Chasing Bailey

Families’ choice of school for their children is not the only kind of choice that matters educationally.  It may well not be the most important kind, either.  We heard from parents in Episode 4 who were concerned with whether or not their kids learned to think and act for themselves, and in the process, to take responsibility for who they were in the world. What do educators think about this? 

When educators wrestle with questions of student choice and responsibility, the differences revolve around when and how much -- and almost never about whether choice and responsibility matter. But the broad strokes of what we know are clear in research and in our discussion here: choice motivates student interest and effort, choice forms the ground for taking responsibility, and choice is both ground for and marker of shared life in a democratic community.  

00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 

01:24 Choice generates motivation, responsibility, and democracy Stengel 

03:51 Introductions Anna Bernstein, middle level English teacher/coach; Sara Sjerven, independent school English teacher/coach; Liz Self, high school English teacher 

08:11 So what about choice? Links to teachers’ autonomy, curricular constraints and self-censorship Bernstein, Stengel, Sjerven 

17:07 Choice as simple respect for students Self 

21:50 Choice is both challenging and necessary for learning Bernstein, Sjerven  

26:18 Why choice?  Community of learners Stengel, Sjerven 

30:10 Why choice? Other people in all their glory!  Self 

33:30 Why choice? The purpose of public school in a democracy Bernstein, Stengel 

36:55 Bring on responsibility (gender, time, desire, perspective) Self, Stengel, Sjerven 

41:35 Whose choices?  Whose agency? Whose responsibility? Sjerven, Stengel 

44:30 Disillusionment is understandable; is response possible? Bernstein 

46:55 What’s privilege got to do with it?  Students’ economic value Sjerven, Stengel, 

50:03 Does responsibility precede choice?  Sjerven, Bernstein 

53:16 The continuous enlargement of the space of the possible Self 

56:40 Supports for teachers who design for choice? Stengel, Bernstein, Sjerven, 

63:39 Community, creativity and trust for teachers Stengel 

66:20 This is the end of Season 2.  Join us in the fall for Season 3! 

Many thanks to the committed and accomplished teachers who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode!   These include Anna Bernstein, Sara Sjerven, and Liz Self. 

As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:   

www.chasingbaileypod.com. 

Folks have been debating how to teach reading at least since 1985.  At that time, the issue was framed as top-down vs. bottom-up.   

This makes the debate seem “tidy,” just two sides with clear delineation.   You were FOR phonics (bottom up) or you were FOR textual understanding (top down), but you couldn’t be for both.  In truth, there were no teachers then or now who don’t value both, who don’t tailor their teaching to the instructional moment of their students, individually and collectively. 

Well, we’re at the reading wars again, but the slogan now is “the science of reading” and all the educational reformers are hopping on the bandwagon.  In this episode, we ask teachers to make sense of the science of reading and what it has to do with the real challenges and real joys in helping youngsters become readers. 

00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 

01:24 The “Reading Wars” are back!!  Stengel 

04:24 DC teacher Katie Mazenko on complexity and challenge  Mazenko;  Stengel 

07:42 Is balance bad??  How to get skill, will and thrill. Stengel; Sara Abu Rumman, IN public school literacy coach 

11:49   A new teacher faces the challenge   Maddie Bernards, 1st grade teacher in CA; Stengel 

14:14 What’s developmentally “normal” in reading development?   Stengel; Mazenko; Sarah Ockenhouse, 3rd grade Nashville teacher 

19:08 Joy in skill development and watching kids become readers   Stengel; Ockenhouse 

21:10 And why test scores don’t reflect actual development?  Stengel; Ockenhouse 

22:20 What do reading researchers think?  Don’t legislate!  Stengel 

23:25 Understanding the value of phonics in learning to read  Stengel; Cara Furman, Hunter College 

30:10 Juggling the different needs of youngsters learning to read Stengel; Furman 

33:04 The important of teacher autonomy in teaching reading  Stengel; Krystal Dillard, co-Director,  

38:41 Curriculum and materials that encourage reading and readers  Stengel; Dillard 

40:54 Structured literacy is back!  In a context of external controls   Stengel; Ocheze Joseph, Director of Teacher Education, American University 

45:20 (How) Are novice teachers prepared to take this on?  Stengel; Ockenhouse; Bernards 

48:50 Can the system shift to make first rate reading instruction possible for all?  Stengel, Bernards; Abu Rumman;  

55:01 What motivates the slogan “science of reading”?  Maybe money, maybe politics  Stengel;  Dillard 

56:28 Relationships and teacher judgment in the face of a “manufactured crisis”: the Chasing Bailey touchstone  Stengel 

59:16  Join us next time to think about choice as it impacts concrete interactions between teachers and students (and yes, parents too!) 

