would teach a group of
00:05:38
seniors and people see that in you then
00:05:41
you're going to start to move up and up
00:05:42
and up and so whatever discipline you're
00:05:44
in and whatever sites you have your site
00:05:47
on it's like you got to really be
00:05:49
thinking of many many years ahead to
00:05:51
where it's going to be a process to get
00:05:53
to where you want to be but if you put
00:05:54
in the work and you make sure that
00:05:56
you're doing the best with whatever
00:05:58
particular assignment you're on in that
00:06:00
given year I really feel like it works
00:06:02
out for the people that really really
00:06:05
try hard wherever they are instead of
00:06:07
waiting and saying I'm gonna try hard
00:06:09
when I get to where I want to be if that
00:06:11
makes absolutely okay
00:06:13
I almost feel like nail salon my
00:06:14
questions may be a little redundant but
00:06:20
it's rich in like you covered it but all
00:06:23
asking so what type like so what type of
00:06:25
professional would you want to work with
00:06:27
I think we talk about even professionals
00:06:28
and generally but so maybe more specific
00:06:30
who would you want to work with someone
00:06:33
who truly wants or with kids that would
00:06:36
be the first thing right so I'm going to
00:06:38
go back to something I was saying
00:06:39
earlier if you if you truly generally
00:06:43
are not there to work with students and
00:06:44
their families this is a long long long
00:06:48
time to be you know if you're waiting
00:06:50
for retirements what I'm saying I mean
00:06:52
this career right you're gonna become
00:06:54
that bitter person that mr. Jeffries is
00:06:56
talking about that happens quickly so
00:06:58
I'm looking for someone who's working
00:06:59
who truly generally wants to work with
00:07:01
students isn't there because they know
00:07:03
their contract is 180 plus days whatever
00:07:05
it is right in hate summers and that
00:07:08
dust-up is all nice and very quickly in
00:07:11
your first year you realize why we need
00:07:12
those days off right it's because the
00:07:14
amount of work we do in those 180 plus
00:07:17
days that we're in the classroom I'm
00:07:21
gonna work with someone who's polite
00:07:22
respectful personable passionate it's
00:07:25
okay for two adults whether it be you
00:07:27
and your principal you and another
00:07:29
colleague to have a heated not heated
00:07:33
but a spirited conversation about a
00:07:35
topic that you might agree with mr. gray
00:07:37
on cam but you're still respecting that
00:07:38
other people have different opinions and
00:07:41
it's okay to have that in your line of
00:07:42
work but if you can all agree that the
00:07:45
bottom line is is that you're doing what
00:07:46
you think is best for that student for
00:07:48
that school for that program whatever
00:07:50
you're part of then it's okay all right
00:07:52
that's the type of person I don't want
00:07:53
to work with I don't want you to always
00:07:55
agree with me because that's dangers too
00:07:57
we don't school where everyone's on the
00:07:58
same page about everything yeah because
00:07:59
that's not realistic and if that's the
00:08:01
case then the culture of your site
00:08:03
particularly starting with your
00:08:04
administration it's not a healthy one
00:08:06
yeah because that means this is a you do
00:08:08
what I say and you do when I tell you
00:08:09
type of environment and that's not
00:08:11
healthy right that's not what you want
00:08:12
so I want someone I want people who were
00:08:14
truly just like any other field right
00:08:16
you must always passionate who cares
00:08:17
who's respectful but can just you know
00:08:20
respectfully disagree with me and again
00:08:23
I think I'm going to just say it again
00:08:24
if you generally have to care and want
00:08:26
to work with students yeah that's that's
00:08:28
why I want to it's funny forget to mr.
