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Natalie Reeves Billing lives in Liverpool, UK, and is an inspirational teacher, creative author. lyricist, and social entrepreneur. She was the Gold & Silver UK Mums TV’s Mums Choice Awards Winner 2020 for her Monstrous Me’ Children’s Book Series & Ben and The Bug.

Overview 

Natalie Reeves Billing is a Liverpool girl with a wicked sense of humor. She writes fantastical stories for young audiences. Natalie enjoys map making, pranking people, and munching on jelly beans. She lives in an old farmhouse in Merseyside with her husband, children, and fluffy dog, Scoobs.

Natalie is a fellow of the School of Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and a member of The Golden Egg Academy. She mentors under the Lloyds Bank SSE program, and Liverpool Editing Company. She is published in several anthologies, including Writing on the Wall and 8N Publishing USA.

Natalie’s Vision and Mission

Natalie’s vision is of a world where education is free and accessible for all children, regardless of learning barriers or socio-economic factors. She believes social enterprise is the best chance of creating a fairer, kinder world. Her mission is to achieve that through enriched reading and learning systems, using creativity and storytelling as a tool for catharsis, learning, and personal growth. Natalie is currently delivering virtual workshops across Merseyside.

Tour of her stable house in Merseyside

Natalie took me on a tour of her stable house. Make sure you enlarge the video so you can really experience her tour. Enjoy!

Natalie’s books

https://www.nataliereevesbilling.co.uk/store

Natalie released three children’s picture books and two anthologies during the pandemic, two winning gold and silver in national awards. Her books are on permanent display in the Museum of Liverpool, and she was recently listed as one of Explore Liverpool’s, ‘Faces of Liverpool’

Winning the UK Mums TV’s Mums Choice Award for 2020

Natalie’s new book 

Natalie has a new book in her Monstrous Me series launching March 4th, 2021. Make sure you check out her Twitter handle that day where she will be sharing videos all day.

“My sister’s a monster that no one can see,
And nobody knows but my best friend and me.
I told Dad, but really, he hasn’t a clue,
For Dad only sees what Sis wants him to.”

Bird’s Eye View Project

The ambitious ‘Bird’s Eye View’ project is aimed at supporting 2020 visually impaired children and young people into employment by 2030 and is part of #LiverpoolWrites (a celebration of writing in all its forms).

Natalie will be working alongside a local comic book artist and teaching assistant at St. Vincent’s, Eevee Fox. Natalie will be asking children to research famous Liverpool statues and write about them, promoting peace around the world for ‘Bird’s Eye View’. As an author and social entrepreneur, she is passionate about supporting children’s mental health and creativity, saying: “Everything I do has child and family mental health at the core.”

Natalie’s Contact information:

• Website: https://www.nataliereevesbilling.co.uk/ 
• Email: manorrec@gmail.com 
• Twitter: @BillingReeves
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-reeves-billing-author/ 
• Facebook: NatalieRBillingAuthor 
• Instagram: Natalie_reeves_billing 

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Interested in checking out more of the Rethinking Learning podcasts and reflections, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

For more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY, go to this page or click on the image of the book for resources, questions, and links.

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Chip Baker is a fourth-generation educator, a speaker, host of the Success Chronicles Podcast, host of the Radio 111.7 Show, a Coach/Trainer for the John Gordon Power of Positive Leadership, and is the author of multiple books, videos, and resources. 

What it was like growing up

I was born in Dallas, Tx. My parents separated when I was five years old and we moved with my mom to Hern, TX, close to Texas A&M University.  I played four sports in high school and football at West Texas A&M University. Growing up, I was surrounded by encouragement and lots of love where I learned how education was important.

There were lessons I learned and it made me realize that personally there is a process to achieve growth while going through tough things. I learned early it is not about us, it is about helping others. Then our life takes off and great things happen for it.

I was raised by a Super Hero in my house; my mom. Every day I watched her do heroic things. She created free food programs for kids, and was the first black lady on the City Council in my home town, and taught Special Education. That’s where I became interested in teaching Special Education. I was voluntold to do some things like help out with Special Olympics, I saw the positive difference it made in the lives of others and am a fourth-generation educator after my mom, grandmother, and great grandmother. My younger sister is also an educator and both of us have been teachers of the year on our campuses. I’ve been so fortunate to have been raised by my blessed family, church folk, and educators to give a life of service. I’ve had amazing people in my life who have encouraged me. I learned to be a good team player from my mom who gave us transferable skills so we could all work together as a team.

One person in particular who helped me so much is my little league baseball coach who was my elementary school principal, Mr. Norris McDaniel. His son and I were classmates and very close. They were like a second family to me. When I graduated from college, I applied to Conroe School District to a principal who knew Mr. McDaniel that I included as a reference. Mr. McDaniel told him amazing things about me and to hire me. They didn’t even look at my credentials or resume. They hired me for my first just job and opportunity because of Mr. McDaniel. 

Being a Coach and Special Education Teacher

This is my twenty-second year in education. I’m a coach and Special Education teacher in Conroe, Texas that is north of Houston. I teach Life Skills for Special Education where there are around 40 students with 5 teachers in our department. We break it down into the core subjects, and  I teach the Business, Marketing, and Finance skills and School-based Enterprise. These are the skills they will be able to use on the job and in life. 