Many thanks to the guests who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode!   These include Katelyn Mazenko, Sara Abu Rumman, Maddie Bernards, Dr. Cara Furman, Krystal Dillard, Sarah Ockenhouse, and Dr. Ocheze Joseph. 

As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:   

www.chasingbaileypod.com. 

Today we don’t talk enough about John Dewey’s call to educational equity and its impact on democracy.  Instead, small groups of parents (most notably Moms for Liberty) are prompting battles in local school boards to ban books, to fight racially inclusive curriculum, and to limit the rights and constrain the very existence of transgender and questioning youth.  

But some other parents – the majority it seems -- are fighting back to say clearly that these are not concerns they care about.   What DO they care about?  If this episode’s guests are taken seriously, families care about their children’s happiness, curiosity, safety, diversity, relationships – and recess!!  It’s not that they don’t want academic learning for their youngsters, but they seem to understand … as most educators do, that happiness, curiosity, etc. will ensure the right academic achievement to power both economic capacity and living well. 

 
00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 

01:24 What do we mean when we invoke parents rights?  Stengel 

04:29 Grandmas for Love challenge Moms for Liberty Stengel; Dr. Shirley Showalter, former President of Goshen College 

11:57 Do other parents agree with Grandmas for Love?  It seems so!   Stengel 

12:15   The special view of parents in rural areas  Amanda West, expectant mother and Bailey resident; Stengel 

18:04   Supporting the Bailey grad who now has adult responsibilities Ithaca Black, Bailey parent and mother of Maia; Stengel 

22:40   Committing to the “neediest” neighborhood school Christiane Buggs, President of the MNPS School Board and mother of Christopher;  Stengel 

29:50 What to do about school when your kids need very different things? Liz Self, educator and mother of Oliver, Emme, and Zola; Stengel 

39:32 How a child with multiple disabilities shapes everybody’s experience  Becky Peterson, educator and mother of Finn, Hawk, and Lucy;  Stengel 

47:44 Use the PTA as an entrée to care for your kids   Jess Houde, educator and mother of three enrolled in the same district;  Stengel 

53:33 What do dads want?  Stu Smith, father of Stuie and Alana and Johnny Benson, father of Bailey and Jojo; Stengel 

1:01.58  What parents want … no surprise  Stengel 

1:03:00  The link between love and success/achievement  Showalter, Stengel 

1:04:40  Taking an alternate look at the whys and wherefores of  parental choice  

1:06:15  Join us next time to dive into “the science of reading.” 

Many thanks to the guests who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode!   These include Shirley Showalter, Amanda West, Ithaca Black, Christiane Buggs, Liz Self, Becky Peterson, Johnny Benson, and Stu Smith. 

As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:   

www.chasingbaileypod.com. 

This is a “bonus episode,” not part of our regular schedule, but a conversation that nonetheless deepens and expands the ideas about education that ground the podcast.  In mid-December, Bloomsbury Press published Responsibility, a book  authored by Dr. Barbara Stengle for their Philosophy of Education in Practice series.  To help launch the book, Barb decided to sit down with 4 colleagues and invite them to make sense of what she has said and done. 

Have you ever taken the time to really listen to teachers talk about their work, about their joys and frustrations, and about how they grow as they work together?   This episode is an opportunity to do just that.   Bailey teachers talk about their experience and offer wisdom for all of us as they do so. 

00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 

01:25 Introduction to Professional Development? The Bailey Experience Stengel 

03:55 Bailey’s Team Structure as the Engine of Professional Development  Stengel, Keisha Harding, Bailey Teacher Leader now a STEM Consultant; Emily Prendergrass, Associate Professor of the Practice of Teaching Reading, Peabody College 

14:20 TLUS as a Vehicle for Learning Together to be Prepared, Not Scared Stengel, Harding, Pendergrass  

24:05 More Relational Capacity: The Synergistic Role of Residents  Stengel, Lindsey Nelson, Dean of Academics; Kenan Kerr, resident, 8 year teacher, now curriculum consultant;  Julia Konrad, resident, 5 year teacher, now Head of Education Research in NYC Independent Budget Office 

40:05 Job-Embedded Teachers:  The Answer to Shortages?  Stengel, Nelson, Kerr, Konrad 

47:58 Why Aren’t These Teachers Still in the Classroom? Stengel, Nelson, Kerr, Konrad 

54:28 What Does Teacher Learning Look Like in the Good School?  And How Can We Fund THAT? Stengel 

57:15 Next Time:  “Parents Rights”:  Politically Volatile but Educationally Important?  Not So Much Stengel 

Many thanks to the guests who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode!   These include Emily Pendergrass, Keisha, Harding, Lindsey Nelson, Julia Konrad, and Kenan Kerr. 

