When the Wind Blows

Back to School Bootcamp

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

Special Guest: Whitney Farmer, Regina Bell and Skylar Shanks

1. How did you get involved in edu? Epic?

Whitney - VBS, Church Camp Counselor. I needed my gifts and talents to be utilized and I had the desire to be developed and poured into. I also had to get outside of the box that my students and I  were being shoved into. 

Regina- 30 years, needed a change, one on one relationships, 

1. This back to school might be one of the most different starts. How does a new teacher and a new student navigate this?

Whitney: Put kids first and prioritize learning, be kind to others and be kind to yourself, work hard.

1. Skyler: What is the best advice you can give students for the start of this school year? 

make a schedule, know exactly what your going to do each day, that helped me a lot. make lots of goals & don’t over stress. ask your teacher questions if you don’t understand something. 

1. Regina: What is the best advice you can give students for the start of this school year  (estab routine)

1. Whitney and Regina: What do parents need to know about this school year... New and vets? 

Parents need to know that they must lock arms with their teacher. This means communicating often.. What is working, what isn’t working, where can we pivot to make learning and growth occur? We believe in a partnership between the student, the parent and the teacher. Please know that we don’t hire teachers just because they can do this job, we hire people who believe in our mission. Your teacher is prioritizing your child’s education, meeting them where they are and pushing them to be the very best they can be! Growth is hard. Learning is hard. Your teacher will provide you with the tools you need and guide you as we all navigate this journey together. 

Edutopia article linked in the notes: Building Productive Relationships With Parents

 https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategy-building-productive-relationships-parents?utm_content=linkpos3&utm_campaign=weekly-2020-07-22&utm_source=edu-legacy&utm_medium=email

1. Skylar: what should parents do to help their kids be successful this year. Do check ins with them, some kids can stay on task better than others, so that may mean daily or weekly. Keep them on pace. The more uplifting you are the harder they will want to work. 

1. Workspaces: Dedicated spaces - Beds...anyplace CAN work but its up to the parent, student and teacher to find that space. 

We have all heard that that Francis Beacon quote

‘Knowledge is power” But I challenge that notion, knowledge is only potential power. You have to put it into action for it to have any kind of lasting  impact. 

Thats all the time we have for today. If you like what you heard, go ahead and hit the like button and subscribe to the podcast so you are notified each time a new episode drops. 

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