Always A Lesson's Empowering Educators Podcast

Did you know that could manage and lead at the same time? You don't have to be one or the other, in any one role or title. What you do have to do is ADJUST. You have to be flexible and adjust the way you lead and manage, depending on what those that you lead need at that time. Tune in to hear actionable steps to hone your management and leadership skills.

 Quotables

• When do you manage and when do you decide to be the CEO and the visionary?
• You can be a manager and leader at the same time without changing your job, role or title.
• If we only ever lead in one way we deflate the talent that is within our teachers.
•  Managing people is necessary when they are new to something or low preforming. It can also be debilitating if when people are creative or come in with high expectations and a good foundation.
•  You need both management and leadership to be successful. You need balance.
•  When you are leading some people don't want any bumpers (like a bowling alley) and some people absolutely do want bumpers. You have to decide who you are leading.
• Set your processes for supporting teachers. Have goal setting meetings. Work one on one and ADJUST as you go.
• Flexibility and how we show up to serve people demonstrates our strengths as leaders.
• Categorize the people you lead. Who of those people needs more management verse a hands off coaching style.
• Always evaluate your coaching style effectiveness. How can you model instead of tell? How can you push yourself to do more of what your teachers need vs what you were taught?
• If you know what you need as a learner, don't be afraid to tell those that lead you.

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• Episode 133: You Don't Need a Title to Lead

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• If you support and lead teachers + are EXHAUSTED, this virtual retreat is for you!
• Simply Coaching Retreat

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• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

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Do you tell rather than ask? Do you solve rather remain curious? Do you check out rather than lean in? The quality of your listening muscles are directly related to the impact of your leadership. Therefore great leaders are great listeners. Specifically practicing our listening skills can have direct impact on in the way we lead. Tune in to hear specific steps to fine tune your listening and leadership skills!

 Quotables

• When we put our time and attention into something and we practice it often enough and become really good at it, it then becomes a strength. So why are we frustrated when we find a weakness? We know what we have to do to strengthen it.
• If we want to make a long lasting impact, where folks continue to use their gifts and talents to make our field better than we have to tune into what's really happening. Listening is the only way to restructure and rebuild.   
• Our model of great listening then translates to the teachers in the classroom and to their students.
• What if someone invested in you so much that they didn’t let you give up on yourself? Wouldn’t you come out of your struggle faster? Be the coach you wish you had.
• Listen by digesting what others are saying by not interjecting. Sometimes people just want to be heard.
• Show up as you are. People just want you to be beside them.
• Proximity and eye contact are important for closing the gap between you and the other person. Lean in and notice the cues of what they are saying head to toe.
• Shut up. Pause. Wait. Allow them to share more and encourage dead time.
• Rarely people need you to tell them what to do, they just need to talk it out. 
• Follow through on your end of the bargain. Do your part. Following through makes people think you know care and they are valued. 
• Pick one behavior and start there. Go hard in this one area and have a weekly check-in with your progress. Practice is the only way to grow.

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• How Great Leaders Learn Listens

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Connect with Gretchen

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

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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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As a former educator and literacy coach in Title 1 schools for over 20 years,  Lori has a passion for growing both students and teachers. She currently serves as a district literacy specialist, college instructor, and staff developer. She also is the proud mother of two struggling readers. While her children are almost grown now, she often thinks back to their experiences as students, in a world of reading instruction, which didn't always meet their needs. Lori believes her children, and all children, deserve expert reading teachers. She has a mission to help teachers transform into expert reading teachers, allowing them to not only provide the best practices of balanced literacy, but diagnose readers and make the instructional decisions needed to treat them. Lori believes all students AND teachers can GROW, one level at a time. Tune in to hear a full interview with Lori Poole in this special bonus edition episode.

Quotables

Teachers need us to just listen. They don’t always need a solution. They don’t always expect us to have a solution, they need just to help and counsel them right now.

The best teacher is always the best student. We want to teach them and we want them to try something hard. When they try something hard and they fail as a teacher we want them to try again. For teachers, we want teachers to try, fail, take a step back and do it again.

Resilience makes a good teacher.

Not everyday is a step mountain, sometimes it's just a lot of hills. Don’t get stuck playing it safe.

Spectacular failures (or mistakes) show that we are learning. (Cornelius Minor- We’ve got this).

My philosophy (Lori Poole) is that we are always working to level up, but I don’t mean doing it at all at one time. Take a step back, reflect, accept where you are and then work to level up. What is one thing you want to implement? Take small steps to level up.

As a coach, although I might think a teacher can work on many things, I have to treat them like a student. Work on small goals.

When we want to start everything new and we start to fail, we lose all momentum. You can’t grab all the new things at one time.

Why do some mistakes hold so much emotional value compared to other mistakes? If we can learn to add some equilibrium, I wonder if we would have more teachers who would be willing to try something new?

Many coaches weren’t trained live. It’s important for adjusting in the moment and getting immediate live feedback.

As a teacher you want to see how coaches work with YOUR students with the challenges you face in YOUR classroom.

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Email: [email protected]

Blog: Always A Lesson

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Twitter: @gschultek

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Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

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

Connect with Lori

Twitter: @levelupliteracy

Instagram: @levelupliteracy

Email: [email protected]

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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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)

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

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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:

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.

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

• Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
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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

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

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:

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.

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

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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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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:

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.

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

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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:

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.

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

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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

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Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

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

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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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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:

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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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.

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

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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:

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.

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

• Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher.
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