CALM Conversations about Teaching & Learning

• Thank you for leaning in and  listening to episode 3; a CALM Kid Convo w/Zeus Rivera, recent high school graduate and former student of mine! 

• Check out his videos at https://[email protected].

• I used to tell my students that learning was a two-way street; a day never passed in which I did not learn something from them: from a riddle that I couldn’t solve and so required an explanation, to interesting information they’d learned from another class; to exposure to an idea, movie, book or video game, to a challenging lesson on how to love and respect them more -and better. 

• This is why I want young people on this podcast: to show us Visionaries how to better love and respect them because let’s be honest: It is EASY to get caught up in our grown-upness, our degrees, and our do what I say, not as I do-ness!

• Sometimes, it can be instructive to stop giving directions and start asking questions. Here are three questions that we can ask ourselves after listening to this convo with Zeus:
  • In what ways am I leading my child or students, so that they are growing and learning?
  • In what ways am I supporting (as opposed to stifling) my students’ or child’s independence? 
  • In what ways do I show regard for my child’s or students’ dreams and aspirations? Have I even asked them about their dreams and aspirations? 
• Whether it’s in the classroom or in the kitchen, and whether they are eight or 18,  let our conversations with children remind us that our envisioning can only be as powerful as those for whom  we’re doing the envisioning!

Pssst!
If you are digging on this podcast, please do what we podcast fiends do: SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW!

I appreciate you!

• In Episode TWO,  Janel King, Visionary Parent and Therapist for The People (YUP, that's what I'm calling her!) speaks with us about...
• how she manages her ADHD 
• what she does to walk the talk as a parent who supports other parents
• how Millenial parenting is changing  family communication dynamics
• what Communities of Color need in order to get the post-Pandemic healing started 
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

Janel is Co-Founder of Urban Restoration, located in San Diego and if you are ready to "get your healing started,"  you can seek out her services at https://urbanrestorationcounseling.org or follow her on the Instagram @janelkinglmft...and check out Urban Restoration's IG posts; they're like sunshine for the mind!

Pearls, DROPPED:

• Systems are important- not just for children but for ourselves. So, maybe the systems we put into place for children ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS the systems we put into place for ourselves? Hmmm….
• 2. The reason why we think we aren’t getting stuff done MIGHT not be the reason why we’re not getting stuff done. Sooo true: the mind can be a tricky place to live until the superficial stuff falls to the wayside and we are left with only our habits. You can love it, hate it but you gotta appreciate it. 
• 3. “Make sure that you’re teaching the lesson.” When Janel said this in explanation of LOVE and LOGIC, I almost jumped outta my chair and shouted a Hallelujah! Two of my favorite L words and in relationship with one another! This kind of thinking could change the trajectory of discipline...shoot, it sounds almost RESTORATIVE! 

•  I would love to know what YOU internalized after listening to this episode. DM me @ zenani116 on the Instagram and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! 

SUBSCRIBE! SHARE! RATE! REVIEW!

• This bonus episode breaks down the CALM Pillars, the structures that were my best practices for effective teaching and have now been repurposed for this podcast.

• Talking Points: 
  • A VISION must be supported by VALUES. 
  • VALUES must be enacted for the VISION to become VIABLE.
  • Pillar 1 is the Check-in (1.) AKA the Relationship Pillar; promotes mutual empathy, respect and dignity; fosters connection, self-awareness and accountability;  serves as the foundation for the other three pillars.
  • Pillar 2 is the Agenda, which creates safe and brave spaces.
  • Pillar 3 is the Lesson and is ideally designed and taught with thoughtfulness and knowledge of students' strengths, challenges and cultural contexts.
  • Pillar 4 is Management, promoting student agency and accountability.
• DM me @zenani116 with YOUR Vision for your child's or students' education; I would LOVE to share it with other Visionary listeners! 

SUBSCRIBE! SHARE! RATE! REVIEW!

1. The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians and Administrators by Bob Costello, Joshua Wachtel and Ted Wachtel

• Episode 1 pays homage to the hustle of the teachable moment.

• While I don't like it when people are sneaky, I do appreciate the teachable moment that sneaks up on you when you're doing something you thought you couldn't do, only to show you that you are indeed already DOING THE THING. 

•  Can you remember the last time you had this kind of teachable moment? The kind that seizes the opportunity of your struggle and wells up from within to show you who you are and what you're made of? 

• The CALM Pillars- the 4 pillars that defined my best practices in the classroom and now drive this podcast,  evolved from a teachable moment insight that I would return to again and again: the importance of trusting myself and trusting the process, as I struggled to learn new things.

•  This insight would first arrive when I learned to ride a bike and again in my early years as an educator.  

•  In this episode, I begin unfolding the CALM Pillars  because I believe that we Visionaries need structures to support our work and expand our VISIONS for our children's education.  

• Structures that will consistently remind us to TRUST ourselves and the process. 

SUBSCRIBE! SHARE! RATE! REVIEW!

• Welcome to CALM Conversations about Learning, where we lean in to re-envision our children’s education through insightful and humanizing perspectives from the folks who matter most: parents, teachers and of course, our young folks. 
• If you are a parent or educator (or both!) who envisions a different education for our children; if you believe in communities more than you believe in institutions, and if you recognize that it will take not just a "village" but a Village of Visionaries to truly educate our children then YAAAYYYY... this is your education podcast!
• I’m your host, Zenani--educator, parent, grandparent, and Restorative Practices trainer and I believe that educating is synonymous with relating and that the relationship between the teacher and parent is central to a child's learning. 
• On this podcast, we'll chip away at the US versus THEM norms while...
  • unpacking the experiences, insights, tough-love lessons, and unexpected gifts that have come from Pandemic learning
  • exploring three foundational questions to help clarify our reenvisioning of education- both collectively and individually 
• PLUS,
  • I’ll be sharing  my best education practice Pillars of CALM for a clearer and more empowered vision for your child's or student's educational journey!

So, join our Village of Visionaries  for a new conversation, every Thursday, whether it be with a guest, a student roundtable or between you and me!

Btw, if you are interested in contributing an insight or experience to this Conversation, DM me on the Instagram @calmconvoz-- let's talk!

SUBSCRIBE! SHARE! RATE! REVIEW!

Credits: 
Music by Cipury
Editing by Devonne Williams