We have lost so many great teachers in our profession and we are losing more each day. Teacher mentorship can help us save more of our elite educators but we have to get a better support system first. Mentorship in education has stigma of underperformance. We have to change our programs so that our structure is an effective support system to our teachers until their last day on the job, not just a program for beginning teachers. All teachers need a growth program throughout the entirety of their career. Tune in to hear more about the future of mentorship in education.

 Quotables

• Mentorship can save our best teachers.
• The best of the best athletes have mentorship, they have coaching until their last day on the job. Educators don’t view mentorship as a way to continue growing. We look at is as an underperformance.
• The culture and structure of mentorship has to be changed to a more effective model. Then we have to change the stigma.
• The goal of the meeting, awareness of events, relationship building, action steps, follow up and follow through is an actionable system to put into place.
• Style, System and Structure are the 3 S's of a mentorship program. 
• What makes mentorship effective? Do you have a plan? Is there an accountability system? What are the expectations of the partnership? Are you consistent?
• What makes a mentor effective? Have you walked the road before? Ask questions, don’t make assumptions. Partner with them and use their strengths.
• You have to envision people as their future selves and help them get to their future in a way that is natural to them.
• Evaluate your program. What do you want to keep and what do you want to kick?
• Actionable steps over perfection, get started and execute. Tweak and repeat.
• Let's not lose any more good teachers because they haven't become great YET.

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• Grab your ticket to the PD coaching summit on Dec 28th here.
• Join the Teacher Leader Mastermind Spring Cohort
• Instructional Coaching Yearlong Comprehensive Guide (Editable & Growing Bundle)
• Teacher Mentor Kit for Mentor Teachers (Editable)

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• Blog: Always A Lesson
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• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Coaching Summit for Teacher Leaders: https://www.sctacademy.com/a/19590/oqFud8nN
• Stay tuned for information on the Teacher Leader Mastermind!

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Your training as an educator did not prepare you for the job you are currently doing. It's ok to acknowledge that this year is not your best and that you have weaknesses. What is important is that you also realize that weaknesses are just strengths in a different area. If you were to put yourself in a different environment, would you thrive? Tune in to hear how to acknowledge your weaknesses and identify if the environment is right for you to be your best.

Quotables

• Weaknesses are just strengths in a different area. 
• Those of us who are willing to ADJUST are the ones who are going to make it out of 2020 for the better.
• Being transparent with kids. It’s ok to tell your students that virtual teaching is hard for you and it’s not your best teaching. (Danny Steele Twitter) 
• You might not be good right now, but it doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Don’t look at your teaching right now as a weakness, you are just in the wrong environment.
• You are still strong. You still are good. There is another factor that is bringing you down at the moment. Just keep trying a new way and you will get better.
• Trust that normalcy is going to return. Hold off on your self judgement.
• You are not always going to be in a position where you are showcasing your genius, but you don’t have to be stuck in your weakness either.
• Make this weakness and your hard work this year count for something. Use it is leverage to move yourself forward.
• Acknowledge your weakness. Think through your day and acknowledge where you aren’t your best. Ask yourself if your weakness is a strength in another environment. Access the opportunity. Act on your strength.

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• Grab your ticket to the PD coaching summit on Dec 28th here.
• Danny Steele Twitter

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Coaching Summit for Teacher Leaders: https://www.sctacademy.com/a/19590/oqFud8nN
• Stay tuned for information on the Teacher Leader Mastermind!

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Even in the chaos swirling around you, there is a lesson to be learned. 2020 is going to be one of the most challenging seasons of our careers, however it doesn't all have to be bad. Each day you are becoming a better version of yourself if you are choosing to stay present, positive and in problem solving mode. Tune to hear Gretchen discuss how you can make each day count and not miss the lesson of the 2020-2021 school year.

Quotables

• Walk out of the woods, be like Kevin from Home Alone. Whatever you have to do to survive is what you have to do. 
• Everyday you may have come up with a new plan of what to do. You have to pivot!
• We will get back what we put into our profession. It may be leaders decades later. We don’t know where the impact will be.
• You will always get back more when you do it with a great heart and you give it your best.
• This will be one of the hardest seasons of our career, but we will make 2020 worth it. 
• You are becoming a professional at making split second decisions. You are adding invaluable skills to your resume. 
•  Regardless of the chaos that swirls around you, educators are resilient.
• 2020 doesn’t have to be memorable for just the bad. We can become the best versions of ourselves right now.
• Stay present, stay positive and stay in problem solving mode.  
• Grab your ticket to the PD coaching summit on Dec 28th here.