We have to make sure that every moment of every day we strive to do our best to be the best version of ourselves, work hard, treat people right, and take care of the little things like doing things the right way.

What it is like teaching during a pandemic

When we started school during this pandemic, the district had a ramp-up plan where everyone was virtual. After two weeks, we started gradually bringing in our Special Education students. We’re still in the phase where it is optional for in-person or virtual. At the time of this podcast, we have about 70% of kids on campus. Anytime there is a crisis, you have an opportunity to create avenues to communicate with families using Zoom, email, and Google. Parents have been great and we’re doing the best with can with what we have. Kids are showing us that if they get the support, they want to learn. 

I believe kids are resilient and can adjust a lot more than we think they can.
We just have to give them the encouragement and opportunity to show it.  

The Success Chronicles

I started The Success Chronicles a little over four years ago when I realized that I’ve been truly blessed by amazing people who made a difference in my life and share their stories. I’m grateful that in Season 1, I did 150 episodes and I’m now in Season 2 with 60 with more on the way including yours. Radio 111.7 Show started through a live interview with LaDonna Finnels who invited me to post my podcasts on Saturday mornings.

Check out all the resources on his site!!

So what is your definition of Success?

The most important thing for me is the relationships and living a life of fulfillment. When you can make a positive impact on someone, that is so fulfilling. That includes making those connections to find ways to do things together to help others. Once you have time with me, I want you to leave with something that has value for you. I want to add value to what you are doing. 

You get what you give.

What would you say for others who are struggling now during this crisis? Can success be in their reach even now?

This time has given us opportunities to slow down and appreciate the little things in life. When have we had time to spend time with family, work on our personal growth, connect with people. Never. Now this pandemic has allowed us to slow down and be aware of the greatness of nature, the beauty, and the opportunities that you have around you. Be in the present and enjoy each moment!

There’s a blessing in every lesson.

Chip’s Contact Information

Email- chipbakertsc@gmail.com
Youtube youtube.com/c/ChipBakerTheSuccessChronicles
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/chip-baker-thesuccesschronicles-825887161
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014641035295
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chipbakertsc/
Twitter @chipbaker19
Linktree https://linktr.ee/ChipBakerTSC
Online Store http://chip-baker-the-success-chronicles.square.site/

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Interested in checking out more of the Rethinking Learning podcasts and reflections, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

For more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY, go to this page or click on the image of the book for resources, questions, and links.

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Tommaso (Tom) Lana is a performance and consulting artist, and creator of Embodied Learning. I’ve had several conversations with Tom and am excited about sharing his journey with you from growing up in Milan, about the German school, and learning several languages. In every conversation I have with Tom, I feel joy and have fun. Enjoy!

Your background

I grew up in the early 80s in the south outskirt of Milan, Italy. When I was a child, that gray, post-industrial city, was the center of one of the worst heroin epidemics in the country.

Suddenly, public spaces became unsafe for children who, since then, had been growing up playing freely and without parental overview on the street, in playgrounds, and anywhere under the open sky. I grew up indoors, as today’s children do in the pandemic. Luckily my parents’ apartment had a terrace, which was my outdoor escape.

While getting older, I learned how to cope with the city’s reality. At the age of 11, I used to take a bus and a trolley to go to school in the City. While riding on public transport independently, I felt like I was the owner of my hometown. I began learning German in middle school. That was my parents’ choice, which I didn’t like as a child, but now, I’m glad it shaped my life and my career for good.

Your Thesis about the German School

I have a Master’s degree in social history from the University of Milan, Italy. In the 1860s in Milan, Italy, a group of German-speaking young children who attended the school of the local German and Swiss community happened to learn Italian and the Milanese dialect.

“Find the resources behind the wall to design the future.”

They did this by hanging over their schoolyard’s wall during recess and interacting with passers-by. Parents had instructed teachers to prohibit this strictly. But no adult can stop a child from playing and learning. These children grew up and succeeded in Milan as revolutionary entrepreneurs and influential politicians.  

Many years ago, I wrote my Master thesis in social history about this story and children’s natural potential of enabling change and experiential learning pathways through play. I didn’t know yet that acknowledging children as social change-makers would have become the revolutionary message of my profession.

“The child is the social change maker.”

Moving to Germany: The interactive museum and learning about the senses

My career in the world of experiential learning started in 2005 when I left Italy. I was the manager of visitor services at “The Experience Field for the Development of the Senses” in Wiesbaden, Germany. The most memorable experience I had at that sensory interactive museum was working at the “blind cafe” along with visually impaired colleagues. If dark dining is today a fashionable concept, back in the day, it was a pioneering performance art project. As a person who is able to see, being in the condition of waiting and guiding customers in the darkness helped me to wonder about the natural ability of learning by involving physical and emotional experiences. In the darkness, I’ve rediscovered my childhood, the experiments I used to make on the terrace, and the joy of learning organically.

“Learning comes/gushes from children, naturally.”

Started Embodied Learning in Europe (2008)

It was time to introduce to the world this approach to learning as something that naturally gushes from children. I packed sensory constructions and everyday life materials in two big bags. I started traveling across Europe and offering training programs and performance art sessions to early childhood educators. It was all about learning through the senses, movement, and imagination. The Embodied Learning project was born!

