Education Suspended

Hey everyone! In today's episode we connect with LeiLani Scott from Mesa Public Schools. I've had the honor of working with her for several years now and am alway so impressed by her leadership and ability to push the system forward. In this episode she highlights the importance of building a true culturally relevant PBIS system, supporting our educators, and prioritizing the growth of all students.

LeiLani brings 26 years of extensive experience in the field of education to her current role as the Director of Student Support Systems for Mesa Public Schools. Her career has encompassed various roles, including general education and special education teacher, itinerant Vision specialist, Trauma Specialist, Special Education Director, and Principal.  LeiLani has been committed to enhancing educational systems and frameworks, such as MTSS and PBIS  to better serve educators, districts, and learners alike. LeiLani strives to be a force for improvement, empowerment, and growth, in order to propel others forward in leaving their mark on the world.

In this episode we connect with Christine Corr Kiewra, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Christine reflects on lessons learned from her 20 years of experience in early childhood education and how that impacts the way she now supports adult learners. She dives into the importance of wandering and its connection to creating opportunities of wonder. Christine’s passion for nature and play with students of all ages is inspiring and she highlights why these are the same ingredients that can bring joy to educators. 

Christine is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was the recipient of the 2022 Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence. Christine is also a consulting editor for the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education and a Board Member of the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.

Hello Everyone! Thank you for your patience as we make some changes to our episode releasing schedule. We are back with such a good interview! In today’s episode we sit down with Rodney Robinson, the 2019 National Teacher of the Year. This interview is so motivating! Rodney shares his story with us and teaches us about the difference between equality and equity. 

Rodney has over 20 years experience as an educator with Richmond Public Schools. He taught secondary social studies in middle and high school for 20 years. He spent 5 years of that time at Virgie Binford Education Center, a school inside the Richmond Juvenile Jail. Rodney’s accomplishments in education vary from his professional growth to his students’ personal growth. He was named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year and used his time as national teacher of the year to advocate for economic equity and cultural equity to make sure students have teachers and administrators who look like them and value their culture. Rodney is currently a Senior Advisor with Richmond Public Schools in charge of Teacher and Leader Pathways. He has started the RVA Men Teach Program to recruit and retain male minority teachers in Richmond Public Schools. In 2022, he partnered RVA Men Teach with the Virginia State University School of Education to launch the first Paid HBCU Teacher residency in America. His passion is helping the underprivileged and underrepresented populations in America.

Hello wonderful listeners! Yes, this is one week late. We apologize. Covid got us, and it threw off the release of this episode last week, but we are back up and running.

In today's episode we connect with Veronika Bačová, an educator in Prague, Czech Republic. We have a wonderful time exploring the similarities and differences in our educational systems. Veronika talks about the importance of allowing time for the kids to regulate and play, and the reality that our system needs to continue to prioritize teachers. Veronika Bačová works as a teacher at a primary school and is working towards her PhD on the issues of inclusive education. She sees inclusive education as an essential part to help all students and to create a fair education system for everyone. She uses a Trauma Respecting Approach in her teaching.

Happy New Year, wonderful listeners! I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better episode to bring us into this new year together. I needed more than I knew! In today’s episode we connect and learn from Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, who is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute. Laura’s book, Trauma Stewardship, is one that truly changed my professional career and in this episode she highlights why recognizing how we experience stress is so vital to all of us. She shares with us how damaging isolation is; reminding all of us to connect, not shy away from vulnerability, and bear witness to those around us.

Laura is the author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm. She is the host of the podcast Future Tripping, which is dedicated to conversations about overwhelm. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, she has worked nationally and internationally for more than three decades. Laura is on the advisory board of ZGiRLS, an organization that supports young girls in sports.

Welcome to the last episode of 2023! I hope you all have a wonderful Winter Break. In this episode we sit down with Coach Shawn Sorsby, the Founder and Executive Director of A Step Ahead Chess. What a fantastic way to close out 2023. Coach Sorsby is so inspiring and the way he is changing student’s lives through chess is amazing. He highlights that losses are lessons and that we should run towards failure in an attempt to continue growing. Coach Sorsby also reminds us that the brain is a muscle and must be worked out in different ways for optimal learning to happen. Through his own story he connects the power of joy in education that we wish for all students. Coach Shawn Sorsby is an award winning Math Teacher and Chess Coach. Sorsby is the Founder & Executive Director of A Step Ahead Chess, a nonprofit organization that creates life changing experiences for young chess players by exposing them to international travel and competition, and enriching their lives with chess lessons on the board and life lessons off the board.

In today's episode we sit down with Joel Pippus, the Project Lead for Push to Heal, which uses skateboarding as a component for treatment and education with high needs students. Joel highlights different ways skateboarding can be used as an education tool and mental health strategy to support growth with students. He shares different ways it promotes regulation and can build executive functioning abilities. Joel's own personal story directly shines the importance of the continued need to think outside the box for better ways to serve our students.

Joel Pippus is a certified Child and Youth Care Counselor with Hull Services, a non-profit organization in Calgary, AB. Currently, Joel works at Hull’s program Pathways To Prevention: A Centre For Childhood Trauma as the Project Lead for Push to Heal and Training and Education Facilitator. Joel has presented locally and internationally about the Push To Heal project, and continues to develop resources (like the Push To Heal short film) and partnerships in the social skateboarding space.

Join us for as we spend time reflecting on some of our big takeaways from the previous four episodes.

In today’s new episode we talk with Becky Arndt, who is a Drama Teacher in the Racine, Wisconsin Public School System. Becky shares with us her Actors Tool Box and connects ways we can utilize those tools in other areas of education. She highlights the importance of environments that foster student strengths and belonging. Becky also talks about the important role Specials’ teachers play in education. Becky is a product of the Racine Unified School District and a third generation educator. She is in her eighteenth year teaching and is a strong believer in the power that the arts have on student growth.

In today’s episode of Education Suspended we connect with Dr. Mark Gooden, PhD., who is the Christian Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership and Chair of the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Gooden talks about the barriers that exist in our ability in education to retain strong teachers of color. He highlights the power of education to be the passport to the future, and how that leads to an obligation for us to make the system better for future generations. Dr. Gooden is co-author of the award-winning book Five Practices for Equity-Focused School Leadership (ASCD, 2021) and co-author of the Principal's Legal Handbook, 5thEd.