BRIGHT: Stories of Hope & Innovation in Michigan Classrooms

The effect that a therapy dog can have on a struggling student is nothing short of incredible. In this episode of BRIGHT, we chat with Joel Asiala, the principal of Washington Middle School in Michigan’s northernmost school district, the Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium, and Keweenaw. Joel breaks down his district’s “student-first” approach, shares how and why he had his family pet Tucker trained as a professional therapy dog, and offers his top three tips for starting a therapy dog program at your school.

Each year, empirical studies are added to the mountain of research demonstrating the numerous benefits of mindfulness. In the K-12 classroom, mindfulness practices can deliver brief, but effective social emotional interventions for students. In this episode of BRIGHT, we chat with Jodie Kleymeer, a media specialist for Lake Shore Public Schools who teaches a help desk class for students. Jodie shares her personal journey in discovering the power of meditation in the midst of the pandemic and shares three tips for bringing mindfulness into the classroom.

The technology available to help students with complex communication needs express their thoughts and feelings is better today than ever before. In this episode of BRIGHT, we chat with Rachael Langley, a speech-language pathologist and an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) consultant for Eaton RESA, who shares three strategies for using this technology to foster student authenticity and self-advocacy.

What could K-12 education look like if we let go of our assumptions about what school is supposed to be and instead focused exclusively on designing learning experiences around what's best for kids? In this episode of BRIGHT, we chat with Dr. Dave Richards, an executive learning strategist for Michigan Virtual, former superintendent of Fraser Public Schools, and one of the founding members of the Future of Learning Council. Dave shares a personal story of how school transformed his life as someone born into extreme poverty, articulates a vision for what learning can be at its finest, and offers three strategies for reinventing learning in your school community.

There’s a big difference between “tolerance” and “belonging.” You can feel this distinction on a personal level by answering the question: Would you rather be tolerated in your community or feel like you belong? In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, we chat with Dr. Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, assistant superintendent of DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) for Farmington Public Schools. Dr. Goodrum gets straight to the heart of why DE&I work is so essential in education, offers a fascinating perspective on why the language we use matters, and leaves listeners with three strategies for ensuring every student belongs.

After Cheldora Haynes' first year of teaching, she embarked on a quest to improve her classroom management. “There has to be there has to be better out there,’” she told herself. “People's classrooms can’t look like this all the time.” In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, we chat with Cheldora, who was recently honored as a 2021-22 regional teacher of the year for her work with third graders at Martin G. Atkins Elementary School in Bridgeport, MI. Cheldora shares the lessons she learned along the way, articulates her philosophy on student agency and accountability, and offers three tips for managing behaviors in the classroom.

Computer science education goes far beyond coding. In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, we chat with Kevin Santer, a lead online instructor for Michigan Virtual who left a 20-year career in software development to become a teacher. Kevin uses the lens of computer science to explore what it really means to think critically and offers three strategies for bringing computer science concepts into the classroom.

There's a deep and fascinating connection between boundaries and burnout. In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, we chat with Molly Davis — a counselor and psychotherapist from Alaska who runs an 8-week online boundaries intensive, the Beautiful Boundaries Bootcamp. Molly dives into the relationship between boundaries and burnout, shares a bit of wisdom about how she walks this line as a professional counselor, and offers three strategies for coping with and preventing educator burnout.

The process of setting and tracking goals can help students take ownership of their growth rather than experiencing school passively. In this episode of the BRIGHT podcast, we chat with Sam Sicilia, an instructional coach and former classroom teacher at Waverly Community Schools, who shares three tips for helping students see the value in defining and measuring their success.

Coding can help young students recognize their intelligence, creativity, and ability to manipulate the technology at their fingertips to solve real-world problems. In this episode of BRIGHT, we chat with Nicole Green, a K-8 technology teacher for MacArthur University Academy in Southfield Public Schools. Nicole shares her own journey in learning to code, why she’s so passionate about bringing these experiences into her classroom, and her top three strategies for coding with young students.