In 2010-2011 Tommaso co-directed the German Representative for Cultural and Media Affairs award-winning social-art project “Paradise 2: What is Energy?”.  The project addressed the future of identity and community in regions impacted by vibrant economic and social transitions.

Between 2010 and 2016, he designed, crafted, and curated the “Learning Outside” exhibit at the Preschool Museum, Berlin (which recently moved to Uelzen, Germany), focusing on reinventing the appreciation of learning through sensory experiences, movement, and imagination.

Embodied Learning

Embodied Learning is an experiential staff development training program – in-person and virtual. I use multiple sensory, motor, and imaginative experiences to support early childhood professionals in wondering inside the meaning of learning. I’ve been “embodied learning” with my clients for fifteen years: Team-building, parent-teacher communication, remote-learning, SEL, STEM, and outdoor education are my forte.

In 2016/17, I had the opportunity to move to the United States. It was an interesting time when I left Europe. There, schools were trying to implement the digital revolution in education, which was triggered mainly by American technological companies, without really having knowledge of the cultural background of tech in schools. I loved the idea of going to the source to explore education in the US. I packed Embodied Learning in my two big bags and moved to New York.

Embodied Learning’s goals

• Demonstrating that children are social changemakers. That means: Changing adult’s mindset about childhood = reinventing learning, reinventing education.
• How does it work? I need adults to experience/redo childhood physically and emotionally by playing (with my Embodied Learning sensory constructions) to understand how many learning experiences, and life skills building happen naturally and in a self-guided way in the first 5 years of life.
• What do I offer? In-person (and virtual, due to COVID) Experiential Playful Training Sessions for adults who work with children in Childcare, Preschools, Schools, Library Systems, Children’s Museums, and more.

With the Embodied Learning projects and training sessions, I have been serving administrators, educators, and children’s librarians at Caltech Children’s Center, Google Children Centers, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Los Angeles Public Library, New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, San Mateo (CA) County Libraries, Socrates Sculpture Park (NY), Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, PA) Library Association and more. 

During the COVID pandemic, he launched Embodied Learning at Home, a video series to support parents who stuck at home with their young children through play. Here is #1 of Quarantine Indoor Activities:

In the podcast, I mentioned the Google Doodle of the day we were recording of Gianni Rodari:
https://www.google.com/doodles/gianni-rodaris-100th-birthday  Rodari’s book The Grammar of Fantasy will be republished in the US in March 2021. Another great book of his was recently published in the US and fits with COVID times: Telephone Tales. 

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Tommaso’s Contact Information/Resources

• Website: https://embodiedlearning.co/ 
• Webinars/Virtual Workshops: https://mbod.li/remotelearning 
• “Embodied Learning at Home” Video Series for Parents of Young Children on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/embodiedlearning 
• “Embodied Learning at Home” Video Series for Parents of Young Children on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embodiedlearning.co 
• Instagram: @embodiedlearning
• Twitter: @tommasolana

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Interested in checking out more of the Rethinking Learning podcasts and reflections, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

For more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY, go to this page or click on the image of the book for resources, questions, and links.

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Joshua (Josh) Stamper, a middle school administrator in North Texas, is passionate about community and engagement. He provides strategies on trauma-informed practices and how to develop a restorative mindset. Josh hosts the Leadership Development Podcast and created the A.S.P.I.R.E. model, which is the staple in his new book, “Aspire to Lead”.

Background

Joshua graduated from college with a Fine Arts degree and initially worked in the graphic design field for a number of years. He was always passionate about encouraging students to achieve their goals, initially coaching traveling soccer teams when he wasn’t working. Desiring to further his impact on students, Joshua returned to school to attain his teaching certificate, then worked as an Art teacher and coach at the middle school level for 6 years. Inspired to affect change at the campus level, Joshua completed his Masters in Educational Administration and has spent the past 8 years as a Middle School Administrator.

Joshua has had the amazing opportunity to work at four campuses, two districts, and hundreds of students, teachers, and administrators. Prior to Joshua’s current position, he was a classroom educator and athletic coach for 6 years working with students in grades 6-8.

In addition to his administrative position, Joshua is a podcaster, Teach Better Podcast Network Manager, author, blogger, leadership coach, and education presenter.

Your Family

Joshua is married to Leslie and the father of five. Joshua and Leslie became foster parents in 2011 and had the privilege of adopting three of their children from foster care.

Joshua and Leslie are trained in trauma-informed practices for meeting the emotional, social, and behavioral needs of children who have been through adverse childhood experiences, which Joshua also applies to his role as administrator. Josh and Leslie have co-written the following blog posts to help and support other educators and parents with Trauma-Informed practices:

• In the Face of Trauma
• The Language of Behavior
• History of Trauma

Aspire to Lead Podcast #aspirelead

The Aspire podcast (The Leadership Development Podcast) provides those who are looking to build their leadership capacity an opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and accomplished educational leaders. As we grow in our leadership skills, it’s imperative we learn from other leader’s experiences, successes, trials, and misconceptions.

Teach Better Speakers Network

Speakers Network – Joshua Stamper

The Teach Better Speakers Network covers a variety of educational topics and services. Joshua supports educators in the field toward creating and maintaining a progressive leadership journey. 