As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:   

www.chasingbaileypod.com. 

The headlines are still screaming at us … but those headlines are not written by teachers and principals.  As we saw in the last episode, most media headlines simply don’t reflect the experience or concerns of those considered actual educational experts. 

00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel

01:25   Introduction to Autonomy (a tour through the headlines from Chicago and Denver) Stengel, Camilla Modesitt, Director of External Relations, Denver Language School

08:15   Principals’ Perspectives: “Professionalism and Empowerment with Balance and ‘Compliance’” Merida Freguada, Principal, Marrama Elementary

12:13   Principals’ Perspective: “Innovation in Name Only” Alex Wenzel, Principal, Denver Center for International Studies

19:55   Principals’ Perspectives: “Autonomy as Freedom, Power, and Responsibility” Modisett

32:44   Autonomy = Trust and Responsibility Stengel, Fraguada

33:55   Teacher Autonomy, Dead or Not Dead? Stengel

36:45   Autonomy in the Good School:  Lessons from Bailey Stengel, Claire Jasper-Crafter, Bailey Chief of Culture;  Karen Dorris, Bailey Teacher Leader, Laura Laufman, Bailey Resident

41:50   “All Their Needs Were Taken Care of” Stengel

42:45   Next Time:  Learning in and through Practice  Wenzel, Stengel

Many thanks to the guests who agreed to inform our thinking for this episode!

As usual, there are references to a variety of social, educational and historical news and commentary. You can pursue our sources and find out more about these issues at our website:  www.chasingbaileypod.com.

The Pandemic is endemic, or nearly so.  We’re still getting sick at all the wrong times, but the impact on most who actually test positive for COVID-19 are annoying rather than debilitating.  But the pandemic left us with a huge educational hangover, and the headlines really are screaming at us.  As always, our interest is in the experience of those who are on the ground.

Full Episode releases on November 1st.

The Pandemic is endemic, or nearly so.  We’re still getting sick at all the wrong times, but the impact on most who actually test positive for COVID-19 are annoying rather than debilitating.  But the pandemic left us with a huge educational hangover, and the headlines really are screaming at us.  As always, our interest is in the experience of those who are on the ground. 

00:00  Introduction to the Second Season Dr. Barbara Stengel 

01:30   Introduction to Post-Pandemic Recovery (a tour through the headlines) Stengel 

06:37 The Bailey Perspective (featuring teacher leaders)  Whitney Weathers Bradley, Kelly Aldridge Boyd, LeKeisha Harding, and Lindsey Nelson 

19:35 Experience on the Ground in Lancaster, PA  Stengel 

20:44 Principals’ Perspective: “We Got This”  Melanie Martinez, Principal, Wharton Elementary School 

23:45 COVID-19 as a Magnifying Glass for Persistent Problems  Baron Jones, Principal of Martic Middle School; Barb Smentek, science teacher, Lincoln Middle School; Martinez 

32:44 Teachers’ Perspectives Stengel 

33:55 Learning Loss  Amanda Aikens, Dean of Students, Ross Elementary School; Julia Rios Schwartz, 4th grade teacher, Martin Elementary School 

36:45 What’s the Message?  Stengel, Aikens, Rios Schwartz 

40:34 The Central Role of Community  Rios Schwartz, Stengel, Smentek 

44:04 Community and Connection  Jones, Stengel 

45:43 Neglecting Academics  Stengel, Smentek 

47:40 Positive Outcomes of the Pandemic?  Stengel, Martinez 

49:11 Caring for Teachers  Stengel, Aikens, Jones 

54:10 Teachers Disheartened and Frustrated  Rios Schwartz, Stengel, Smentek 

56:30 What Now?  Stengel 

Mid-pandemic, the wish educators most often expressed was that the COVID 19 Pandemic would provide an opportunity for an educational reset, that educators (not politicians) might once again set the agenda.   

What actually happened, of course, is not that.

The first episode of Season 2 of Chasing Bailey will be released on October 1st. 

The new school year is underway, and we are getting ready for the second season of Chasing Bailey.   

The first episode of the new season will drop October 1st.   Plan to join us as we take a look at what schools can and should be doing post-pandemic.  Later episodes will look at principal’s autonomy, teacher shortages, professional development, and what parents really want from schools.   We’ll hear from familiar Bailey characters and then bring other educators into the conversation.    

If you want to be part of our conversations, if your school is doing something we need to know about, if you have questions that you want us to take up, drop us a line at [email protected].   And as always, like us on Facebook, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!!