On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we are sitting down with Vanessa Hopkins, educator and administrator. Vanessa began her career in social work with the Missouri Department of Social Services before pivoting and becoming an educator. She held numerous teaching awards before becoming a Vice Principal and District Literacy Coach. Vanessa lived in Syracuse, NY for three years lending her talents to the effort of turning around a struggling school.  The school received 11 awards during her tenure for:  decreased attrition of teachers, family and community involvement, meeting NY State DIIR targets in year 1, most improved teacher attendance, rigorous restorative practices, and decreased recidivism (including serious incidents, OSS & ISS). Visit linktr.ee/DTECChangeAgent to hear the entire new episode!

Hear our newest #TeacherTalkTuesday discussion with Janine Scott, an educator who began her career as a systems engineer, but now uses mathematical thinking as a motivator for her students to help them believe that they can reach success. Janine also was recently awarded the Regional Teacher of the Year  Award as one of the top ten educators recognized across the state of Michigan! Visit linktr.ee/DTECChangeAgent to hear the entire new episode!

On today's #TeacherTalkTuesday episode, Dr. Johni Cruse Craig sits down with Simene' Walden, author, educator and founder of The Student Teacher, LLC. Simene’ is the author of Standing On His Words: Prayers every Educator can Pray, Free Yourself, The Student Teacher Quotes and more. She was also a part of the team of project managers that curated and hosted our wildly successful summer series, the H.E. LIVE Lessons! Here, she discusses the importance of trauma-informed teaching, supporting educators as they tell their own stories through creative mediums and promoting literacy in digital environments. 

On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we're joined by Phenix Frazier Badmus, Executive Director of the Center of Academic Achievement at LaSalle Univeristy!  In this role, Phenix oversees the center’s academic support and program, tutoring, advising and other resources to help ease the transition of students into life at college. She sits down with Dr. Johni Cruse Craig to discuss our K-12 system's role in preparing students for higher education, building networks of peer advocates for first-generation students and more! To listen, visit linktr.ee/DTECChangeAgent to tune in wherever you get your podcasts!

On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we're joined by Ashley Kearney, a mathematics educator and STEM education advocate! As the winner of the 2020 DCPS Teacher of the Year Award, the 2020 Standing Ovation Award and a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Ashley has demonstrated efficacy on an exponential scale! In this conversation, Ashley discusses the emergence of Black people in STEM careers and education, her work with local teachers to advocate for their students and more! Visit linktr.ee/DTECChangeAgent to tune in wherever you get your podcasts!

On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we're joined by Veronica Menefee; an independent special education consultant and one of our DTEC-TAG Equity Warriors! She has almost 20 years of teaching experience and has taught on every level from Pre–K to Adult during her career; spending the majority of her time in middle and high schools. In August 2015, Veronica was approved for Administrator I on her teaching certificate to add to her Special Education, Reading, Social Studies, and Language Arts endorsements. Veronica discusses educational policies that need to be amended for student success, organizations that are promoting equity and affecting positive change, the importance of effective communication with your students and more! Visit linktr.ee/DTECChangeAgent to tune in wherever you get your podcasts! 

On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we sit down with Kelly Harper - 2019 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year Award Winner and 2019 National Teacher of the Year Award Finalist. Recommended for the honors by a PTA leader at her former D.C. school, Kelly says she stood out from other teachers by constantly affirming her students' roles as change agents and leaders, despite their young ages and backgrounds.  Listen in to this episode to hear about her practical ways of introducing minority representation in careers and future influential roles for "her babies," connecting with her students' parents virtually to support their children's success and her passion for dismantling oppression in the education system for her Black and Brown students. 

On this episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we're joined by Dr. Kandis Boyd-Wyatt -  full time professor in the School of Business at American Public University with research interests in project management, supply chain management, meteorology, the climate and public administration. She breaks down the emergence and importance of artificial intelligence in the future of education, the strength of the K-12 public education system as it prepares students for college and beyond as well as how she balances working at an online university and teaching her own children. For more on her thoughts on bringing artificial intelligence into the classroom, visit https://onlinelearningtips.com/2019/06/best-education-ai/ and https://onlinelearningtips.com!

On our latest episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday, we discuss the importance of utilizing technology to reach students and parents with elementary level educator, Brian Bryant! Even before the global pandemic, Brian was using digital learning platforms to increase his students' creativity and critical thinking skills. In this episode, he shares strategies on how he made a seamless transition to distance learning, the importance of advocacy for students' equitable access to technology and how he builds strong parent-teacher-student relationships.