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Joshua’s Contact Information

Website: https://joshstamper.com/ 

Blog: https://joshstamper.com/blog/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Joshua__Stamper

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshua__stamper/?hl=en

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Interested in checking out more of the Rethinking Learning podcasts and reflections, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

Go to this page for resources, questions, and more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY.

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We are living in an uncertain world especially now during this pandemic. Just living during this crisis impacts how we handle what we do and how we react to stress. 

Stress is when you have multiple pressures that demand too much of you psychologically and physically. When you are stressed, you may believe that if you can just get everything under control, you will feel better. Stress involves “too much.” Stress can be perceived as negative if we don’t know how to react to that stress. There are signs that the stress you believe you cannot handle may be leading you toward burnout. 

Being burned out means feeling empty, without any motivation, and beyond caring about what happens to you. When you experience burnout, you often don’t see any hope of positive change in your situations. Burnout means “not enough” or cannot cope anymore.

Table 7.1 Stress vs. Burnout (From page 116 in Define Your Why)

Serveyev, A. (2019). 16 Important Signs You are Heading for Burnout

I know I’ve felt “too much” many days and “not enough” more than I would like. I’ve heard this from teachers, parents, and students. Covid19 is a worldwide crisis, and no one has ever dealt with a situation like this in over 100 years.

Everyone in the whole world is living with uncertainty during this pandemic. Educators who are stressed or possibly burned out told me that they are not able to balance work and home, especially when teaching remotely. Their own children may be learning remotely and they feel responsible for their learning. Or they were asked to teach face-to-face without the proper safety procedures in place. Or they’ve been asked to teach a hybrid version that adds even more stress. 

Breathe. All of us need to pause and breathe. 

I read Brené Brown’s book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead and have been following her for years. What I’ve learned is that it takes courage to be the authentic you. This video on empathy helped me understand the difference between sympathy and empathy and what it means to care about others. Empathy is feeling with people  https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw  

Empathy is about caring for others, but it also means caring for YOU. Educators and other professionals who serve others tend to not take care of themselves first. It is not selfish to take care of you, but many of us went into education to be there for kids first. We need to put our mask on first. Because of the demands of teaching remotely during this pandemic, educators can become easily overwhelmed and find that they cannot handle stress or issues in their own lives. This constant stress takes a toll on us.

How are you now?

I find myself not handling life as well as I used to during these last few months. I’m having trouble reading or finishing a book I started. I’m not able to focus on tasks as I did before. I’m listening to other educators who are telling me the same thing but they don’t feel comfortable sharing that they are feeling sad or scared or stressed. That is especially for teachers who are supposed to be strong and model strength. Several teachers told me that they felt shame for the way they were feeling. 

“If we can share our story with someone who responds
with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.”
~Brené Brown

This is where I needed to pause and think about why we as educators feel shame for not living up to what we think others expect of us or what we expect of ourselves. I know I’m a perfectionist. I think many educators are also. This is the time to let go of thinking we can do it all. No one can do it all especially now. We need to give ourselves a break. We don’t want to move from being stressed to becoming burned out. It can happen without us realizing it. 

As someone who is connected online with friends, family, and educators around the world, I didn’t realize I was burning out. One day, I stopped writing or calling anyone. I canceled events. I even took a break from Twitter and, if you know me, I’m always on Twitter. I’m used to working remotely, but it had been over six months since I received real hugs and been in a room at a conference or together with my children. I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. 

I reached out for help. I contacted my family, a therapist, and a few people I felt I could talk to. I shared my concerns and they listened. They were so kind. It helped me that I could talk to them about my feeling bad and for not being that “perfect” person I thought I was. I wasn’t shamed by them for what I said or for taking a break. I also heard that they were feeling the same way. I needed to reflect on what I was learning about me and my feelings so I started writing in my journal again. I used to write a note to add to my gratitude jar each morning. There’s something about writing what we’re grateful for that does something for your soul. I just wrote a note to put in the jar: “I’m grateful that I can take breaks to learn more about me.” 

I realized that my mind was full. I had been distracting myself by being busy so I didn’t have to think about the pandemic. I lived to check off tasks on my To-Do list.

I was a “Human Doing” instead of a “Human Being.”

Now that I was taking more breaks during the day, I was more mindful of becoming really present. I found that “stressed” spelled backward is “desserts.” Chocolate really helps some days. 

I now do breathing techniques throughout the day. When I focus on my breathing, I can feel alive and experience each moment as it unfolds. A few of the techniques I use are pretty easy.

1. Sitting in my chair, I put my hand on my belly. I breathe in deeply to push my hand out and then breathe out feeling my hand go in. I do this 10 times slowly. 
2. If I really need to calm down, I make sure all of my devices are off and try to keep my mind from wandering. Then I do the breathing activity either in the chair or lying on the floor.
3. If I’m even more stressed, I stop and blow on my thumb. It works by cooling off my thumb and calming the pulse in it. I do this until I feel more relaxed as I feel the cool air on my thumb. 

“If we practice mindfulness, we always have a place to be when we are afraid.”  ~Thich Nhat Hanh

When I did the work to have empathy for me, I realized that being “right” or thinking I had to be “perfect” was all in my head. That “Inside Job” was keeping me from taking care of me. I found out I can practice mindfulness even if there is a pandemic and we’re living with uncertainty.

This is the time to take breaks, breathe, reach out for help if you need it, and address tough situations through empathy, mindfulness, and gratitude.