00:08:31
Jeffries it was just I had a colleague
00:08:32
that said that you know we talk so much
00:08:34
about teacher preparation what can we do
00:08:35
how can we do this because I think the
00:08:37
commentary will just find someone who
00:08:38
cares yeah seriously
00:08:41
for that question for me personally my
00:08:44
mind is so it goes to like a PLC member
00:08:46
so someone in my department yeah so I
00:08:48
think to be a good PLC member I think
00:08:50
the best thing to do is appeal
00:08:51
is to always be mindful of getting
00:08:53
median how much you're speaking and then
00:08:55
how much you're listening and to not
00:08:57
only listen I can to not only speak I
00:08:59
think that's key and then as far as
00:09:01
sharing materials the best thing you can
00:09:04
do is if your PLC is like a shared
00:09:06
driver they have a depository where
00:09:07
things can be posted that everyone can
00:09:10
use you just put it out there and you
00:09:11
send out an e-mail you say this this
00:09:13
work for me and you say take what you
00:09:15
want change what you want don't use it
00:09:18
at all and and I really appreciate that
00:09:19
when people send things to me and
00:09:21
they're not telling me this is the best
00:09:23
way to do it there just simply sharing
00:09:24
it with me and they're encouraging me to
00:09:26
edit it and make it my own and I'm
00:09:28
really lucky to work in a PLC where
00:09:30
nobody hoards anything like if you make
00:09:32
something and you think it's cool you
00:09:33
share it but you don't share it in a way
00:09:35
where you're trying to like toot your
00:09:36
own horn or try to like show off that
00:09:38
you've come up with the best strategy to
00:09:40
teach it a certain a certain standard
00:09:43
it's just it's a community where you
00:09:44
literally share and you respect
00:09:46
everyone's professional decisions to
00:09:48
take what they want and to alter what
00:09:50
they want and I think those are that's
00:09:52
the key to being a good PLC member
00:09:54
outside awesome cool ok two more so this
00:09:59
one's a little bit bigger so what are
00:10:00
the professional roles and
00:10:01
responsibilities being an educator but
00:10:04
both inside and outside the classroom
00:10:05
and then instructional they are not
00:10:07
instructional so like one of the things
00:10:09
that the state really wants them to
00:10:10
understand is just the responsibility of
00:10:12
being like a mandated reporter like that
00:10:13
would be something that maybe is non
00:10:14
instructionally based but you can speak
00:10:17
to both and so I'd be here it's just
00:10:18
your thoughts on that just one more of
00:10:20
the day-to-day functions and routines
00:10:22
responsibilities of being a teacher
00:10:23
and I'll start you're responsible for
00:10:26
taking the role you're responsible for
00:10:28
inform knowing any existing health
00:10:31
conditions of your students you're
00:10:33
responsible for being aware of any 504
00:10:35
Si ups you're responsible for to the
00:10:39
extent that you can like if they have
00:10:40
issues going on at home like custody
00:10:43
things of that nature you're responsible
00:10:46
for maintaining a safe environment which
00:10:48
would mean that you know you can't let
00:10:50
students bully each other if you're
00:10:52
going to have class discussion you have
00:10:53
to make sure that everybody's heard and
00:10:54
respected you have to be trained in what
00:10:58
to do in case there's like a lockdown
00:10:59
situation or a fire and emergency and
00:11:02
you have to be
00:11:03
able to act in those situations you have
00:11:05
to make sure that you like mr. Singh
00:11:08
mentioned the office will need different
00:11:10
forms throughout the week that you're
00:11:12
expected to submit and you're
00:11:14
responsible for doing adjunct duty which
00:11:18
would be like 20 hours in and above what
00:11:20
you do in the classroom and so that
00:11:22
might be selling tickets at a game or
00:11:24
attending the formal and chaperoning or
00:11:27
doing roundup which is before the year
00:11:28
actually starts during the summer and
00:11:30
obviously you're a mandated reporter and
00:11:33
so if a student talks to you or writes
00:11:35
anything in a response that would
00:11:37
indicate that they're somehow being
00:11:38
abused or abusing themselves and you
00:11:39
have to talk to the authorities that
00:11:42
need to be kept in the loop you need to
00:11:44
call parents if students are failing you
00:11:46
need to be in contact counselors if
00:11:48
students are failing especially as a
00:11:50
senior teacher especially this time of
00:11:52
year in the spring you need to be in
00:11:53
constant contact if students may not
00:11:55
graduate and they may not walk because
00:11:57
students are I excuse me parents are
00:11:58
irate if they find out a month before
00:12:01
graduation sure if their students aren't
00:12:02
walking yeah and so a lot of
00:12:04
communication that you need you need to