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• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Coaching Summit for Teacher Leaders: https://www.sctacademy.com/a/19590/oqFud8nN
• Stay tuned for information on the Teacher Leader Mastermind!

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Grab your ticket to the PD coaching summit on Dec 28th here.

2020 has come with a lot of complex adjustments in regards to life and teaching. In order to be our best, we have to get back to the basics of why we love the profession we chose! We have to get excited about the lessons we are teaching and be fully present to make an impact for our students. We all have unique x-factors that make us great in our own individual ways. We need to remember what our x-factor is and be true to ourselves this year. Tune in to hear 5 simple ways to make an impact in your classroom!

Quotables

• Forget the complexities, get back to basics and add your own signature flair to get excited about teaching lessons.
• You don’t have to put on a show to make an impact. You just have to be fully present, passionate and clear on your mission.
• Use your voice in a varying way. Use your pitch to your advantage.
• Look into the camera when you are speaking to give eye contact to your students.
• Personalize learning by using names, eye contact and specific compliments.
• Set your intention for the day. Give goals and celebrate at the end of the day!
• Our favorite teachers often were true to their x-factor and used simple tricks to make learning fun and engaging.

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Coaching Summit for Teacher Leaders: https://www.sctacademy.com/a/19590/oqFud8nN
• Stay tuned for information on the Teacher Leader Mastermind!

Leave a Rating and Review:

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James Sturtevant navigated thirty-four years in a public high school classroom. He now teaches Intro to Education and Assessment to future teachers at Muskingum University. He combines fearless experimentation with a willingness to learn from younger tech-savvy students and colleagues. He's authored three additional books that promote student engagement and bonding with kids. James hosts the Hacking Engagement Podcast, which provides educators with tips, tools, and tactics that teachers can utilize immediately. His blog posts have appeared in Principal Leadership, Edutopia, and HuffPost.

James is married to Penny Sturtevant, a fellow educator, and they live in Galena, Ohio. They have three children and two grandchildren. He relishes his role as a classroom teacher and works to keep his perspective fresh, authentic, enthusiastic, and relevant.

Quotables

• Create outstanding days.
• This book is a sunrise book not a sunset book.
• Welcome the prompt “Why do we have to learn this today?” Plan an outstanding response. 
•  Your classroom is a remarkable, stable sanctuary. Recognize this anchor as a magnificent asset. 
• Create awesome days and build better tomorrow. It's all a choice.
• If you apply these ideas to your day you are going to evolve as a person and teacher.
• When we are in front of kids the best way to show them that we value them is to point our feet towards them. Are you forward facing or are you already on the next step?
• Am I engaging kids in a way that makes them want to hear more or learn more?
• Hooks engage but they also bring in relevancy. Relevancy is essential.

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

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We have spent a lot of time discussing how teachers should adjust this year. We also have to consider how our students are doing with all the adjustments that they are facing. As leaders in their life, we have to take the time to acknowledge the adjustments they are making. We also have to help them process how these adjustments are effecting their life. Making adjustments might not be in the content we teach, but is a lifelong skill that will help our students succeed. Tune in to hear Gretchen discuss tips on how to help your student make critical adjustments this school year.

Quotables

• It is our jobs as the leaders in their life to support students so they can come out the other side.
• Adjustment is a life lesson. It is something that we need to learn how to do to be productive citizens. It’s a tool for success in school and life.
• Acknowledge that adjustments are happening. Give students the opportunity to name it.
• Relate to their experiences. Share something that they may feel they are going through too.
• Create a safe place to vent and share.
• Talk about a strategy for adjustments.
• Have them envision their perfect adjustment. What does it look like for you to move through it?
• Give them a revision piece. If you could do it again, how would you do it?
• We want students to feel heard that what they are experiencing is hard.
• Don’t forget to chat with parents about how their children are adjusting. Get the whole picture.
• Our job as educators is not to just teach content, we have to teach kids.