Barbara Bray

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For all of the Rethinking Learning podcasts with Barbara Bray, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

make sure you go to the bottom of the podcast page to access the posts that go with each podcast. 

Go to this page for resources, questions, and more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY.

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Olivia Van Ledtje (“LivBit”) and Cynthia Merrill are a mother-daughter team working together to inspire others to think about the power of citizenship online and student voice. They are co-authors of Spark Change: Make Your Mark on the Digital World. They have a surprise in the podcast about what they will be doing next. 

Olivia Van Ledtje (“LivBit”)

Liv is a reader, thinker, and kids’ voice believer. Using technology to inspire empathy, equity, and activism, Olivia’s mission is to share messages with the world that are hopeful, kind, and true. Olivia is the creator of LivBits—short videos for kids and teachers about reading, thinking, and life. Her work is featured internationally as a model for digital citizenship and kid creation. Liv is a much sought after international keynote speaker and author of Spark Change: Make Your Mark on the Digital World with her mum, Cynthia Merrill.

Liv’s Website: http://www.thelivbits.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelivbits 

Twitter: @thelivbits

Liv started her passion for books when she was eight years old. At the time we did this podcast, she is 12. It’s amazing to me that she started creating her website when she was 8 years old. In this episode, Liv shares about her love of sharks. Yes, sharks. She learned how to surf and explains why she has no worries about being eaten by sharks. She made me laugh when she said that “humans are the broccoli of the shark world.”  Liv loves books and shares books about sharks among a long list of books that she shares in videos and keynote addresses. Did I say that she started when she was 8? She also reached out to authors. Peter Reynolds was the first author who connected the dots for her and picked up her spark to blow it into the universe.

We discussed what it is like self-isolating during this pandemic. Liv who is a big hugger said that she is staying home to protect her grandma and her parents. I’m staying home and doing all things digital, digital learning. In fact, they were talking about digital learning way before the pandemic and realized that they can teach others how to do this. Liv also explained that she is connecting more with her teachers and other students more than she did before using zoom and other digital tools. In Liv’s words:

“We’ve been talking about teaching online for a long time. I’ve been doing online learning because of my travels with LivBits. Now, during this pandemic, this is tough self-isolating, but it is also a valuable experience that is bringing in all parts of my thinking. I’m doing more zooming in a good way. I’m communicating with my teachers, classmates, and other people around the world.”

Cynthia Merrill

Cynthia is a consultant, speaker, and author dedicated to strengthening literacy and tech experiences for all students. She works in diverse school communities through the US coaching, training, and encouraging administrators and teachers in their practices. Cynthia is passionate about creating authentic opportunities for students to document their thinking using tech tools. Cynthia’s book Spark Change: Make Your Mark on the Digital World is co-written with her daughter, Olivia Van Ledtje, creator of LivBits. 

Twitter: @cyndisueboo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-merrill-9aa504166/ 

Email: cynthiasmerrill@gmail.com 

Cynthia shares that her biggest claim to fame is that she is Liv’s mom. Liv is her middle child and she has a son who is 14 and a younger daughter who is 8.  She has been working with children in higher ed and teachers out in the field for some time. LivBits started with Liv watching Cynthia with her students and wanting to make her own mark. Peter Reynolds @peterhreynolds was the first author that connected with Liv. Cynthia said the most beautiful quote about Peter supporting Liv:

“It’s about connecting our dots and there are so many dots in the constellation. It really only takes one person to say to a child that you are special and what you believe in is special.”

Cynthia shares that with the pandemic, “we initially went into emergency teaching where we were triaging everything. What was different for us was our entire family was in the same space and we were all figuring out together. This is such an incredible opportunity for us to reflect on the power of pieces of tech that we never imagined would become so useful in connecting our hearts.” 

Spark Change: Making Your Mark in a Digital World

https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Change-Making-Digital-World/dp/1564847861

Check out the list of books Liv pulled together. bit.ly/allrisetoread #ALLRISE

This was such a fun podcast with Liv and Cynthia. I hope you enjoy our conversation and check out all their amazing resources and book. Enjoy and please share!! 

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Interested in checking out more of the Rethinking Learning podcasts and reflections, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

Go to this page for resources, questions, and more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY.

This guest post is a cross-post of Matthew Weimann’s post on Intersectionality from his website, The Captain of Class along with our reflection.

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An idea popped into my head about a year ago that symbolized my realization of privilege. In the spring I wrote a blog that I published in The Captain of Class, titled “Green Lights.” It is about a white guy–I don’t say he’s white in the allegory–who drives straight through the heart of a city, rather than taking the highway that would typically allow him to bypass all of the downtown traffic. In my make-believe story, I propose the reason being he has to buy something at a specific store; One only located in the middle of the city.

The point of the tiny tale is to illustrate the unconscious privilege people experience. Through it, I was exploring the unveiling awareness of my own privilege. In the story, this white guy curiously does not have to stop at even one red light, his whole way through the city. Strangely, he doesn’t even have to wait in line when he goes to make his purchase at the in-town store! By the end of his fascinating journey through town, the ease of his travels strikes him as an interesting peculiarity, but little more. He simply thinks of it as a lucky drive.

The driver’s perspective

In my story, I mention a few goings-on along the periphery of this driver’s travels. There is an accident that barely tempts his attention. Another vehicle is broken down. A jaywalker gets arrested. These occurrences hardly cause the hero to lessen acceleration.