00:12:05
keep everybody in the loop about about
00:12:08
what's going on your classroom you have
00:12:10
to maintain your gradebook students
00:12:12
appreciate if you're maintaining your
00:12:14
gradebook on like a weekly or bi-weekly
00:12:15
basis so they always know where they
00:12:17
stand in your class so I got top of my
00:12:19
head that was like okay so this one's a
00:12:40
big one for me I feel like there's some
00:12:42
research that suggests we talked about I
00:12:44
mean you both talked about like the
00:12:45
burnout I didn't a five years teachers
00:12:47
are burning out there's lots of
00:12:48
variables for that I think one of the
00:12:49
biggest variables is what we talked
00:12:51
about as culture context climate
00:12:53
sometimes the classroom management or
00:12:54
early and sometimes it's you know it's
00:12:56
maybe the site my colleagues all of
00:12:57
these things but it's interesting that
00:12:59
teacher leadership seems to resurface is
00:13:01
kind of the the impacting variable and
00:13:03
it doesn't matter where you're at if
00:13:04
you're they are contributing and being a
00:13:06
teacher leader you seem to be more
00:13:07
invested in more willing to stay in the
00:13:09
career at a site even if the site maybe
00:13:10
isn't most the most ideal so what would
00:13:13
you say that they
00:13:15
at this particular phase of their
00:13:17
development and even moving forward but
00:13:19
what could they do to start developing
00:13:21
this concept of teacher leadership I
00:13:25
just feel like at you know thinking of
00:13:28
work time teaching 3900 I think about
00:13:30
where they're at in that face and one of
00:13:32
the things that I was recommend to our
00:13:33
students in 3900 and admission Jeffries
00:13:35
is the same is sometimes it's out of
00:13:39
their control but how making a smart
00:13:41
decision about where you get placed or
00:13:45
you want to be placed for your student
00:13:47
teaching alright so part of that is if
00:13:50
you know what school culture or you know
00:13:51
what districts culture and you think
00:13:53
that's the culture I want to be a part
00:13:54
of and that aligns with my beliefs my
00:13:57
philosophy or maybe as a community that
00:14:00
I want to be part of think about that
00:14:02
when you place yourself you ask to be
00:14:04
placed for student teaching but also
00:14:06
think about them more importantly when
00:14:07
you get hired to be a teacher and I say
00:14:10
that because it's a culture that fosters
00:14:14
leadership and teachers if it's a
00:14:17
culture that jives with again with your
00:14:18
beliefs and jives with you know it's a
00:14:20
culture where teachers are running the
00:14:23
show which is great right yeah then
00:14:25
that's a culture and part of some school
00:14:26
districts not so much right it's more
00:14:28
top-heavy and teachers have freedom but
00:14:30
that might not but that might work for
00:14:32
you right you like that level of
00:14:33
leadership and that works for you so you
00:14:35
want to be aware of that it's a great
00:14:38
it's a good idea to reach out to people
00:14:40
you know friends family who might be
00:14:43
able to give me some insight into
00:14:44
culture so I guess what I'm saying is
00:14:46
you just want to be you want to put
00:14:49
yourself in a situation or in a district
00:14:50
I guess what I'm saying a school site
00:14:52
that you feel is good for you it's not
00:14:56
always your choice right sometimes the
00:14:57
paycheck will be you know it's gonna
00:14:59
dominate your decision there but at
00:15:03
least at least know that okay if I this
00:15:05
is not the district that really fits for
00:15:07
me going back to a mr. Jeffers is saying
00:15:09
I'm gonna still do my job but I know
00:15:12
that eventually I'm looking for
00:15:13
something so just be really smart about
00:15:15
where you place yourself where you work
00:15:16
you want you know and if you find that
00:15:20
after a couple years and the leadership
00:15:22
at this site the teachers in my
00:15:24
department aren't really allowing me to
00:15:26
be the lead
00:15:27
that I want to be mm-hmm maybe it's time
00:15:29
to seek another plate you don't want to
00:15:31
just stick it out because man I got 35
00:15:33
more years I guess I'll just stick just
00:15:35
kind of being smart about that because
00:15:36
you don't want to burn out you don't
00:15:38
want to feel that you're not being
00:15:39
valued that your strengths aren't being
00:15:42
somehow fostered and grown and I know
00:15:44
how much as a psych principal I know
00:15:47
that that that plays such a huge role
00:15:49
they play such a huge role in whether or
00:15:54
not it's just that culture right they
00:15:56
really kind of are a big part of our
00:15:58
culture so just just being really smart
00:16:00
about and being aware of where you're
00:16:02
placing yourself with what environment
00:16:04
you're placing yourself in I guess yeah
00:16:06
I would say I'm trying to get involved
00:16:09