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

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This year is quite different than other years of teaching. If we were using a rubric, this year wouldn't be scoring at the top. Therefore, why are we holding ourselves to the same expectations? It is time for us to recalibrate our expectations and make adjustments based on our new reality. In order to be successful, we have to examine our environment and constantly adjust. Tune in to hear Gretchen discuss 3 critical steps to help you recalibrate and weather the storm.

Quotables

• Examine your environment and recalibrate your expectations.
• Set your expectations and think about what is possible, what makes sense and what is realistic. Don't base your expectations on hope.
• Adjust your goals as necessary when things start to look better.
• Recalibration is a long term strategy based on what season of life you are in.
• What is different about your life in this season? Consider yourself and your surroundings.
• Nothing lasts forever. Remind yourself of your current expectation and stay out of the zone of comparison of what life was before.
• Make a habit of accepting the new normal and your new recalibrations.
• If you are flexible, you will weather the storm.
• Meet yourself where you are, right here, right now.

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• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

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In March of 2020 our lives were altered and changed. While we thought most of the changes were temporary, we are now living in a different time. Just because change has happened doesn't mean all that comes with COVID-19 is bad. You can choose to see the golden moments that are sprinkled in our new reality without comparison to the past. Tune in to hear Gretchen discuss how to see the best in the worst of times.

Quotables

• We have to accept reality for what it is and then make it the best it can be without comparison to the new normal.
• Choose to trust that there is a golden moment and to only see and feel the goodness in it.
• Train your mind to filter what it focuses on.
• Staying in the memory of the past hurts your progress and your potential and you are better than that.
• Choose to make the worst of times into the best of times by seeing the golden moments sprinkled throughout it.
• Sometimes the breaking down and distraction from our normal becomes the best thing that happens to us.

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Sponsorship

• This episode is sponsored by Power School/Schoology’s Time for Teachers initiative

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

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The 2020-2021 school year will be one of adjustments just as 2020 has been for the world. Teachers that have a can-do attitude and adjust in the moment will be the most fulfilled. You have the power to choose what adjustments you make and influence those around you this year. Tune in to hear what actionable steps you can take to make adjustments that will be pivotal to your career this year.

Quotables:

• This is a challenging season but its not a challenging life. Even good things are hard. Adjusting is choice a that we can fight or embrace.
• Teachers and teacher leaders that can adjust in the moment have the most fulfilling careers.
• Adjustments are interruptions that force us to grow, change and development into the next level of ourselves. We are challenged to think and act differently. We are given no options to back out.
• Make the choice to adjust before it chooses it for you.
• Adjust for you and your future. Everyone around you will follow your lead.

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Sponsorship

• This episode is sponsored by Power School/Schoology’s Time for Teachers initiative

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: [email protected]
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

• https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

Why?

• This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

How?

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CJ Reynolds teaches high school literature and the history of hip-hop in West Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Rowan University and has been a classroom teacher for 15 years. He is also the author of the upcoming book Teach Your Class Off and the creator of the Real Rap with Reynolds YouTube channel.

CJ's YouTube channel and book are aimed at giving viewers an authentic glimpse into the life of a high school teacher in the inner city while at the same time helping new and veteran educators be the teachers and mentors they always wanted to be for their students. His bare-bones teaching philosophy is simple: In the classroom relationships are king, and the job of a teacher is always and only about the students.

Quotables

One of the things that I learned early on is becoming a great educator is taking all of the things that make you who you are and using them to be a teacher.

It is looking at what you have to teach and then thinking, what lens could I teach this though?

If you make it about the kids, it gives you courage, one, and two you are trying to be relevant, not cool.

A quite classroom does not equal an effective classroom.

Don’t wait for anything. Be the teacher you always wanted to be immediately.

I am very mindful at school that I only surround myself with people that I want to be like.

It is your attention over your advice that wins with students all the time.

Connect with CJ

Website: www.realrapwithreynolds.com

YouTube Channel: Real Rap with Reynolds

iTunes: Real Rap With Reynolds

Instagram: real rap with the reynolds

Facebook: Real Rap With The Reynolds

Facebook Group: Real Rap With Reynolds Teacher Talk

Twitter: @realrapreynolds

Snapchat: realrapreynolds

Soundcloud: Real Rap with the Reynolds

Connect with Gretchen

Email: [email protected]

Blog: Always A Lesson

Facebook: Always A Lesson

Twitter: @gschultek

Instagram: Always.A.Lesson

Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

Google+: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

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This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

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