At the very end, though, I revisit the intersections where, unbeknownst to the white guy driving straight down the middle of an empty avenue with nothing but green lights, there had been an unimaginable tragedy. People had been waiting so long they had starved to death. Untreated medical conditions caused others to perish from lack of treatment. There were individuals who thought that the traffic light would change at any moment for one too many moments, and their vehicles ran out of gas, causing even more problems for everyone behind them when the light did finally change!

The people at these side streets are the people for whom the term “intersectionality” applies. Why are they there? Each individual stuck on the side street has his or her own purpose for needing to cross the “Green-Lit” avenue. Many of these reasons intersect. Perhaps there is a hospital on the other side of the street. An elderly woman might be going to visit her husband who is recovering from heart surgery, while a couple is rushing a woman in labor to deliver their first baby into the world. Maybe someone else is on their way to the hospital to be tested for COVID-19.

If there were a vehicle several cars back from the intersection whose sole passenger was a man who had experienced a serious cut on his leg, this man would have many obstacles between himself and the hospital. First of all, his leg is too hurt for him to get out of the car and walk the relatively short distance to the hospital. If he were to travel by foot, people might mistake him for a dangerous individual, seeing his severe limp and assuming it was due to something malevolent. Let’s say he was left alone or at least unhindered, once he got to the intersection, he would be facing both physical and legal harm. There would be fast-moving vehicles to dodge. Since they were taking advantage of the endless stream of green lights, they’d be moving at a nice clip. If there were a break in the traffic, our injured individual would have to chance to cross when a “Do Not Walk” sign was beaming down on him. He could be arrested for jaywalking, even though he was on a crosswalk!

Research found video discrediting intersectionality

In preparation for this post, I watched a few videos. One was produced by a company that actively works at discrediting movements aimed at correcting inequity. The video from this company was the complete opposite of Crenshaw’s idea of intersectionality. It attempted to shine a light on the assumed hidden and mischievous purpose of intersectionality. It made American White males out to be the victims of intersectionality. The admittedly high-quality video whined that the acceptance of intersectionality would empower marginalized peoples, taking power away from White males. It almost says these exact words! The message couldn’t be more clear.

This video, albeit made to discredit intersectionality, was the most enlightening to me on why it is so very necessary to have these conversations. As I watched, the graphics explained that intersectionality is the coming together of minority groups in order to confront the majority, in essence, White supremacy. This message was meant to sow fear in the minds of White people. The minorities are joining forces and supporting one another. They will be powerful enough to stand up to our oppression if we don’t do something about it!

The video instilled fear and hate about marginalized people.

Back to “Green Lights,” but with a twist

I pictured this idea of intersectionality playing out in my story about Green Lights. The guy driving comfortably through the middle of the city, never needing to slow down, suddenly has to slam on his brakes. There were people in the street!

Pedestrians, passengers, and drivers stuck at a seemingly endless red light had noticed a man hobbling toward the intersection. What was he doing? they wondered. He would get himself killed if he tried crossing that busy thoroughfare. Best to wait for the light to turn. Get in line with the rest of us.

Someone rolled down their window to ask the guy, “Hey, where are you going?”

“I cut my leg,” the limping man exclaimed. “I must get to the hospital.”

“You are going to get yourself killed, crossing that intersection!”

“I am afraid I might die waiting.” And, at this several onlookers and over-hearers noticed blood trailing the gentleman. Several people leaped from their cars to help the man. Other people conversed about the fact that the light had been red for far too long. Looking behind them and seeing the long line of piled up vehicles, they imagine that there might be a problem with the traffic signals.

The small crowd attending to the man with the hurt leg petition other persons to help. Come to find out, they were all on their way to the hospital! Some crafty individuals construct a stretcher for the man who seems ready to faint. Others put together posters, signaling to traffic that the lights are broken. Everyone exits their stopped vehicles and pours into the intersection, a tsunami of human need; A need for aid; A need to get help at the hospital; A need to cross the street.

Now, the car driver, who had known nothing but empty road found his avenue filling up. And, what’s this? People on foot!

They are holding signs.

They are holding hands.

They are holding up a stretcher.

They are holding up a man.

People sitting at the red lights of other intersections witness the wave of pedestrians filling the avenue. Some venture to find out what is happening.

They meet in the middle of the street; In the intersection; where trails crisscross.

They say hello to one another.

They share stories.

They hear that people on the opposite side of the road had been stuck at red lights for a very long time, just like themselves.

They empathize.

This takes time.

“Beep.”

“Beep… Beep.”

The people in the middle of the intersection hear a car horn. They stop sharing. Everyone turns and looks at the driver who is assaulting ears with a prolonged harangue of horn blasting.

He stops.

He sees hundreds of eyes staring at him.

There are thousands more behind these. The street is full of them.

He is alone.

They are together.

The driver unlocks his door.

He opens it.

He gets out of his vehicle.

He walks over to the crowd forming in the middle of the street to find out what’s happening.

Someone explains the predicament.

Others validate the story.

The driver who had only known green lights; who had been making good time getting home; who had never had a medical emergency in his life; who barely knew what it was to wait for anything more than a short traffic signal to change; who could make many important decisions and changes at the touch of his phone…

This man turned around…

He saw others like him screeching to a halt up the avenue.