hopefully you're in a campus that you
00:16:11
appreciate being a part of and then to
00:16:13
involve yourself as much as you can so
00:16:15
like if you're in high school
00:16:16
environment getting involved with like
00:16:17
clubs or sports is the best your ability
00:16:19
because one your getting your name out
00:16:22
there too you're becoming more desirable
00:16:24
to administrators when you're trying to
00:16:26
get a job and then three it's just it's
00:16:28
it's a really fun experience to see
00:16:30
students outside of the classroom doing
00:16:31
drama or sports or clubs or you know
00:16:34
just really any environment it's just
00:16:36
always fun for me to see them outside of
00:16:38
the classroom environment and kind of
00:16:40
reminding myself that there are these
00:16:42
complete individuals that they're not
00:16:44
just students at sit in seats and have
00:16:45
discussion about my particular topic
00:16:47
that they have like a whole you know a
00:16:49
whole range of experiences throughout
00:16:51
the day and it's cool to be reminded of
00:16:52
that so I think it's really rewarding to
00:16:54
get involved I know you're busy early on
00:16:56
in the program and so it's hard to make
00:16:58
time for those things but I think that
00:16:59
they're they pay dividends later on I
00:17:01
think they're worth investing in yeah
00:17:03
cool it's funny just let maybe on the
00:17:05
final note for all of us I just Rob we
00:17:07
have this resident that's out you know
00:17:08
in Patterson and the whole idea of a
00:17:10
resident and how that's adopted from the
00:17:11
medical field and and a stress and so
00:17:13
when you think of like a medical
00:17:14
resident what do you see the work that
00:17:16
they do and I mean they're going in how
00:17:18
many new surgeries aren't going and
00:17:20
doing all these medical procedures and
00:17:21
I'm just sitting back and observing I
00:17:23
mean some of them are but most of them
00:17:24
they're hitting the books and they're
00:17:25
learning and they're trying to develop
00:17:26
this capacity to basically help the
00:17:29
chief surgeon I go and you go into the
00:17:31
field like that's your responsibility
00:17:32
especially when I think of you like you
00:17:35
don't want to like drag deadweight like
00:17:37
you want someone who's going to come in
00:17:38
or ideas innovations I
00:17:39
been doing my homework on the side and
00:17:41
I'm ready to collaborate to me that's
00:17:43
like a foundational piece of a teacher
00:17:45
leadership to all in the fact that
00:17:47
you're not just there to be the yes-man
00:17:48
you're not just there to be following
00:17:50
along that's part of it
00:17:52
but you're also there to contribute to
00:17:53
and so that's what this great
00:17:55
partnership is and you talked about it
00:17:57
too there there has to be some humility
00:17:58
to you can't just come in and boast and
00:17:59
sailor well I'm gonna do all my homework
00:18:01
and you got to do a nice thing yeah
00:18:02
that's how it works
00:18:03
absolutely but yeah just having that
00:18:05
idea that you're contributing to because
00:18:06
it's so much better for you with all the
00:18:08
work you have to do to know that
00:18:10
someone's competent coming in that you
00:18:12
can have a partner with help something
00:18:13
you're not going can I do for my
00:18:14
students and now you write like there's
00:18:16
nothing better than a great student
00:18:18
teacher then there's nothing worse than
00:18:19
a bad student yeah if you're not happy
00:18:25
with the site you're not happy with the
00:18:27
culture that you're a part of and if you
00:18:29
get together with a few other teachers
00:18:31
you know you can really make an impact
00:18:32
you know important having to work at a
00:18:33
site now where our teachers come
00:18:35
together to do so much and they've
00:18:37
created this amazing school environment
00:18:40
where kids want to be there all the time
00:18:42
because they don't want to miss a day of
00:18:44
whatever is going on that day you know
00:18:45
so and not one or two or three or five
00:18:49
administrators gonna make that happen
00:18:51
yeah it generally comes from these
00:18:52
teacher leaders who are saying you know
00:18:54
I'm just gonna do it we're gonna get
00:18:55
together we're going to organize this
00:18:56
and we're gonna do it we're gonna make
00:18:58
it happen for our students and
00:18:59
ultimately although it's more work it
00:19:01
makes it a better place to work so
00:19:03
you're happier about your work so you
00:19:04
don't feel like it's work you're just
00:19:06
you're happy about the environment the
00:19:07
culture you build but that really is in
00:19:09
the hands of the teachers yeah yeah
00:19:10
what's the administrative support for
00:19:12
sure yeah well guys thank you I
00:19:14
appreciate your home yeah absolutely
00:19:15
yeah so I can now I get to cut this
00:19:19
later that's the cool thing about this
00:19:20
program I'm staring at me