He raises his hands.

He cries out.

“There’s been a problem with the lights!” he shouts. “The traffic signals haven’t been changing.”

How is his message received? Who exits their vehicle to help him spread the news? How many people get on their phones to fix the problem?

How many phoned their friends to complain? Friends, like themselves, who have only known green lights… All of their lives.

How can we help? What can we do? How will you react?

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Matt Weimann grew up in New England and then migrated to Pennsylvania 25 years ago to attend college. The last ten of those years has been spent teaching 3rd grade right outside Allentown. Matt prides himself on offering a full educational experience. In addition to innovative multimedia projects, hands-on crafts, and creative writing, Matt teaches his students tai chi and what it means to be classy. 

Before teaching, Matt and his wife started and ran their own house painting business. The entrepreneurial skills used to operate his own business can be seen in Matt’s teaching. Over the course of the past couple of years, he has even begun blogging about some of his unique takes on classroom management and pedagogy in https://thecaptainofclass.com/. One of Matt’s mission objectives is to approach commonplace things from a new perspective.

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Jennifer Appel has been teaching for 21 years and is a teacher and coach at Enterprise Middle School in West Richland, Washington. She helped launch a blog about School Culture and helped roll out a student-led leadership podcast called the Award-Winning Culture. Jennifer as part of the coveted Teach Better Speakers Network presents at conferences, schools, and districts all over the country.

Your background 

I’ve basically taught a little bit of everything. In college, my major was elementary ed with a reading minor and said I would never teach over 3rd grade. When I graduated from college, Hans was still getting his masters so I needed a job. My next-door neighbor was the middle school principal who told me she had a 7th-grade math job. I took it and been in middle school ever since. I was a track coach, a basketball coach, and a volleyball coach. I taught college classes for ten years at a local university and at the middle school taught every subject except science. Hans was hired at the same middle school a year later, so we’ve been here at Enterprise Middle School together for 20 years.

Hans and Jennifer Appel [Hans’s podcast: Episode #54]

Where you live and work

Where Hans and I live is called the Tri-Cities: Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland. We live in Kennewick and work in West Richland which is a small town west of Richland. It is in the southeast corner of Washington and on the other side of the mountains from Seattle which is actually a desert. In the winter, we get snow and in the summer, it’s like 100 degrees. In the last 10 years, we’ve become more like Napa Valley. We have a bunch of vineyards and wineries all around us. My parents live close to us in the same house since I was four months old. Their house was the only house on the hill and dirt roads when I was a kid. Now everything is developed around us. There were maybe 100,000 people in the Tri-Cities and now there are over 300,000 people. Enterprise Middle School was built in 2005 and they just built another middle school three years ago a mile from here.

What was it like for you as a student

My whole family is in education. My mom was my pre-school teacher. My dad was the principal at the elementary school I attended. I would say I was a good student. I loved going to school, but I would say that I struggled. I had a really hard time reading. My second-grade teacher told my parents that I was not very smart and didn’t know what I was doing. They tested me for special ed and found I needed other tests. Nothing changed and I still struggled with reading.

When I was in college, Hans found my test results from those tests in second grade. Apparently, they had tested me for special ed but I hadn’t qualified because I had a 156 IQ. Hans said to me that my IQ was more than Einstein’s at 154 and that I’m really smart. All those years, I grew up thinking I was not very smart. I found out that I had dyslexia and that’s why I was struggling with reading. I couldn’t sound out words and trouble with phonics. To make it in school, what I did was memorize the English language. I just ask Hans or use my Kindle what’s this word if I can’t figure it out and then I memorize it.

I think because I struggled that was one of the reasons why I became a teacher and focused on reading. I may have been smart but I learned differently from everyone else. We make mistakes, and we can learn from them. It helped me as a teacher. As a reading specialist, I can sit with the parents and discuss problems their children might have like vision or anxiety issues that can impact their reading.

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[This is Barbara. I transcribed some of our conversation above. Jennifer’s story is so inspiring that I hope you listen to her story all the way until the end. Below are links and resources that Jennifer shared with me. Enjoy!]

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Jennifer’s passion for education comes from growing up in an education-driven family (4th generation) and wanting to help and serve others. She is now driven to create an environment where all students are able to learn and become passionate about serving others.

In 2018, Jennifer helped launch a blog about School Culture and helped roll out a student-led leadership podcast called Award Winning Culture: Hosted by Wildcat Nation, which can be subscribed, listened or reviewed on iTunes Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, PodBean, and Libsyn. Jennifer and Hans shared the Innovation Center with me after our conversation. Here are a few pictures she shared with me to sh are with you. This is where the students do their Award-Winning Podcast.

In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy.  Additionally, EMS was selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took the top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category.

Jennifer has written blogs and lesson design for CharacterStrong.  She was selected for the Washington State Reading Cadre and spent 10 years teaching graduate and undergraduate classes at Heritage University. Additionally, she’s spoken at state and national conferences on PBIS, Student Voice, and School Culture.   

Jennifer is a part of the coveted Teach Better Speakers Network and presents at conferences, schools, and districts all over the country. Topics include: Creating an Award-Winning Culture, Amplifying Student Voice, Student-Led Podcasting, and Infusing Servant Leadership through PBIS.

Hans and Jennifer are co-writing a series on the Award-Winning Culture through EduGladiators publishing. The first book will be out soon.

Jennifer can be contacted through email at awardwinningculture@gmail.com.  You can follow her on twitter at @jennifermappel. Follow AWC on Twitter @awculture or @awcpodcasting on Instagram @awardwinningculture. Follow Wildcat Nation on Instagram @emsleadership.  #WildcatNation #AwardWinningCulture

School Culture can be a JOYFUL experience with
KINDNESS, SERVICE, AND EMPATHY being the icing on top.

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For all of the Rethinking Learning podcasts with Barbara Bray, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

Go to this page for more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY.

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What do you do if your child fails first grade? The system can label your child. That label then defines your child. That happened to Lois Letchford’s son, Nicholas, and Lois decided to change the label and his mindset to overcome the odds so he believed in himself. I asked Lois if she could share this story in my book. I was so moved that I asked Lois to have a conversation with me about her journey as a literacy spokesperson for struggling learners.

Lois Letchford has been a literacy problem solver. She specializes in teaching children who struggle with learning to read, her creative teaching methods vary depending on the reading ability of the student, employing age-appropriate, rather than reading-age-appropriate, material. Lois’s non-traditional background, multi-continental exposure, and passion for helping failing students equip her with a unique skillset and perspective.

“The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds hard to answer.”  –– Alice Wellington Rollins

Lois and her family

Lois Letchford has been a literacy problem solver. She specializes in teaching children who struggle with learning to read, her creative teaching methods vary depending on the reading ability of the student, employing age-appropriate, rather than reading-age-appropriate, material. Lois’s non-traditional background, multi-continental exposure, and passion for helping failing students equip her with a unique skillset and perspective.

Reversed Memoir Book Trailer

Originally a physical education teacher, she later completed a Master’s in Literacy and Reading from the State University of New York at Albany. Lois has presented her work at SPELD in Australia, the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children, the Spring Festival of Children’s Literature in Maryland, and the Ireland International Conference on Education. She is a member of the Australian College of Education.

Reversed: A Memoir (Acorn Publishing), the story of her son’s—and her own—learning disability, is her first book.

Nicholas talking about his learning:

Lois mentioned these books in our conversation that she uses to teach pronouns: 

 “Ahhh,” Said Stork  by Gerald Rose  

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Lois Letchford
@LetchfordLois

Website: https://www.loisletchford.com/ 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/loisletchfordauthor/

“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”
––Babe Ruth

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For all of the Rethinking Learning podcasts with Barbara Bray, click on the podcast tab at the top, the logo below, or go to https://barbarabray.net/podcasts/

Go to this page for more information about Barbara’s new book, Define Your WHY.

I’ve spent most of my life as a teacher, a coach, and a mentor supporting teachers and administrators. Something is different now. I feel there is a sense of urgency to rethink the idea of “school” and what it means to be a teacher, a principal, and a student. I have also heard from people in and outside of education who felt lost and didn’t know their WHY. They said they accepted that they went down the wrong path and felt they were living someone else’s story. This made me stop and rethink my WHY. I became aware that that had happened to me. I thought I had no other choice to keep doing what I was doing, but I did. I thought of Churchill’s quote and that all of us need to live for something. 

“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.” ―Winston S. Churchill

Through these conversations, I realized how challenging it was to teach, how difficult it was to be a student, and how many educators had gotten lost in the WHAT and HOW that they’ve forgotten or maybe never knew their WHY. 

In 2017, I started the Rethinking Learning podcast to share stories about people who inspired me. It wasn’t long before I got it. It was all about the stories. I needed to learn more. In the process, I found out that most everyone I talked with had struggled or had made choices that didn’t always work. In fact, those struggles made them stronger. At this same time, I was searching for my WHY and considered the different struggles I had and other events in my life. I had changed careers, had taken projects that were only for the money, and went in a direction that was more about the WHAT and HOW instead of the WHY. 

I needed to search for my WHY. I adapted the strategies that I used during my coaching sessions and workshops to learn more about me. What did I love? What am I good at? It all came back to the stories and my love of writing. You see, I used to write poetry and short stories years before. I did co-author two books on personalized learning which I enjoyed, but that was not the kind of writing I wanted to do. I wanted to write about the stories and the WHY. To get me in the mood to write, I decided to blog, journal daily, and write a post for each podcast. The posts changed me. I realized that when I listened to the podcast I wasn’t connecting to the person as much as I wanted.

I asked my guests to share information about themselves in a Google doc so I could do research about them before our conversations. I also decided to listen closer by transcribing some of the conversations for the post. If I wanted to learn more, I reached out to the person after the podcast for more information. I know I was spending way too much time on each post, but I loved it. I loved learning about each person and collaborating with them to find pictures, links, and other resources about their lives. The stories motivated me to want to write more.

I asked different people who were on my podcast if they would like to collaborate with me by sharing some of their stories about their WHY in a book I wanted to write. 26 people said yes. I found My WHY: to write my new book, Define Your WHY. I’m really excited to share the stories and the strategies I used to define the WHY. I’ll be sharing more soon because my book is launching on Monday, February 17th and the link is up on Amazon for pre-order. http://bit.ly/defineyourwhybook

“Believe in yourself, your abilities and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.”     

––Roy Bennett